The alumni of the Budapest Corvinus University, who earned their jubilee diplomas, decided for the second year in a row to give back to the institution on the anniversary of their graduation. They sought a cause for their donations that would resonate equally with alumni from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and those from the 2020s. In 2023, the common goal was to support the development of the university library, focusing on supporting professionalism. The funds raised allowed for subscriptions to important databases, the acquisition of books, and the digitization of materials, with the assistance of the university’s alumni. 

In 2024, the focus shifted to supporting social mobility. Donations were made by the jubilee graduates to benefit students in the Szabó Kálmán Talent Program, which was established by the Rajk Collegium and is jointly operated with the Heller Farkas Collegium and the ELTE Bibó István Collegium. 

The Szabó Kálmán Talent Program’s main goal is to enable students who would not otherwise be able to continue their studies due to financial constraints to pursue higher education. Since 2013, it has supported students at Budapest Corvinus University, and since 2019, also at the Faculty of Law at Eötvös Loránd University. The Foundation helps its scholars with scholarships, a mentoring program, and professional and talent development programs. The program provides annual financial support for students continuing their studies at Corvinus University, with 500,000 HUF for those in the scholarship program and 700,000 HUF for self-financing students. 

Through the 2024 fall fundraiser, a total of 1,136,000 HUF was collected with donations from fourteen alumni. A significant portion of the funds, one million HUF, was allocated to support a student from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County who began their studies at Corvinus University in the bachelor’s program in Business Administration and Management in September 2024. This student, who is enrolled in the Corvinus scholarship program, has since excelled in their first academic year: new opportunities have opened up, and they are enthusiastically embracing the opportunities offered by the university and the capital. The remaining 136,000 HUF was used to support the students‘ language training. 

Dr. József Berács, the professor emeritus of Corvinus University and a jubilee alumnus, was one of the organizers of the 2024 fundraiser. The professor explained that the fundraiser was initiated with the intention of establishing a tradition. They hoped to set an example for future jubilee graduates, showing that every year there could be a noble university cause or one that serves the development of current students, to which the jubilee graduates could contribute. By selecting the foundation, they also wanted to honor Szabó Kálmán, the former rector and teacher of the jubilant students.