“Planning students at FSU get a great education in the field, so it’s worth every penny I can contribute to help them access the same opportunities I had to achieve success.”
– Lauren Matzke, MSP ’06, Planning Manager in the Long-Range Planning Division, City of Clearwater, Fla.
Gifts from Lauren and other alumni and friends student professional development and financial assistance in the form of awards and scholarships.
The Department of Urban & Regional Planning has many ways in which alumni and friends can give back to the unit. These gifts are used to:
- ensure that DURP attracts the best young students into planning;
- provide access to planning education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds or historically under-represented populations;
- support student professional development activities, such as participation at the APA Florida Conference and the National APA Conference; and
- sponsor graduate student awards and community outreach activities.
Giving Opportunities
DURP General Development Fund: Gifts to this fund help support social events, including our annual end-of-year Convocation ceremony, community outreach activities, student conference travel, and bringing guest speakers to FSU’s campus.
Richard A. Smith and Alumni Scholarship Endowments: The Department has endowments that provide support for graduate students, one created to honor Richard Smith, longtime Chair and key Department builder, and an Alumni Scholarship Fund created by alumni many years ago.
Marion Cook Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports second-year master’s students and part-time students and was created as a tribute to honor the memory of alumna Marion Cook.
How to Make a Gift to the DURP Annual Fund (F04799)
Giving back to DURP is now easier than it’s ever been:
- You can make a donation via credit card using an efficient, secure online site. Select the Department of Urban & Regional Planning (F04799) from the drop-down menu where it says Designation, it’s the second option. You can also note if the gift is a tribute in honor of or in memory of a specific individual by completing the Tribute section of the page.
- A second option is to download, fill out, and mail in the College’s Gift Form. On this form be sure to check Other and write “Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning” in the gift designation section of the form.
For More Information
If you have any questions about the above Gift Opportunities or have ideas for other fundraising activities, please contact DURP Chair Chris Coutts at ccoutts@fsu.edu.