Offering a Helping Hand

Staff work together to helpundergraduates succeed.

The RISD Staff Council has been raising funds and encouraging staff to make donations in support of RISD students for more than a decade. This ongoing philanthropic effort initially funded the Staff Council Student Awards, which were given to undergraduates in their final year at RISD—from both the Fine Arts and Architecture + Design divisions. The awards provided $500 each in campus store credits and have supported 17 students since 2010.

Recipient of a Staff Council Student Award

Diane Walker, associate registrar for operations and curriculum, was one of the founding members of the RISD Staff Council. She recalls the council took on the student awards project shortly after its formation. “RISD is a very caring community, and providing students with support for materials during their final year is an easy sell,” says Walker. She notes that staff and faculty enthusiastically supported the cause from the very beginning. In 2014, the Staff Council decided to work toward creating an endowed scholarship. Since then, more than 110 staff, faculty and local companies have given directly over the years and many more have participated through events.

The annual awards have made a positive impact on students. “I work a lot with mixing physical mediums with computer visual effects for my animations. This year I pushed myself to make a film with visuals made entirely out of gouache on paper,” says Dairys Escoto 19 FAV, one of the recipients of the award this year. “Having the liberty to experiment with these costlier materials was an amazing experience, and I am thankful for the opportunity. I am also looking forward to using this award for an upcoming animated installation.”

This award meant a lot to me because it was the first time in my RISD career that I felt like I could make something without monetary constraints.

As of this year, the council has raised enough moneyto endow the fund and create RISD’s 205thscholarship, which will continue in perpetuity.Committed to helping to RISD students, the councilencourages staff to give through payroll deduction,one-time gifts and events like the RISD Flips Yard Sale.