Dillard University is asking its faculty and staff to donate $30 a month to assist students in need in its Dollar-A-Day Campaign launched Jan. 21.

If each of the approximately 250 DU employees participates at the level requested, it would be enough to send at least four students to school for four years, according to Khalilah Elliott, director of annual funds.

It costs about $26,000 a year to attend Dillard, including tuition, room and board, and fees. The flyer announcing the program said most Dillard students come from homes with an annual household income of less than $45,000. Students often find that remaining at Dillard is a financial challenge, the flyer said.

Elliott said a few personnel already have signed up, but she did not provide a specific number.

“We’ve had some employees who literally – they were so excited about the program – wrote a check for the full amount of $360,” she said.

Elliott said the campaign will be an ongoing activity in which DU employees can sign up anytime to make a one-year commitment of donating $15 per pay period to help provide financial assistance to students. More than eight of out 10 students on campus receive financial aid.

Although Elliott doesn’t expect all faculty and staff members to write out a full check of $360, the goal of the campaign is for every employee to donate something, she said.

“We’re hoping to see a bigger enrollment,” said Elliott.

Employees can join the campaign by downloading an employee payroll deduction form the Human Resources section of the university web site and designating the amount to be deducted during each pay period. The form should be submitted to Room 234 Rosenwald Hall. For more information, contact the Office of Annual Giving at 816-4767.

The Annual Fund is a fundraising campaign through which unrestricted gifts of any

amount from any source can be made to the university. The program supports students by providing scholarships, attracting and retaining highly qualified faculty and staff, strengthening the academic curriculum and outreach programs and by providing access to the latest classroom technology.

Other fundraising programs coordinated under Annual Funds includes the UNCF Walk/Run; the Bleu Devil Challenge, a competition between classes of current students to see which classification can raise the most money; and Dillard One Thousand, a program that encourages alumni to donate $1,000 each.