Alumni Giving

Alumni participation matters
Alumni contributions to the Annual Fund, no matter the size, make a substantial difference in Naropa University’s future. Alumni participation in annual giving is an important measure of alumni satisfaction. It displays how graduates of the university generously wish to pass on the type of unique and valuble education they received at Naropa. Each alumnus who donates can influence many others to donate, maintaining the fund that provides countless opportunities for generations of future Naropa students.

Our goal: 500 alumni donors
Naropa University has more than 5,000 alumni. Our goal is to have 500 members of our esteemed alumni make a gift (of any size) by June 30, 2012.

Over the last few years, an average of 4 percent of alumni have donated to the university, showing their collective appreciation for the Naropa community.

Please join the alumni who support the university by giving today. Know that your gift of any size will have a great impact, will be used responsibly, and will be greatly appreciated.

Why I give to Naropa University
Our alumni know better than anyone what a special place Naropa is. Having experienced a Naropa education, our alumni benefitted from the university’s unique quality of education. They contribute their time, talent, and resources and are among the university’s most valued donors. Read the stories below to learn personal stories of our alumni—how they benefitted from their liberal arts education at Naropa, and why they are moved to honor the university by giving back to Naropa.

Robert Cooper, who earned a BA in Religious Studies from Naropa University in 2006, finds satisfaction in knowing that his gifts create a positive impact. He began donating to Naropa on a monthly basis when he graduated. He also attends Naropa events whenever he can; recently he participated in student orientation and graduation. As owner of Command-A Consulting, a technology business, Cooper says he’s often called upon when someone is experiencing a computer or technology disaster. He credits the university with preparing him to handle those delicate situations.

"Without the training and practice I did at Naropa, it would be nearly impossible for me to be successful in my business. The skill of witnessing my own mind when the ego rears its ugly head is absolutely fundamental to what I do both personally and professionally,” Cooper says. “I see myself being involved with Naropa for the remainder of my life. No financial gifts can really ‘pay back’ the experience I had at Naropa. But it is a way for me to help ensure that the school is able to continue providing an amazing space for personal exploration and transformation.”

For Holly Gayley, an assistant professor in the department of religious studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, supporting Naropa University is the neighborly thing to do. The universities are in close proximity and they have a consortium agreement. Gayley does her part to foster scholarly exchange by giving presentations at Naropa, sending her CU master’s students to Naropa for Sanskrit and Tibetan language training, and inviting Naropa faculty and graduate students to CU’s public religious studies lectures.

Gayley earned a master’s in Buddhist Studies from Naropa University in 2000 and a PhD in Tibetan and Himalayan studies from Harvard University in 2009. She believes strongly in supporting Naropa’s mission of contemplative education by making annual donations as part of the Founder’s Society and by volunteering on alumni committees.

“I think Naropa has a unique niche within Buddhist studies nationally. It holds an important place for conversations between scholars and masters within the tradition. That’s actually quite rare to find,” Gayley says. “I got to take Tibetan with Ringu Tulku, a Tibetan lama. There were only three of us in the class, and we actually acted as a little translation committee. This was something you could get nowhere else.”

She says she’s carried forward not only her experiences at Naropa, but also her connections with faculty such as Sarah Harding, Judith Simmer-Brown, and others into her professional academic life.

Ryan Harrison describes his Naropa experience as a “life-shift.” He lives near Los Angeles where he’s a certified health and wellness practitioner consultant and adjunct faculty at the University of La Verne. Although physically distant, he remains connected to Naropa University. He attends alumni events in southern California, and he has donated to the university since he graduated in 2003 with a MA in Transpersonal Psychology.

“My studies at Naropa opened me up to a completely different way of thinking and feeling in the world. The emergence of a ‘new self’…paved the way for me to develop an entirely different worldview that has significantly impacted and blessed my life,” Harrison says. “I have wanted to help give others the opportunity to be similarly touched, inspired, and changed.”