As someone whose job is to fundraise, Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations alumnus Lauren Moore (‘07, ‘09) understands how impactful a monetary gift can be for academic institutions. That’s why she and her husband, Elliott Moore, recently established the Moore Family Student Success Endowment to benefit undergraduate students at the College of Communication and Information.
“We really appreciate the time we spent at Tennessee and the impact it had on our lives and professional career. I didn’t go into the field of advertising and public relations directly, but my experience was really positive and what I learned has been directly applied in my career. Helping others is important to us and we are inclined to give back as a result of those positive experiences,” Moore said.
Lauren is currently the CEO and president of the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Richmond, Virginia; this position follows years of working in development and fundraising for academic institutions, which all started when she got her first job in that field at UT after she earned her undergraduate degree; while working at UT, she also completed her master’s degree in public relations from CCI. She was recognized this year as a 2023 Volunteer 40 Under 40. Elliott is a transportation engineer and a graduate of the Tickle School of Engineering (‘07, ‘09).
After speaking with Dean Joe Mazer about his vision for the college and what kind of support CCI and its students need, the couple settled on an endowment that could be used flexibly for scholarships, student travel, or for study abroad.
“We are so grateful for any gift that is bestowed to our college and geared towards the success of our students. Endowments such as the one the Moores created allow us to make targeted decisions about where that money can most benefit our students and support our vision for CCI,” Mazer said.
Since endowments are a long-term gift that generate money for years to come, the Moore Student Success Endowment will be a reliable source of funding that can be given to students on an annual basis. The couple hopes that the main result from any publicity about their gift inspires others to contribute to CCI in similar ways.
“I have a lot of trust and faith in Dean Mazer’s ability to do what he needed to do with the funds and felt great about his vision for student success and support,” she said. “Our gift isn’t huge and won’t spin out a huge amount of money, but we hope that others will join us as we pull together for student success.”