Thank you so much for your generous support to provide an MPA student with a scholarship. I'd like to introduce you to one of the recent graduates who benefited from a scholarship.

"As a prospective student, I was interested in coming to the KU MPA program because I had a passion for city management and learning how to build a really strong public sector," says Godfrey Riddle, class of 2015.

He continues, “I come from a really poor background, so college was a financial stretch for my family. A master's at the #1 program seemed out of the question, and my acceptance at KU was bittersweet… until I realized that I had received a scholarship.”

If you haven't already, I encourage you to spend a moment watching the video (at least from the 4:45 minute mark that starts the "invest in a bright future" portion of the video through Godfrey's story at 5:41-6:06) to learn what a difference these scholarships make to real people.

Godfrey adds, “I am extremely grateful and want to thank all of the people who have taken the time and care to invest in students and their futures. Every donation amount matters and enables other students, who were like me, to come to KU and live our dreams.”

As you can see, your support really does make a difference in the lives of our students.

Thanks to you, we are at 63%! The more we raise, the better able we will be to offer scholarships that bring the best and brightest to KU. If you know someone who would be interested in changing the life of a KU MPA student, please share this link with them and help us bring more students like Godfrey to the KU MPA program: www.launchku.org/mpasupport.

Thank you, Reggie Robinson, Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration

P.S. In the comments field on the donation form, we'd love to know what class you were/are in and what inspired you to give!

Among the defining characteristics of KUCIMATs is their passion. This week in our initiative we hope you will tap that passion to fuel a class challenge.

We recognize that our more recent graduates may not yet be situated to make large gifts to this initiative, but every little bit helps! To that end, the goal for this challenge will be the largest percentage of class participation, not the largest amount. (Although, we’ll also announce the class that gives the largest total amount.) Gifts that have already been made during this initiative will be counted in this challenge.

Be sure to enter your class year in the comments field on the donation form!

May the “best” class “win” (really, the winners will be our students who benefit from your support)! Here’s the link to share: www.launchku.org/mpasupport.

Sincerely, Reggie Robinson, Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration

P.S. The image below was edited by the class themselves. Will you allow them to call themselves the “best class ever”?

We have a tradition of providing a one-of-a-kind MPA program. The study of cutting-edge social science research combined with practical experience was an early hallmark of our intern-option MPA program, and it continues to this day. Our students recognize that this combination of academic study and hands-on internships positions them well to achieve professional success.

“I appreciate the setup of the KU intern-option MPA program. Not only was I guaranteed an internship placement related to the field, but I have been given responsibilities that have helped build my abilities beyond what I got in undergraduate school. Due to my placement, I get to run projects that are equivalent to those I worked on while working full time prior to attending the MPA program. Before I even graduate, my resume will list my KU MPA education (which, even by itself, is of immense value), and it will also include a list of projects and responsibilities that have allowed me to grow as a professional.” – Drew Vincent, Class of 2017 Co-President (pictured below)

Another way we could better position our students upon graduation is to help ensure that their student loans are minimal or non-existent. That is why this scholarship initiative is crucial. Please tell your friends and classmates about it: www.launchku.org/mpasupport.

Because of your generosity, we're at 33% of our goal. When do you think we could hit 100% or go beyond?

Take care, Reggie Robinson, Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration

P.S. In the comments field on the donation form, we'd love to know what class you were/are in and what inspired you to give!

Thanks to everyone who has supported this initiative so far: today we are at 5% of our goal of $10,000. We couldn’t do this without you!

Given our February 1 application deadline for the intern-option MPA class that will join us in the upcoming summer, January is a critical time for us to engage with those who are thinking about whether the KU MPA Program is the program for them. Will we have increased the scholarship funds that we can promise them? That's up to you.

Before the end of the year, won’t you share your passion for educating the next local government leaders? Tell others you support this initiative, and encourage them to do the same. Here’s the link: www.launchku.org/mpasupport.

Every $25 or $50 helps us meet our goal.

Have a safe and happy new year, Reggie Robinson, Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration

P.S. In the comments field on the donation form, we'd love to know what class you were/are in and what inspired you to give!

Dear friends, It is with great excitement that we kick off this crowdfunding initiative! Our goal with this initiative is to raise $10,000 in scholarship funds for a student to attend our intern-option MPA program.

With the rising cost of tuition/fees for our first year MPA students, currently over $15,000 for resident students and close to $34,000 for nonresidents (out-of-state), it is critical that we increase our ability to offer more substantial scholarships.

We strive to recruit and admit diverse, talented, high-quality students, and a $10,000 scholarship might be exactly what a student needs to make KU an accessible first choice. Maybe we'll raise enough for more than one scholarship, but that's up to MPA program enthusiasts like you!

Feel free to share this link with others: www.launchku.org/mpasupport and thank you in advance for your support!

All the best, Reggie Robinson, Director and Professor, KU School of Public Affairs and Administration

P.S. In the comments field on the donation form, we'd love to know what class you were/are in and what inspired you to give!