WABASH COLLEGE Class Agents Letter Class of 1966 Alumni and Parent Relations P.O

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WABASH COLLEGE Class Agents Letter Class of 1966 Alumni and Parent Relations P.O. Box 352 Class Agents Crawfordsville, IN 47933 Jay Fisher Web site: www.wabash.edu [email protected] Email us: [email protected] Cal Black Phone: (765) 361-6369 [email protected]

May 21, 2018

Classmates:

I hope this Class letter finds you warm and happy. Just a couple of “Class Agent” items I want to point out.

1. #OUR WABASH 04.18 Day of Giving …. This is the “One Day of Giving” challenge Wabash presents to all alumni and members of the Wabash Nation, on a specific selected day (this year April 18, 2018), to show WHAT WE ARE MADE OF. Each year since 2014 there has been a selected day reach down and reach out and help Wabash. And each day on the selected day since 2014; Wabash alumni, students, faculty, and friends have responded, supported, and exceeded the goals set. Here is some facts concerning this year’s “One Day of Giving” … April 18, 2018: • Goal Set: 4,180 Gifts. (If the Goal was met there was a reward challenge gift of $418,000.) • GOAL MET: By midnight of 4/18/18 gifts totaled 5, 175 in number and resulted in a total donation of $1,019.998 for the day by the Family of Wabash. • The Class of 1966 also had an affinity challenge pledge (if the donor noted the Class of 1966 affinity challenge in making a gift, the gift made resulted in an additional gift by the affinity challenger). 39 gifts from our class took advantage of this multiplier and the total resulted in $12,985.34 from the 1966 Class gifts. GREAT !!! • HOW DID WABASH COMPARE with other colleges? • VERY VERY VERY WELL … thank you very much. In comparing Wabash to others holding the event at their institutions … a couple of benchmark comparisons: o Wabash College: 14,077 living alumni, 5,175 donations, $1,019,988 raised, donors who are alumni 37%, o Butler University: 49,900 living alumni, 1,007 donations, $165,416 raised, donors who are alumni 2% o St. Marys College: 26,000 living alumni, 4,619 donations, $695,252 raised, donors who are alumni 18% o Allegheny College: 25,523 living alumni, 2,034 donations, $371,892 raised, donors who are alumni 8% o Oberlin College: 40,000 living alumni, 2,950 donations, $638,865 raised, donors who are alumni 7% o Earlham College; 17,700 living alumni, 1,334 donations, $484,893 raised, donors who are alumni 7% o William & Mary College; 96,200 living alumni, 12,770 donations, $2,469,532 raised, donors who are alumni 13% o University of Chicago: 159,864 living alumni, 2,135 donations, $1,966,080 raised, donors who are alumni 1% o Notre Dame University: 123,707 living alumni, 20,526 donations, $1,874,481 raised, donors who are alumni 17%

Just goes to show you … we MAY BE Little (with less than 1,000 undergraduates enrolled and 14,077 living alumni) but we ARE Giants!!! SOME LITTLE GIANTS!!! I say to you Class of 1966ers, be proud of your Wabash College and walk as a proud LITTLE GIANT!!!

