One for Diversity: Tysus Jackson '99

At Saint Mary's College Tysus Jackson '99 found professors to be welcoming and her sociology classes engaging and diverse. She chose to major in sociology and minor in political science and learned about service to others at Saint Mary's. "Service is an important part of my life because of Saint Mary's College," she says.

While Jackson is quick to praise the professors and the academic rigors of a Saint Mary's education, she is also willing, when pressed, to reflect on another side to her experience. "I missed a lot," she says. "It's hard to be in an environment where no one looks like you. I didn't feel valued."

Since 2003 Jackson has been creating development opportunities for alumni of color at Virginia Tech, where she is director of development for multicultural affairs. She also focuses on building relationships with alumni to increase their involvement and participation with the university. For her master's degreeÑin public administration from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University BloomingtonÑshe wrote a thesis on "Young African Americans: a New Generation of Giving Behavior," which was published in the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing in 2001. It's an enlightening history of African American philanthropy.

This is a subject about which Jackson is passionate. She believes that unless alumni feel like they can trust their school, whether it be Virginia Tech or Saint Mary's, they won't give back. "It's not just writing a check," she says. "You have to build a trust and connection back to the institution. In my role, I have to keep that connection going."

Jackson, as an African American woman, believes that trust is at the heart of philanthropy for her and other African American women. She believes that for Saint Mary's to reach its potential the College must create an inclusive environment for all students and meaningfully engage alumnae of color. She says she's been back to campus a few times in past years and notices that the campus is growing, at least in the number of new buildings. She's disappointed that there has been no significant change in the number of women of color attending the school.

She aspires to become a community foundation president so she can use her experience in
higher education to start dynamic scholarships and programs for students of color. The slogan on the bottom of her Virginia Tech e-mail signature exclaims, "One for diversity!" This is Tysus Jackson.