andrewcareaga

Can crowdfunding #SaveSweetBriar?

On the heels of Tuesday’s news that Sweet Briar College would close its doors at the end of this academic year due to what the school called “insurmountable financial challenges,” alumnae of the 114-year-old institution have launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to save the school.

Screenshot of the crowdfunding site to save Sweet Briar College

The crowdfunding campaign is looking for $20 million toward a goal of $250 million to keep the college open. It’s an ambitious goal for any type of fundraising campaign, but it’s a level unheard of for crowdfunding. The initiative’s eight-figure goal is greater than the capital campaigns of some colleges.

Most crowdfunding efforts tend to seek support for smaller projects during a limited time frame. For the Sweet Briar effort, the tight time frame is in place — 90 days — but not the modest fundraising goal. I’m not aware of any higher education crowdfunding effort of this magnitude.

Will the #SaveSweetBriar campaign work? Can crowdfunding scale to the multimillion dollar level?

The good news is that early donations have already cracked six figures — over $400,000 as I write this. But only time — specifically, 90 days — will tell us if this campaign succeeds.

‘Snake Invasion’: Gamifying a century-old #StPats tradition

Screenshot for "St. Pat's Snake Invasion," an arcade-style game modeled after Missouri S&T's century-old tradition. — Screenshot for “St. Pat’s Snake Invasion,” an arcade-style game modeled after Missouri S&T’s century-old tradition.

Every March, some students at our university carry on a century-old tradition called “Snake Invasion,” in which the students pummel plastic snakes with decorative walking sticks called shillelaghs, then bit the heads off the serpents.

It’s all part of a ritual to prepare the campus and community for the arrival of St. Patrick, the patron saint of engineers, and our 107-year-old St. Pat’s Celebration. (Just as Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, so to our students clear the campus of artificial serpents.)

Now, some clever members of our web and digital marketing team have replicated the snake invasion in an arcade-style game designed just for the occasion.

“St. Pat’s Snake Invasion” went live this morning, to coincide with the campus event. We hope our students, alumni and other visitors to our website enjoy this little activity. Why not give it a try yourself? Go to rol.la/stpatsnakes. And be sure to turn up the volume.

Meanwhile, back on campus... — Meanwhile, back on campus…