By: Colton Walter
If you’re a student who’s somehow managed to avoid noticing the mugs, shirts, app and even the countless beards, odds are you are still impacted by Pacific Lutheran University’s (PLU’s) Bjug Day of Giving.
Established in 2014, Bjug Day was created in honor of PLU’s founder Bjug Harstad. Many of the donations raised on Bjug Day contribute to funding student financial aid.
At PLU, 9 out of 10 students receive some form of financial aid or scholarship money from the university, stemming largely from donations collected on Bjug Day each year. These scholarships can be crucial to students, often making the difference between if students attend PLU or not.
“During my sophomore year, I was able to move off-campus to help take care of my mom because of the extra funding I got as the recipient of the Faye M. Anderson Van Beek award,” said alumni Austin Bierman, ‘18. ”Scholarships were the reason I was able to take a summer off of work to go to Norway because of the Rieke Leadership Award.”
2018’s Bjug Day of Giving brought a record turnout of over 1,000 donors including alumni, employees, parents and even current students.
$300,000 of the dollars raised during Bjug Day were supported with a dollar-for-dollar match to student scholarships by a group of donors. In total, over $718,000 was raised for scholarships and causes across campus during Bjug Day this year.
Bjug Day also gave donors the opportunity to choose what areas of PLU their gifts went to. Notably, academic divisions received $114,000 and athletics raised $66,000.
“We want people to know that Bjug day is inspired by our founder and his journey and that type of commitment,” said Andrea Michelbach, Director of Annual Giving. “But what really makes Bjug Day come alive now is when students are sharing their experiences and talking about what PLU is to them.”
This year, students were encouraged more than ever before to get involved and they responded in record numbers. Acting as social media ambassadors, 47 students raised awareness through mediums like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag: #BjugDay.
Hundreds of students took to their devices to play the game “Bjug Harstad’s Yukon Gold Rush” for a chance to win a year’s worth of free brewed coffee from OMM. Thousands of Bjug beards, mugs and shirts were given away to students and faculty as promotion for the event.
In addition to the university-produced video featuring a reenactment of Bjug Harstad’s quest to Alaska for funding, dozens of PLU students created their own encouraging videos and shared them.
Compared to PLU’s first Bjug Day in 2014, this year raised almost six times as much money for the university with over three times as many participants grown over five years. Thanks to the generosity of others, PLU can continue to support its current and future students.
Editors Note: This article has been updated to reflect changes requested by Andrea Michelbach, Director of Annual Giving to correct facts.
