David Barton ’61 learned next to nothing about private philanthropy while he was a student at UConn. He was busy figuring out how to balance the weight of his studies on the head of a pin, and no one was offering any information on giving anyway. He graduated and made his way into the world, believing UConn would fare just fine without him.

That belief was shattered 35 years later when the UConn Foundation came calling. The Foundation wanted graduates like him – smart, successful, energetic – to come back. Now Barton is leading a charge to encourage more students to become knowledgeable – and involved – with philanthropy toward UConn.

He has supported the creation of a Student Philanthropy Committee, which is seeking student volunteers to heighten awareness of the impact of private giving on campus. And he has presented a challenge to all UConn students: Give $5 or more to an area of their interest, and he will match each gift dollar for dollar, for a total gift of $25,000. These monies will be directed to the Fund for UConn, which provides for areas of greatest need, including scholarships, research, and student affairs.

“Students need to understand the economics of education, that tuition pays for about one third, the state pays another third, and philanthropy and grants pay the rest,” he says. “In fact, the day they start, they are recipients of philanthropy from people who have gone before them.”

Barton and others like him already know what students are now learning: That at a time when state universities are being asked to reduce their reliance on state funding and generate their own revenues, private philanthropy has become a necessity.

“I have long been a big proponent of starting philanthropy while students are on campus,” he says. “The Foundation and the Alumni Association are now much more active, and they are staying connected with students when they graduate. I didn’t give to the University until I got involved with the Foundation.”

The return of Barton to the University that educated him ran parallel to the growth of the Foundation. By 1996, the Foundation was actively raising private monies for UConn, and Barton, by then a successful executive in the specialty chemicals industry, had been invited to serve on its board of directors. He fully embraced his reinvigorated relationship with UConn, serving as a member of the board from 1996 to 2003, then rejoining in 2006. He is a former member of the Campaign Steering Committee, the School of Business Building Campaign Committee, and several other boards. He has also been honored with inclusion in the School of Business Hall of Fame.

He and his wife, Trisha, established the Barton Family Business Scholarship Fund in the School of Business in 1997, and also have supported the Fund for UConn, Athletics, the Presidents Fund and the School of Fine Arts.

“I believe that since all students have been the beneficiaries of philanthropy, they have a moral obligation to contribute back as well as they are able,” he says. “The Foundation has recognized that getting students engaged while they are on campus will capture them as givers after they graduate, and keep them engaged for the University. You’ve got to start somewhere – and this is a good starting point.”

For more information on student giving, please contact the Office of Annual Giving at annualgiving@foundation.uconn.edu or 860.486.2983.