SparkFSU is a new way to fund projects at Florida State University. The fundraising program allows faculty and their students to initiate and design innovative and entrepreneurial projects with financial support garnered from alumni and friends.
Within the College of Communication and Information, there have been three Spark campaigns launched in the last year.
Chronos: Sci-Fi Web Series Production
IronZoo, a group of Florida State University students, have united for the common goal of producing, marketing and distributing high-quality media. Their goal? Producing creative films and shows for the Internet age.
Chronos is an anthology series, where every episode takes the point of view of a different character. The series is set in a world where time travels exists in the form of natural disasters aptly called, “time storms.” These storms are completely random and cannot be prevented or controlled. The people of this world are forced to deal with the ensuing chaos as they are flung back and forth through time. Government agencies try to maintain order and prevent the spread of alternate timelines, while others seek to manipulate history for their own insidious purposes.
This is the biggest project that IronZoo has attempted thus far. They slate their production schedule in early January and hope to wrap in late March, with a premiere date of mid-April. The campaign ran from November 10th to December 25th, 2014 and raised $7,535 from 121 supporters.
STARS – Student Leadership Corps
STARS (Students & Technology in Academia, Research & Service) is an alliance of dedicated and engage young professionals who work with the community to increase the participation of the under-represented in IT/computing disciplines.
STARS Alliance has won numerous awards for its activities, which include local and statewide efforts. FSU STARS have promoted the College of Communication and Information at arious schools across the state. The STARS campaign was created to allow STARS to reach more students and promote their programs around the state. Donations went to help reach children and young adults through mentorships, presentations, workshops, conferences and clubs.
The campaign ran from February 9th to March 31, 2014 and raised $4,395 from 48 supporters. 35 of the 48 supporters were former STARS students (FSU alumni) who had never donated to FSU in the past.
Wise Women Program
WISE (Women in IT/ICT Sharing Experiences) was created in 2009 with the focus of helping mentor female students in the College of Communication and Information. It helps young women connect with industry leaders, provide mentorship opportunities, leadership and success.
Donations to WISE enable the group to reach more young women and promote STEM around the state. Funds go towards meals, lodging and transportation needs for WISE members, allowing the group to reach new audiences.
The campaign ran from November 10th to January 12th, 2014 and raised $1,440 from 27 supporters.
While the campaigns are closed on SPARK, you can still support them (and other initiatives) through the give.cci.fsu.edu page. You can view all of CCI’s funding opportunities here.