Florida Polytechnic University has raised more than $128,000 this year on its annual Giving Day, far surpassing its goal of $100,000.

The funds will support student success, hands-on learning and the school’s singular STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) mission, the school said.

Giving Day is a 24-hour effort across Florida’s state university system, established to raise funds to support university priorities and programs, including academic affairs, student affairs, athletics and alumni networks.

The event features contributions from alumni, students, families, employees and community partners. Contributions for this year’s event fully fund the Student Affairs Campaign at Florida Poly, which supports scholarships, student success and student programming. Funds raised also bring the President’s Priorities Campaign to within 1 percentage point of its $50,000 goal.

“Giving Day showed how deeply our donors and friends are committed to Florida Poly and the future of our students,” Florida Poly Chief Development Officer Stephen Weingart said. “This incredible outpouring of support shows that people see the impact our graduates are making across Florida and want to be part of that success.”

The school holds its Giving Day on or near March 14 to coincide with the school’s celebration of Pi Day. For the mathematically uninitiated, 3.14 is pi (rounded to the hundredths) and is a mathematical constant beloved by math enthusiasts everywhere.

While most Giving Day funds were raised online, Florida Poly also sought contributions during its 12th Annual Florida Poly Pi Run, which attracted more than 150 runners clocking a 3.14-mile run around campus and raised $7,000.

Florida Poly added a new event this year, the Florida Poly Giving Day Gulf Tournament, which was held March 9 at the Eaglebrooke golf course and raised $15,000.

One of the largest donors this year was Rep. John Wood Jr., who contributed $30,000 toward the President’s Priorities Campaign.

“It’s not a coincidence that our students are graduating with the lowest debt and the highest paying jobs in the state,” said Seth Spencer, the University’s director of development. “Every dollar really does get poured right back into impacting students by creating more classrooms, providing more lab equipment, increasing scholarships and enriching the overall student experience.”

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