Many of you have at some point in time received a call from an ACU student asking for your support for the ACU Annual Fund.  You might enjoy the interaction with a current student – or you might regard it as an inconvenience.  But there are some things you may not know about the ACU Calling Center.

Did you know that in the 2006-07 academic year, student callers had direct contact with 17,312 ACU-connected households?  That’s a bunch of phone calls!  It would be impossible for ACU staff to make that many personal contacts.  During those calls, students documented many changes of address, phone, email, or family status to help us stay connected.  They provided important information to our alumni, parents and friends about campus events.  These callers also raised $319,857 in pledges for ACU, plus an additional $38,000 in anticipated matching gifts, which is almost one-third of our Annual Fund goal.  Their work is critical to our efforts to provide ongoing funding for ACU’s students and mission.

Did you know that ACU student callers also call for other non-profits and universities?  During the 2006-07 academic year, the ACU Calling Center provided services for universities like University of Dallas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and University of Houston,  as well as making calls for for non-profits like Nashville Public Television (NPTV) and Nashville Public Radio (WPLN) and more.  This ensures that the ACU Calling Center can provide year-round employment for 30-40 ACU students – and one of the best work experiences anywhere.  Student callers learn punctuality, discipline, patience, graciousness in difficult circumstances, and great communication skills.

This year, Niq Thomas will be managing the ACU Calling Center.  A native of Independence, Iowa, he has been with RuffaloCODY since 2004.  He recently moved to Abilene and is ramping up for a good year with our ACU student callers.

To read more about the ACU Calling Center and view a list of frequently asked questions, go to www.acu.edu/callingcenter. Thank you for saying “yes” when an ACU student calls!