Faculty-Staff giving campaign hits the right note

Mary Jane Brogan gets a little nervous when she has to speak to large groups, so when it was time for her to ask the law school staff for their support in the faculty-staff giving campaign, she did it with a song. "You don't have to be rich, to give with love," she sang to the tune of Prince's "Kiss."

She was a hit with staff, and her gentle approach worked.

"I thought it would be fun to try to encourage other people to give of themselves," said Brogan, a paralegal in the Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic and co-chair of this year's campaign. "I didn't want to put pressure on people and if you make it fun, people feel they are included, they start to think about what they themselves could do."

Thanks to the hard work of Brogan and Professor W. H. "Joe" Knight, the 2010-2011 Faculty and Staff Annual Fund Campaign was the most successful in law school history with over 56 percent participation. Both say it's gratifying to support the law school and encourage others to do so.

"We are role models, and it shows our belief and faith in the institution," Knight said. "If the law school is going to ask people for money, we should be showing that support."

Knight and Brogan, who work together at the clinic, were a great pair, encouraging each other along the way. They say they kept students at the forefront of their conversations with co-workers.

"It's good for students to see we give of ourselves outside the classroom," Knight said.

Brogan said she focused on participation, asking people to make even a small gift.

"You start small, and you think, 'that wasn't so bad. I can do it again.'" she said. "And you know it's true - you don't have to be rich."