Student engagement highlights

Students are extremely engaged across our campuses. 

This past year, our 250-plus undergraduate, graduate, law and medicine student-run clubs and organizations hosted more than 1,100 events. 

Among the highlights this year, Flo Rida performed at a sold-out M&T Bank Arena on our York Hill Campus, students from across the university came together to raise more than $140,000 to benefit the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center through QThon, and the Student Programming Board partnered with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to host three campus trips this fall to three games for more than 100 students. 

This fall, the Office of Residential Life hosted more than 340 events in 10 different residential areas, engaging more than 4,700 residents to enjoy food trucks, music, games and educational opportunities — including at the brand-new, 415-bed Grove residence hall on our Mount Carmel Campus.

During Thanksgiving weekend, the nationally ranked men’s ice hockey team took on Cornell at Madison Square Garden for the Frozen Apple. 

Our student media organizations are continuing to make an impact — and earning recognition for it. Q30-TV earned first place for best video sportscast at the 2024 College Media Association Pinnacle Awards. 

The Undergraduate Holiday Dinner celebrated its 40th year with more than 100 faculty and staff volunteers serving meals to thousands of undergraduate students during the final week of classes. A day earlier, the university rang in the holiday season at the annual Quad lighting, attracting thousands of students, faculty and staff around the steps of the Arnold Bernhard Library. The Graduate, Law and Medicine Holiday Dinner brought together nearly 500 students.

Faculty and students earned more than $1.5 million in 2024 for research and sponsored programs. 

Bobcat Nation came together to cheer for Ilona Maher ’18 as she helped lead Team USA to a historic bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Service to the community

Quinnipiac is dedicated to serving the communities we are so proud to call home — which is why our students have completed thousands of hours of service work in our communities throughout 2024.

Students, faculty and staff throughout the university contributed nearly 2,000 hours of service to our communities throughout Connecticut at the annual Big Event day of service.

Student-athletes have completed more than 3,700 community service hours throughout the year, benefitting 46 different organizations throughout the region. In fact, 98% of student-athletes participated in community service this past year!

Members of our fraternities and sororities have completed more than 10,500 hours of hands-on service throughout the year in Hamden, North Haven, New Haven, Cheshire, Wallingford and Bethany, and raised more than $178,406 for philanthropic organizations. Philanthropic work was up this fall, with an increase of more than 450 hours over last fall.

Graduating students from our Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine logged thousands of hours of community engagement. This year, they launched a community engagement council specifically designed to work with community partners to identify opportunities for collaboration and to deepen existing relationships.

Our EQUIP Rehabilitation Clinic served hundreds of area residents in a variety of in-person health fairs and virtual classes — with the support of faculty and alumni volunteers.

Our School of Law students completed more than 25,000 pro bono hours working in 18,000 hours were through student hours working in our clinics (spring and fall semesters, not in the summer) 6,430 hours were through public interest externships, where students were interning in legal offices that provide free legal services. 1000 were through school supported projects, such as Human Trafficking Prevention project and the domestic violence restraining order Sappern Fellowship.

This past fall, students from throughout the university participated in the Bobcat Community Builders programming, leading to 60 hours of service where students created back-to-school backpacks, stuffed animals for refugee resettlement, soup recipes for food pantries, and hygiene kits for those experiencing homelessness.

Throughout the year, the Office of Student Engagement has had more than 30 students working at local schools, nonprofits, town agencies and after-school programs in varying capacities, completing more than 1,750 hours of work.

Students also engaged in the civic life of our country, including organizing voter registration, and participating in debate and election night watch parties — with more than 300 students benefitting from and creating these initiatives. 

An increasingly engaged global alumni network

Our 70,000-plus global alumni network is increasingly connected — with expanded engagement within key markets in Connecticut, New York, Providence, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Naples, Delray Beach, Chicago, Houston and Austin. 

In the past year, nearly 3,000 alumni — ranging from the Class of 1952 to 2024, and representing 35 states and Canada — attened events around the country. Bobcat Weekend saw an increase of alumni attendees, marking the largest Bobcat Weekend alumni attendance in history.

Nearly 500 alumni have participated in various volunteer opportunities this past year, including Bobcat Connect connections and admissions events, which contributed to a 49% yield rate for prospective students, with nine out of 10 receptions having alumni participation.

The newly launched alumni website has been designed to elevate alumni experience and engagement.

The Student Philanthropy Council, designed to educate students on the importance of philanthropy and bridging the gap between students and the alumni community, has launched with more 700 student donors.

Generous donors support key aspects of the university

Generous donors are taking leading roles in helping to continue to propel the university forward. Just this October, Quinnipiac launched a new comprehensive fundraising campaign, “For the Ambitious: A Campaign for the Next Century,” to ensure a strong future as it prepares to celebrate its first centennial.

The campaign will enable the university to better serve Quinnipiac students, preparing them for a world that is continually undergoing societal, technological and economical changes.

The $160 million initiative has been designed with an eye toward the future — set to herald in a new era for the university for the next century, and beyond. Already, $78 million has been raised by generous donors!

The campaign focuses on four key strategic priorities to support:

• $55 million to support student scholarships and financial aid

• $50 million to launch innovative programs

• $30 million to advance faculty excellence and leadership

• $25 million to invest in capital projects

Since the launch, nearly 3,000 generous donors have contributed an additional $1.3 million toward the Bobcat Challenge, and Parents and Families Challenge.

In an effort to offset rising student loan debt, Bill and Barbara Weldon, both members of the Class of 1971, have launched a $5 million matching gift campaign. Their transformative gift is offered as a 1:1 match to encourage other donors to give, and by doing so, the campaign will raise $10 million in support of medical student scholarships. This groundbreaking campaign will enable future doctors to study at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac. 

The Weldons hope others will join them in funding need-based scholarships to increase access to Quinnipiac Netter, especially for students pursuing careers in primary and rural care. The future of medical education in Connecticut and beyond depends on it, according to Bill Weldon, who was chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson from 2002-12, and Barbara Weldon, whose father was a physician.