Earlier this month USF awarded some 3,200 degrees. It brought its alumni total to more than 180,000.
This means USF, a 40-something university, is now reaching a critical mass of graduates. But it’s more than the raw numbers. For USF, it means a number of alumni are reaching the point where they can give back — sometimes in a very significant way.
This reality was underscored recently when a member of USF’s inaugural graduating class — 1963 — pledged $5 million from his estate to USF. Moreover, a state match will increase the total to $7.5 million.
“There are no free lunches,” said Jack Boyd Jr., 62, who earned a marketing degree in 1963 and later became wealthy as a stock broker and real estate investor. “This university has been good to me, so you have to give back.”
The gift from Boyd and his USF-grad wife, Janis, is the largest alumni gift for USF.
For now.