Faculty and staff contributions to the 2006 State Employee Charitable Campaign exceeded this year’s goal and last year’s total by more than $2,000.

In addition, more employees than anticipated participated in this year’s campaign, says Dee Wilson, 2006 SECC co-chair and associate director of the Career Center.

Wilson says the total amount of $142,628, which includes money raised by fundraisers as well as money contributed or pledged by individuals, surpassed the goal of $140,000. An estimated additional $14,000 to $15,000 in proceeds from the UNT Dell/Intel 7th Annual SECC Golf Tournament will be added to the $142,628 for a grand total of at least $156,628 — far more last year’s total of $150,303.

While the campaign’s goal was to reach a faculty and staff participation rate of 40 percent, Wilson says 46 percent participated - the same percentage as in 2005.

“We’ve had the highest participation rate of state universities with 10,000 or more students for the last two years,” she says.

She notes that more and more departments are having events to raise money for the SECC. This year’s 11 events included several departments having contests between staff members to fill change jars, including a contest between members of the Faculty Senate and the Staff Council.

Annual events such as the Celebrity Waiter lunches at Avesta in the University Union, the Eagle Student Services Center’s silent auction and bake sale, the University Union Pumpkin Carving Contest, the Registrar’s Office Chili Cookoff and the Halloween Costume Contest. A new event this year was UNT SECC Taco Cabana Night, during which 20 percent of the amount purchased by UNT faculty and staff at the Taco Cabana restaurant near campus was added to the campaign.

Wilson says that with a grand total of more than $156,000, UNT raised more than half of the amount needed to surpass the goal of $237,500 for contributors to the SECC in Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Grayson and Montague Counties. The overall amount raised in the five counties was $252,000 this year.

“We raise the most money at UNT, but we should because we have the most employees,” Wilson says.

More than 100 SECC department and unit coordinators volunteered their time and energy to help faculty and staff understand the benefits of supporting the campaign.

Wilson and 2006 SECC co-chair Linda Holloway, associate professor of rehabilitation, social work and addictions and associate dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, say they are grateful for the support and help of these coordinators.

“Without their assistance, the campaign might not have been as successful,” Wilson says.

 View lists of UNT departments that received staff participation of 100 percent and 75 to 99 percent.