Newman Challenge Focuses on Scholarships

Robert C. Newman and UM trustee Judi Prokop Newman hope to engage alumni in giving back to their alma mater with a challenge that could raise more than $500,000 for scholarships.

From UM News

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Earlier this year, Robert C. Newman, Hon. ’08, and UM trustee Judi Prokop Newman, B.B.A. ’63, initiated the Newman Alumni Loyalty Challenge in the hopes of inspiring fellow ’Canes to give back what they can each year to their alma mater.

The generous couple pledged $500,000 for student scholarships if a total of 10,700 alumni renewed their previous year’s gifts to the University of Miami by May 31, 2014.

“If we all could give back, even just a little, think of the impact we could make by paying it forward to today’s students,” says Judi Prokop Newman.

Judi knows plenty about the impact of scholarships. “Like many students today,” she says, “I was a scholarship recipient at UM and relied on the generous philanthropic support from alumni to keep my dreams of graduating from college alive.”

As soon as she graduated, Judi started giving back. “Granted it was very little at the time,” she says. “But as my finances improved, so
did my giving. What was important was keeping engaged with the university I loved, no matter the size of my gift.”

Troy Odom, executive director of Annual Giving at UM, said the Newmans created the Newman Alumni Loyalty Challenge because they “wanted to encourage everyone to give every year, at any amount. They’ve given for so many years and know that doing so creates a good feeling and helps alumni remain engaged with the institution they hold dear.”