Alumni Association Case Statement

A l u m n i A S S O C I AT I O N

Sean Hayes Class of 2014

From famed architects to accomplished CEOs and renowned writers, alumni of the College have made their mark on American society throughout the last 221 years. Awardwinning singer/songwriter Cary Ann Hearst ’01 of Shovels & Rope was the 2014 Alumna of the Year.

Boundless is the promise of our students, the distinction of our faculty and the enduring spirit of our alumni. BOUNDLESS represents the next era of the College of Charleston.

The College of Charleston is a special place. From the moment you step on campus as a freshman until the moment you cross the Cistern in May, it is evident: There is no other university like it. It is a blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the progressive – a dynamic liberal arts and sciences higher education institution in one of the most distinctive cities in the world.

Our alumni – more than 60,000 strong and living on every continent in the world (yes, even Antarctica!) – are leaders and social innovators in the workplace and in their communities.

The College of Charleston Alumni Association is a vital resource for our graduates to stay informed, get involved and give back. From student programs to lifelong learning and career networking, the Alumni Association brings together alumni and students, sustains the College of Charleston spirit and enriches the College community - both on campus and around the world.

As alumni, we are the guardians of this institution’s great traditions and the trailblazers of a pathway to a bolder, ever-stronger future.

Boundless: The Campaign for the College of Charleston Boundless is a $125 million comprehensive fundraising initiative, and it is your opportunity to shape the next era of the College for the benefit of our students, our alumni and our community.

Boundless is a chance for all alumni – regardless of your level of resources – to engage in the life of the College and set the stage for a new culture of giving back.

This campaign will sustain and strengthen the College of Charleston through support of three distinctive Alumni Association priorities:

1 2 3

An Alumni Center that will be a special gathering place for alumni and a pinnacle of pride for the College;

The Alumni Scholarship Program that ensures the future of the College by investing in the next generation of alumni leaders; and

Annual Giving Funds that support the College’s most-pressing needs and annual priorities.

The Power of Partnership Moving boldly forward while preserving the College’s distinctive identity will require your dedication and partnership. As federal and state support for higher education declines, our success also requires philanthropy.

BOUNDLESS will advance the College by engaging the support of our entire community: alumni, parents, friends, foundations, corporations, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends.

Alumni engagement and participation are vital components of the BOUNDLESS campaign. They are valuable measures of pride and satisfaction in what the College is accomplishing.

Support the College of Charleston with your philanthropy, your service and your advocacy. You can make a gift, attend one of our signature events on campus – A Charleston Affair in the spring and the Alumni Awards Gala in the fall - join your local chapter, volunteer as a mentor or be an ambassador at admissions events around the country.

We invite you to partner with us so, together, we can support the students, faculty and academic innovations that will propel us forward.

“The Alumni Association builds a culture of pride and engagement by ensuring alumni stay informed, get involved and give back.”

– La Guardia Smith Myers ’93, Chief Ethics Officer for General Dynamics in Washington, D.C.

One of the College of Charleston’s most enduring traditions is the Annual Business Meeting of the Alumni Association followed by A Charleston Affair. For well over a century, A Charleston Affair has welcomed each graduating class to the ranks of the alumni network.

p r io ri t y No. 1

A lu m ni Center To leverage the influence and relevance of CougarNation, a proposed Alumni Center is front and center in this campaign. Around the country, alumni centers facilitate alumni engagement between current and future alumni.

They also position colleges to leverage pride and passion into heightened levels of philanthropy.

Our state-of-the-art Alumni Center will be a visible bridge between undergraduate life and a future as an alumnus – one filled with access to an alumni network, continued engagement in the life of the College, education about the College’s mission and opportunities for informed advocacy. It will be a pinnacle of pride for our institution, while promoting the history of the College.

Gifts to help build the Alumni Center will create a sustainable business model to fund alumni programming at a level never before realized at the College. The new Alumni Center will anchor Cougar Mall, just across Calhoun Street, and be a much-needed gathering place for alumni and other thought leaders and advocates, as well as a focal point for generating interest in the College among the broader public. It will be home to events and programs featuring the College’s brightest faculty, students and alumni, as well as community and corporate partners.

Imagine an Alumni Center that will HAVE: :: A home base for alumni visiting their alma mater. :: Alumni Career Services, the most requested benefit of our alumni. :: Convenient and comfortable lodging for a limited number of visiting alumni, lecturers and dignitaries affiliated with campus events and programs. :: ADA-compliant event, meeting and conference space for use by the Alumni Association, the College and the community. :: Next-generation video conferencing; video recording; HD-video with surround sound; active display walls, ceilings and floors; and video conferencing to mobile devices.

:: Historical archives that showcase the history and traditions of the College of Charleston along with an interactive timeline. :: 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space dedicated to services that support the CofC student, alumni and parent experience. :: A rooftop event space for alumni weddings, receptions and campus events.

