Pi Day Fundraiser Exceeds Goals, Inspires Giving Back
Dean Shih-Fu Chang thanks 726 key graduates and donors who joined the Pi Day challenge this year, raising $421,272 to support students and faculty of Columbia Engineering.
The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia successfully completed its sixth annual Pi Day challenge this March.
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Among the total donors who provided indispensable aid through the duration of the challenge were 726 alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the School. As part of a new Pi Day feature, many had made gifts in the name of someone they met at Columbia Engineering such as an instructor, partner, colleague, or friend.
One Engineering alumni couple was so inspired by their Columbia connection that they offered to sponsor the Pi Day challenge for the second year in a row.
Tom Caulfield (BS’82, MS’84, EngScD’86) and Sandra Eng-Caulfield (BS’84, MS’86, MetE’87), both metallurgy graduates of the Department of Applied Physics & Applied Mathematics, matched a total of $31,415 for the first donations, up to $5,000, given toward the School’s priority funding areas. Their generous offer helped amplify the impact of 117 donors early in the campaign, which kicked off on Valentine’s Day.
Also offering a matching gift opportunity was Dean Shih-Fu Chang, who partnered with the Class of 2023 Senior Fund committee to rally the student community for the benefit of future engineering generations. At a Pi Day pizza party held in Carleton Commons, Dean Chang announced his match of the first 100 donations toward the Class of 2023 Undergraduate Scholarship Fund with $20.23 each, totaling $2,023.
The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by students who had gathered to mingle with one another before their spring recess. Many submitted creative “pi-ku” poems, and a bold few competed to recite the most correct digits of pi. Also in attendance was alumna Judy Joo (BS‘97), celebrated chef and entrepreneur, who stopped by to address the students and enjoy a slice of pizza pie herself.
Photo of Judy Joo '97SEAS, center, by Kofi Mekhi King ’24CC.
By the campaign’s official close on Pi Day, March 14, the Columbia Engineering community around the world had raised $421,272—exceeding the dollar goal of 100,000*pi that the dean had set forth.
“It has been an honor to take part in this exciting drive with you over the past month,” Chang said in a letter recapping the challenge’s results. “Thank you to all who participated in making Pi Day a success.”
Funds raised throughout the Pi Day challenge will be put toward scholarship and other financial support for the students, faculty, and priority needs of the School.
Visit engineering.columbia.edu/giving to learn more.