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The University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences concluded its seventh annual Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day on Feb. 20 with an unprecedented show of support. This year’s event set new records for both donors and gifts across the college.

In just 24 hours, over $959,000 was raised to benefit students and units within the college. With the participation of more than 1,100 donors contributing over 1,300 gifts, the college saw an impressive 38% rise in donors and a 22% increase in gifts compared to last year.

Funds raised on Giving Day will make a direct impact on students and college initiatives by ensuring access to financial support, offering opportunities for cutting-edge research, and creating career-launching connections.

“This year’s Giving Day has been truly inspiring, with a record number of Gators from all generations coming together to support our students and programs,” said Interim Dean Mary Watt. “We are so energized by this collective commitment to giving back, which speaks volumes about the strength and unity of the CLAS community.”

Throughout the day, strategic challenges motivated supporters to amplify their impact by unlocking larger gifts from generous donors. All four challenges were successfully met and exceeded their goals:

• A $15,000 gift from the Psychology Advisory Board enhanced the Psychology Department Fund.
• Rob Kincart ’72 and his wife, Laurel, contributed $10,000 to the Chemistry Fund.
• Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law Chair and Professor Stephen Perz provided $5,000 to the Dr. Lonn Lanza-Kaduce Scholarship Fund.
• Doug Valleau, a geological sciences advisory board member, committed $50,000 to the Geology Department Fund.

The psychology department’s challenge generated 186 donations, the largest number of gifts for any department in the college, raising $528,000. The geological sciences department received an outpouring of support, soaring past its challenge even before Giving Day officially began. Ultimately, they more than doubled their challenge gift goal.

“I am thrilled by the incredible support Geological Sciences has received from friends, alumni, and colleagues in our efforts to expand experiential learning opportunities for our students,” said Ellen Martin, chair of the department. “I am especially grateful for Doug Valleau’s exceptional challenge and the amazing support from our Advisory Board. These generous gifts will help us expand educational experiences for our students and create a lasting impact.”

This year also marked the first time the Department of Anthropology participated in Giving Day, raising over $3,000 through 30 donations to its Friends of Florida Anthropology Fund.

“Through our proactive efforts, with social media and creative placements of Giving Day information in signatures and on screens, we are happy with this initial push to create awareness of our program,” said John Krigbaum, chair of the department. “It demonstrates how supporting the Friends Fund positively impacts our efforts and our community.”

Additional highlights included:

• The English Language Institute, an entirely self-funded program, received its largest single Giving Day donation yet, thanks to a $5,000 gift from an anonymous donor.
• The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program raised over $7,700 for digitizing valuable archival material through a new fund.
• The Speech and Debate Society Fund garnered more than $4,600 from 36 donations thanks to passionate alumni and friends.

Altogether, nearly 13,000 Gators from all 50 states and 21 countries worldwide united to raise over $6.2 million for university priorities across campus.

As the college celebrates these achievements, it looks forward to building on this momentum for Giving Day 2026. Join us next year in continuing our mission to empower students, support projects, and create lasting change.

Learn more about Gator Nation Giving Day and discover ways you can support our college.