As you may or may not know, our greatest annual need for funding is in the area of general operations. Our state budget for operations is simply not adequate for a top-10 engineering program. We raise most of our operational funds on our own, through indirect charges on our research grants, but this is also inadequate for operations. Thus, we rely more than ever on our friends & alumni for operational funding. To support this area of greatest need, we have initiated a permanent operational endowment fund and we are steadily building the endowment, primarily with small gifts. Thus, funding provided for our operational endowment is not expended this year, but in fact is put into the operational endowment to provide our department with a brighter future for perpetuity. To aid us in soliciting funds for this endowment, we recently commissioned a "Hokie Bird" sculpture, which has been installed on the wall in Durham Hall right outside the departmental office suite.
We are looking for a total 16 'Benefactors', 36 'Patrons', and 240 'Sponsors' to support this project. The names of our Benefactors will appear prominently on the large brass plaques above the Hokie bird and the names of our Patrons will appear on the brass plaques on either side of the sculpture. Our Sponsors names will appear on the bronze plaques surrounding the Hokie bird. Annual contributions to support the 'Hokie Bird Project' at the three levels are:
| Benefactor | a minimum contribution of $5,000 annually |
| Patron | a minimum contribution of $1,000 annually |
| Sponsor | a minimum contribution of $250 annually |
You can also buy multiple plaques for husband, wife, children, or 'in memory of...', etc.
To support this very critical activity, simply designate your gift as "ISE Department-Hokie Bird Project".
