A Challenge for Challenging Times from Dr. Richard Semmler

Hello, everyone, I hope that you are remaining safe. I do not have to tell you that these are challenging times. All of our lives have been changed since Dr. Kress informed us on March 11 that instruction would shift to remote learning and on March 13 that faculty and staff would begin teleworking.

Most of NOVA’s faculty, staff and students have not been back to campuses since then, and I am sure that everyone misses being there. I know that I miss being able to visit my friends and former colleagues at the Annandale Campus.

From expanding virtual access to student services to loaning laptops to students to refunding their Spring Semester parking fees to Dr. Kress holding online office hours with students, supporting our students has been the focus of everything that NOVA has done through all of this.

Unwavering in providing financial assistance to our students struggling with reduced family incomes and additional expenses due to the pandemic has been the NOVA Foundation. First by creating the NOVA COVID-19 Emergency Student Aid Fund in March and awarding $743,000 to nearly 1,500 students through $500 emergency grants, laptops and grocery gift cards.

At the same time, the NOVA Foundation continued to administer over 300 endowed and annual scholarships that provide over $550,000 to students each year. Now, the Making Spirits Bright “food-raising” campaign is raising funds to provide $20 grocery store gift cards to help students experiencing food insecurity.

So, in these challenging times, I have a challenge for you: Help the NOVA Foundation assist our students by making a tax-deductible contribution before the end of the year. You can give one gift at a time or set up a recurring donation.

It only takes a small amount to invest in the education of a student and to make a positive difference in the trajectory of their future. I know because over the 45 years that I taught at NOVA, I contributed over $1 million to the NOVA Foundation. But it started with a $25 donation.

There are many ways to make a contribution to the NOVA Foundation. You can donate by text by texting nova to 56651. You can donate online. You can also donate each pay period by completing a payroll deduction form.

Think about contributing to an existing scholarship by donating as little as $500. You can start your own named annual scholarship for a donation of at least $5,000. You can also create a new endowed scholarship by donating a minimum of $25,000 that can be paid in installments, where the large principal earns compound interest over the years to allow annual grants to students.

Congress provided a special incentive for contributions to non-profit organizations like the NOVA Foundation when they added a provision in the CARES Act that allows individuals who do not itemize their deductions, but rather take the standard deduction, to take a tax deduction of up to $300 of cash charitable contributions per year, effective for the 2020 tax year.

Whether you are a member of the NOVA faculty or staff, your contribution to the NOVA Foundation can literally make the difference between success and failure for deserving students by providing financial assistance to them. Will you accept my challenge?

Dr. Richard Semmler is an Emeritus Professor at NOVA who began teaching mathematics at the Annandale Campus in 1973 and retired in 2018.