Taylor University encouraged students to celebrate everyday heroes during the Spring 2026 ‘I Love TU Week,’ which lasted from April 27 to May 1. This year they surpassed their goal of 400 donors but did not achieve their monetary goal.
‘I Love TU’ Week is Taylor’s largest annual fundraising event, with each matched donation supporting the Taylor Fund.
The Taylor Fund meets immediate, undesignated expenses across campus that tuition doesn’t cover. It aims to assist student leadership operations, improve residence life, improve in chapel experiences and more. It also annually lowers student tuition significantly by almost $2,000 per student, said Madison Slusher. Slusher is the content and special programs producer for campus wide events including ‘I Love TU’ Week.
“(Donations) go straight back to the students,” Slusher said. “When they participate, advocate, and give, they’re giving back to their Taylor experience.”
‘I Love TU’ Week annually takes place near the end of Taylor’s fiscal year, which is May 31. The awareness of Taylor’s financial needs raised during this week fuels a large amount of donations through the school year. It is also an opportunity for Taylor to track the number and demographics of financial donors as they give, interact with emails and watch their promotional videos.
“The donors who give to the Taylor Fund love our students,” said Kristie Jacobson, the executive director of development. Jacobson graduated from Taylor in 1990 with a focus in communication studies. “(As alumni) we know how transformative Taylor was for us, and we genuinely desire that for students.”
Engagement from Taylor’s student body is also a key focus of ‘I Love TU’ Week. Each year the development team provides engaging ways for students and their friends to get involved, whether through directly donating or participating in activities meant to spread awareness.
One way the team encourages student involvement is through “Battle of the Halls.” This ‘I Love TU’ Week tradition, which began Spring 2025, allows residence halls to collect points based on how many students engage in donation opportunities, community service and themed activities. The winning residence hall gets $1,000 to use on making practical improvements to their dorm, which Breuninger Hall won last year.
Development staff and student leaders run a table in the LaRita Boren Campus Center and offer information and games based on an annually changing theme. For example, Taylor has created bobbleheads of key campus figures in the past for students to collect.
In Spring 2026 they hosted a game presenting zoomed-in photos of leaders who have positively impacted campus and challenged students to recognize them.
Students received awards based on the categories of spirit, service and giving through the week, which demonstrates the student body’s willingness to get involved in campus events.
“What I love about Taylor is that students are interested in investing in their education. These are ways to build awareness and get students some extra fun this week,” Grace Gillmar, a marketing and management junior and an advancement student worker, said.
‘I Love TU’ Week inspires students to celebrate generous donors, find ways to give back to their campus and community and appreciate their own time at Taylor.
Jacobson hoped students would reflect on what generosity looks like for them, especially because good habits start in early years.
“As a graduate of Taylor, we have an opportunity to give,” said Jacobson. “As an alumni it’s important for me to give back to Taylor. It’s a way to thank my alma mater for how it enriched and transformed me as a person.”