2. WABASH SPORTS: • Wabash Wrestling finished in 5th place in the NCAA Division III (Third year in a row in the top 5 in the country). • Wabash Baseball just completed their most successful season and Best Season EVER!!! 32 Wins and 17 losses. They lost in the finals of the NCAA Division III North Regional Playoff, 2 to 4 to #1 ranked Wooster. In the process they beat other NCAA Division III tournament qualifiers Marietta, La Roche, Ithaca, and Adrian. To get there, they also defeated Wooster twice in the NCAC Tournament. And their Coach is a Little Giant in his second year at the helm: Jake Martin. • Wabash Football did it to the Dannies … AGAIN … The really fun part was that Wabash converted two fake field goals for a touchdown and then put up a goal line stand, forced a fumble at the goal line, and recovered that fumble to defeat DePauw … again. I have spoken with Coach Don Morel and was very pleased with this year’s team performance and he is very upbeat for an even better next year. He reported that the team ended the season with 140 on the roster (including those injured) and, after graduation of this year’s seniors and addition of next year’s freshman class, he expects 170 suiting up for fall. He has several talented QBs committed for next year, our receiving corps (which was decimated by injury this past year) back at full strength. He commented that Wabash should produce an All American from this receiving corps along with QBs who will get the receivers the ball, a fine returning O line, and two of the leading Running Backs in the NCAC conference. I asked him for the team goals. He said last year it was to beat DePauw (and they did). This coming year it is to make noise in the NCAA Divisions III Playoffs (which obviously requires as a subplot beating the Dannies … AGAIN.) • Wabash has a new Athletic Director … Matt Tanney who is a Little Giant Class of 2005 and 2 sport athlete, honors graduate and with successful experience as AD (He is leaving as AD Western Illinois University to come to Wabash). Matt should be a person who 1) IS of Wabash, 2) UNDERSTANDS Wabash athletics and academics, and 3) GOOD FIT with Wabash common sense and focus on alumni, coaches, employees, students, faculty, and the mystique of Wabash. 3. Wabash Around the Campus: • Admissions Reports: Presently Admissions reports 283 deposits toward a goal this year of 275 Freshman. The mix is reported to be academically stronger and more diverse geographically and ethnically. • Graduating Seniors: Report that 86% of those graduating (just graduated a few days ago) are set with their career, employment, graduate schooling choices. Note … this figure is as of the date of graduation. The Great Lakes College Association average is 70% after 6 months after/from graduation. Clearly, Wabash is doing well in preparation and focus of our newest graduates. • College Life: Wabash has succeeded in efforts in the immediate past several years to update and improve the housing choices as well as support for undergrad needs/desires. Example: Wrestling now has its own practice building. If you haven’t seen it, go tour it. This released the “old” wrestling room behind the wellness and exercise facility in the Allen Center. This room has now been converted and equipped with serious weight training equipment and connected to the wellness and fitness area to offer a quantum leap in physical fitness offerings as well as and sport training.

So… in closing… I have just three requests:

1. Give if YOU have not yet done so: The College fiscal year ends June 30. The Annual Fund Goal is $3.3 million. Wabash, in alumni participation/support/giving rate, is very close to being ranked among the top ten liberal arts schools in the country. Wabash needs to hit its goal. If you have not yet made a donation to the College Annual Fund. PLEASE DO SO TODAY. The amount is not as important (although large contributions are always welcome … yuk yuk yuk … my feeble attempt at humor). The important thing is for you to be counted in by making a contribution before June 30, 2018. Just make your check out to “Wabash College” and send it to: “Wabash College Annual Fund, PO Box 352, Crawfordsville, Indiana 47933” >DO IT BEFORE YOU FORGET < 2. Give Wabash Admissions the name of a possible Future Little Giant: This is a junior or sophomore or freshman in high school who you think might make a good Little Giant. Admissions will do the rest. Just provide name, address, and whatever other information you may have. (Example: his interests, HS and activities in HS, general academics – if you know, any contact information you might have, and just whatever thoughts you have.) Either go on line to Wabash Admissions to do this or simply drop them a note with this information: “Wabash College Admissions, PO Box 352, Crawfordsville, Indiana 47933”. Wabash will do the rest. >DO IT BEFORE YOU FORGET < By the by … 6 years ago I did just this … the student graduated this year from Wabash … AND … along the way, in this year’s football game against the Dannies, caused the goal line fumble and then recovered it which beat the Dannies … AGAIN. 3. Get back to visit Wabash soon … soon. It will be fun and you will be glad you did. The first Wabash Home Football Game is at C’ ville, September 8, 2018. University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

Have a great summer.

Jay