The Alumni Center will be a special gathering place for our alumni to share perspectives on current issues that are pertinent to the city, state and world. It will also be a hub of networking activities, social programming and intellectual and professional development opportunities.

The Alumni Center will be a vibrant hub of alumni events and programs featuring the College’s brightest faculty, students and alumni, as well as community and corporate partners.

pr ior it y No. 2

Alumni Scho l arshi p Pro gram Another vital priority is support for our alumni scholarship program. The Alumni Association has proudly offered scholarships since 1961. Some of our scholarships are open only to children and relatives of alumni, but others are open to all students. Alumni scholarships are based on demonstrated leadership potential.

More and more alumni are choosing to ensure the future of the College by investing in the next generation of alumni leaders – our alumni scholars.

At the College, students are following their passions and discovering or creating the path that will lead them toward a lifetime of fulfillment. Helping these talented students is one of the Alumni Association’s top priorities. For many, the opportunity for a world-class education would not exist without the generosity of alumni donors who have made gifts to support scholarships.

“My values, beliefs and vision

“I studied abroad in Cuba, participated

of the world took shape and

in the College’s Literacy Outreach

were further enhanced through classroom discussions and debates

Initiative and served as a peer teacher

at the College. My liberal arts

in Spanish my senior year. The Harry W.

education not only prepared me to be successful in the workforce,

Freeman alumni scholarship gave me

but also helped me become a

access to opportunities to study, work

conscientious citizen of the world.”

Alumni scholarship recipient Michelle Asha Cooper ’95, President and CEO of the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C.

and volunteer.”

– Emily DeVoie ’11, Spanish/English Customer Service Manager at Excel Dryer in Longmeadow, Mass.

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A nnual giv ing Through annual giving, everyone can be a philanthropist to the College of Charleston. Annual giving is the lifeblood of the College and fuels the boundless potential of our students, faculty and alumni. From scholarships, undergraduate research and faculty support to alumni networking programs, there is no better way to make an immediate impact on campus.

The College of Charleston Fund is the fund of choice for alumni because funds are unrestricted and applied to the most immediate needs and annual priorities of the College.

A portion of the College of Charleston Fund also supports alumni programming. For example, your gift to the College of Charleston Fund supports the development of our 38 (and growing) alumni chapters across the U.S. and around the world, in places such as London, Beijing and Hong Kong.

Equally as important, these gifts give the College of Charleston flexibility to meet its most pressing needs and pursue immediate and meaningful opportunities. They provide deans with support to establish a student/faculty research project, provide tuition support or fund student travel to an academic conference.

Every year, you can help shape the College of Charleston experience with gifts to the College of Charleston Fund or any of the 13 annual giving funds. Your gift makes a difference regardless of its size because you compound the power of your gift by joining with a large number of fellow alumni donors.

“There are many ways to give back annually to positively affect the value of a CofC diploma well into the future and impact the lives of current and future students.”

– Rallis Pappas ’78, President of SportsMEDIA Technology/Information and Display Systems in Jacksonville, Fla.

“Giving back, even in small amounts, gets us in the habit of making the College a priority. I attended the College on multiple scholarships and received a CofC education because alumni made it a priority to give back. Today, I believe in paying it forward.”

– Johnnie Baxley III ’92, partner in Willson, Jones, Carter & Baxley in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

J O I N US. Alumni engagement is a critical element in the life cycle of any college. All great colleges value their alumni; and all great colleges’ alumni add value.

For any college to improve and thrive over time, it is important that alumni give back. BOUNDLESS is an opportunity for all alumni to do their part and support the College to the best of their ability.

Over the past several years, we have seen a more active alumni body than ever before. For example, more alumni are in leadership positions on the College’s volunteer boards, and there is a strong relationship between the Alumni Association, the Foundation Board and the College administration. We have added 38 alumni chapters in recent years, including three internationally. Alumni philanthropy is on the rise, and more alumni than ever are visiting campus every year.

As we look to the future, now is the time to leverage this momentum and ensure there is a place where alumni can engage with the College. Likewise, this is the time to push our programming, networking opportunities and the College of Charleston conversation to new and exciting levels. A gift to the College of Charleston is the ultimate vote of confidence in everything the College of Charleston Alumni Association stands for, and all it can become. Annual support of the College of Charleston Fund, support of the Alumni Center and the Alumni Scholarship Program are investments in the future of the College of Charleston.

We call on you now to become part of our culture of giving back. Join us as we strive to reach our goal of engaging all alumni in the future of the College of Charleston.

With boundless enthusiasm,

Jack Huguley ‘72, Di rector

Daniel Ravenel ’72, President

Alumni Relations

College of Charleston Alumni Association

boundless.cofc.edu

Stay informed. Get Involved. Give Back.