Tim Murphy, AB ’07, understands the value of a collaborative education. As an economics and accounting major at WashU, he also found time to study art history and study abroad in London. This interdisciplinary experience, he says, taught him the invaluable lesson to follow his curiosity wherever it leads. Tim and his wife Erica, AB ’07, live in Brooklyn, New York, with their three daughters: Hadley (9), Tessa (6), and Maggie (3). We sat down with him in late summer to discuss philanthropy, volunteerism, and how he hopes to pass these values down to his children.
What stands out to you about your WashU experience?
My freshman floor turned out to be very special. My wife Erica and I were floormates on third floor Lien. We were friends first. We started dating during senior year, and when we got married in 2011, five of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were from our freshman floor. The experience of being on that floor and making those lifelong friends was priceless.
How has your giving to WashU changed over the years?
My first gift (of $200) to the university was right after I graduated in 2007. It felt like a stretch at the time, but Erica and I are lucky that we’ve been able to increase the size of that gift over the years. We feel a lot of satisfaction and joy being able to facilitate the student experience in some small way, now at the Eliot Benefactor level. But I think the year-over-year consistency is more important than the size of the gift.
Why do you continue to give your time to WashU?
Volunteering for the Eliot Society gives me an insight into what’s happening at the university. It’s great, particularly as we live on the East Coast and can’t just drive by campus when we want to know what’s going on. Also, the ability to encourage others to give back to WashU, knowing how much the university has given both me and Erica, helps me foster an ongoing sense of gratitude.
What are you looking forward to as the new chair of the Benefactors Committee?
I think this will be an interesting challenge. I’m new to being an Eliot chair, but I have been a New York Eliot Society volunteer for many years, and I was chair of our 10th Reunion Class Gift Committee. I’m looking forward to facilitating and mobilizing our group of volunteers. One of our Eliot Society goals is inspiring consistency in giving and helping people expand their giving when the time is right. So it will be important to explore the dynamics of this group of donors and potential donors. It’s going to be a learning experience, but I trust the advancement staff at WashU. And I trust the process, so I’m ready to jump in and work with that network of folks to be successful.
What inspires you and Erica to give to WashU?
We are mostly interested in the facilitation of scholarships, making it easier for incoming WashU students to have the exceptional experience Erica and I had while not having an ongoing financial burden. WashU’s no-loan, need-blind policy is incredible. I’m so proud to be part of making sure everyone who has earned a spot at WashU can attend regardless of how much they can pay.
What excites you about the future of WashU?
We are empowering people to follow their curiosity, however that manifests. I had a very co-curricular experience: I was an accounting major in Olin Business School and an economics major in Arts & Sciences, and I was thisclose to being an art history major as well. I think WashU’s mission to bring that interdisciplinary structure to top-tier students every year is so energizing. And it’s done within an environment that is both extremely rigorous and extremely welcoming, which I think is a rare combination.
What is the legacy of philanthropy you’d like to leave for your children?
As I mentioned before, I think a sense of gratitude is crucial. We are unbelievably fortunate, and it’s hard when your kids are small to show them that there’s more than the life that they know. But giving back offers the opportunity to take a minute to realize how lucky we are and how we have the privilege and responsibility to make the path easier for others. Through volunteer work and charitable giving, we can live our lives in a way that makes it clear to our girls how strongly we value philanthropy, and hopefully, we can pass that value on to them.