Look Good and Feel Good

Red Shirt program will result in a $250,000 gift for scholarships.

 

The Red ShirtTM, a limited-edition, collectible line of T-shirts developed by the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA), does more than make people look good. It gives them a way to feel good, too, because all proceeds from sales go toward the Great People Scholarship Campaign.

And in April of this year, the Red Shirt program made possible a $250,000 gift to this need-based scholarship fund.

WAA’s board of directors executive committee unanimously approved the gift of $25,000 per year for five years from WAA, to be matched with funds from the UW Foundation. WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner MS’78 and former WAA board president Peter Christianson ’71, JD’77 presented Chancellor Biddy Martin PhD’85 with a check for the gift on April 23 at the association’s executive committee meeting during Alumni Weekend.

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to make this gift from proceeds of sales of the Red Shirt,” says Bonner. “It’s our great pleasure to invest in today’s students and the future of our alma mater by supporting the chancellor’s priority to increase need-based financial aid.”

The Great People Scholarship Campaign is targeted toward raising funds for need-based financial aid. Its goal is to provide increased access and affordability to undergraduate students and improve the quality of the undergraduate experience at UW-Madison.

In alignment with this top priority of the university, WAA’s Red Shirt program allows all Badgers to give back to the UW community in a fun show of support, unity, and Wisconsin spirit.

“I love wearing the Red Shirt to alumni events; I always get comments about it,” says Bill Donovan ’79. “A bonus is that I get to help future Badgers.”

The third edition, unveiled in August, references Bucky Badger’s full name — Buckingham U. Badger. The design allows students, alumni, fans, and friends to feel more connected to the university by being in the know on a fun piece of campus trivia. Ordering information can be found at uwalumni.com/theredshirt.

Published in the Fall 2010 issue