Tech Topics - Spring 2008 - (Page 27)

GivingBack Great Heights Rappel for Roll Call unique opportunity for young alumni Imagine being encouraged — invited even — to pull a Spiderman maneuver on the side of a Midtown Atlanta building without being arrested. If you graduated from Georgia Tech between 1997 and 2007 and are one of the first 100 young alums each to raise $1,000 for Roll Call, you will have the opportunity to rappel from the roof of one of Atlanta’s tallest buildings. Those who rappel won’t need Spiderman’s skills to go from the top floor to the ground. They’ll have ropes and special friction devices to control their descent — and helmets. “Rappel for Roll Call will be the experience of a lifetime,” said Jim Shea, the Alumni Association’s vice president for Fundraising and Business Development. “You can contribute $1,000 yourself or volunteer to raise $1,000 on behalf of Roll Call.” The event is slated for June 14 as part of young alumni reunion activities, most of which will take place on solid ground. Rappelling actually is quite safe. Over The Edge’s Remote Access Technology, which will be providing the service to the Alumni Association, is the largest rope access company in North America and a world leader in safety training. Over The Edge has been the creative force behind 36 rappelling events in the United States and Canada since 2003. The young and the brave may register at www.gtalumni. org/RFRC. Graduation Gift Alumni Association invests in its newest members STANLEY LEARY By John Dunn F or 100 years, alumni have been investing themselves in the Georgia Tech Alumni Association to make it a strong advocate of its graduates. In 2007, the Alumni Association turned the tables. It began investing in its newest alumni. The Association made a $25 donation to the annual Roll Call on behalf of each member of the spring, summer and fall graduating classes. Joe Evans, IM 71, vice chair for Roll Call, headed the philanthropic initiative. “We recognize that a student’s sense of philanthropic responsibility to Georgia Tech needs to begin the moment the diploma is placed in the graduate’s hand,” Evans said. Traditionally, it takes five to 10 years after graduation for alumni to realize the level of investment earlier generations of alumni have made toward the quality of their education. “Public money constitutes approximately one-third of Tech’s total revenue,” Evans said, pointing out that the Institute has been distinguished because of private giving. “One way of looking at this is Tech is two-thirds private, one-third public. To sustain the quality of the program that we have come to expect from Georgia Tech, we have to have an increasing sense of philanthropic obligation from our alumni. We believe that attitude has to start day one,” he said. Jim Shea, vice president of Fundraising and Business Development for the Alumni Association, said, “Joe Evans really wants to get young alumni started off early on in their careers. He said, ‘What if we meet them halfway? We make a gift on their behalf. We’ll get them started off on the right foot.’” Shea said the investment has been well received by the new graduates. “What young alumni tell us is that if they know something increases the value of their degree, they’ll support it. The higher the percentage of participation in an annual giving program, the higher Georgia Tech appears in rankings by U.S. News & World Report. It’s not about the Joe Evans, left, vice chair for Roll Call, and Steven Blackwood, Biol 07, worked together to develop a sense of philanthropic obligation among the Institute’s most recent graduates. amount — it’s about participation. “They work hard for four, five and six years to get their degrees and they can do something small like this and the value of their degrees will increase. They don’t have to take any more tests — it’s something they can do as an alumnus.” That struck a chord with Steven E. Blackwood, Biol 07, who was a left-handed outfielder for Tech’s baseball team. Blackwood sent a letter to his classmates encouraging them to continue contributing to Roll Call. “You can enhance your own degree,” Blackwood wrote. “Tech ranks seventh among the nation’s best public universities and one of the basic measures in these rankings is the rate of alumni giving.” Blackwood added, “Without the generous support of the alumni who came before us, our experience at Tech would have been extremely limited. It is now our responsibility to continue that tradition of giving.” Joseph P. Irwin, president of the Alumni Association, said many young alumni don’t realize that Roll Call supports virtually every academic area at Tech — and that directly benefits students. In a letter to the new graduates announcing that the Alumni Association had made a $25 donation to Roll Call on their behalf, Irwin called it “our graduation gift to you.” “Though your time as a student has concluded, your relationship with Georgia Tech has not come to an end. Having devoted and engaged alumni is an absolute necessity for a great university, and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association exists for that purpose. We are your connection to Georgia Tech,” he said. The gift made for the spring graduating class in May was to the 60th Roll Call. On July 1, at the beginning of the new fiscal year, the Alumni Association began its 61st Roll Call drive. “We have an online listing of all members of the May 2007 class who have already given to the 61st Roll Call,” said Nate Jones, director of Annual Giving. To make a gift online, visit gtalumni.org and follow the link under “give back.” “The theme is participation,” Jones said. “We want to build young alumni giving from the moment they graduate.” GT TECHTOPICS | SPRING 2008 27 http://gtalumni.org/RFRC http://gtalumni.org/RFRC http:// http://gtalumni.org

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Tech Topics - Spring 2008 Contents Mail Call Gold & White Honors Alumni House Sweet Spring Centennial Buzz Supreme Court Victory The Hill ‘Treasure Trove’ of Stories Living History Forget-me-not Fashion Student Life Investing in Graduates Giving Back Training the Next Generation Burdell & Friends Ingredients for Success Yellow Jackets Hockey Club Ices Georgia Tech Job Hunters Fare Well Real World

Tech Topics - Spring 2008

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