Annual Fund Raises Record $4.6 million
Alumni, parents, and friends of ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ engaged in a flurry of passionate philanthropic support in the 2016-17 fiscal year, giving a record-breaking $4.638 million to the to support the challenging, rigorous, and transformative education that ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ provides.
Altogether, some 4,293 alumni made gifts to ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥, including 2,839 members of the Loyal Owl Society (for alumni who give for three years in a row.)
To inspire a strong finish, a challenge match was sponsored by trustee Deborah Kamali ’85 and Kevan Shokat ’86; trustee Konrad Alt ’81; and parents Steven and Diane Marrow.
I've given to ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ for many years, and for many reasons. Seeing, as a parent, the same power of a ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ education that I remember feeling as a student has affirmed and deepened my commitment to the college's support.
—Konrad Alt ’81
Donors cited reasons for giving that were as varied as ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ies:
²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ gave me the education that has made me who I am today. The materials I studied, the professors who taught me, the culture on campus, and the friendships I forged have all changed me for the better, and I want to support it so that students to come can have a similar experience.
—Spencer Trumm '14
As a student who wouldn't have been able to attend ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ without financial assistance, I want to make sure that future ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ies are given the opportunity to delve deep into the Humanities without being restricted by their financial backgrounds.
—Lucy Bellwood '12
²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ not only did a lot for my personal and intellectual development but embodies the best values of our civilization. If the latter does not make it worthy of support, I do not know what would.
—Adam Wilkins '65
Annual Fund donors support students on every step of their path through ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥. The college awarded more than $26 million in to 55% of its students over the past year. Annual Fund gifts supported the , the multicultural resource center and the health and counseling center, among others. From scientific instrumentation in the labs to the 7,800 new volumes acquired by the this year, donors helped fuel original research and a challenging academic program. Tireless hours were dedicated to the careful restoration and upkeep of the canyon, and the paired current students with illuminating experiences and paths to fulfilling careers.
In addition to giving to the Annual Fund, an inspiring number of alumni, parents, and friends were moved to create a scholarship in memory of Taliesin Namkai-Meche ’16. Gifts to the scholarship have now topped $120,000 from 289 donors, including professors, classmates, parents, family friends, strangers who read about his heroism, work colleagues and Taliesin’s employer, The Cadmus Group.
Donors to the Taliesin Namkai-Meche Scholarship shared some of their inspirations for giving:
Taliesin was such a genuine person it was striking. He was someone you could always rely on for a smile or some other simple kindness that can often be absent from a day. Rest in power, man. You stood up for what you believed in and it's a shame that we live in a world where such noble behavior is fatally punished.
—Josh Byron-Cox ’18
I hope to honor this hero and all that he gave to those who touched his life, his family, his ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ friends, and especially strangers in need.
—Terran Williams ’06
Taliesin was my HUM 110 student. I donate to celebrate his life and to honor his heroic death.
—Troy Cross, associate professor of philosophy and humanities
The college honors the many reasons for giving to ²Ø»¨¸óÖ±²¥ and extends its thanks for all those who support this community of scholars.