2008-09 Cortland College Foundation Annual Report 1 2008-09 Cortland College Foundation Annual Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Note: Selecting a title below will take you directly to the page. To search for a name, a class year or any other word(s), select the Edit menu and go to Find. 3 A Message From The Chair: Overcoming Tough Times Together 4 The Cortland Fund: Alumni Give in Record Numbers 5 Alumni Profile: Ethel McCloy Smiley ’31 6 Saying ‘Thank You’ with a Scholarship 7 Alumni Profile: Gerald “Jerry” Theisen ’53, M.S. ’58 8 ASC’s $980,000 Gift Builds Scholarship Endowment 9 A Heartfelt Thanks To Our Donors Chart: SUNY Cortland 2008-09 Sources of Funding Cortland College Foundation Board of Directors 10 Lifetime Giving Recognition Societies 11-13 Partners in Leadership 13 Associate Partners in Leadership 14-15 The Lofty Elm Society 15-18 Memorial Gifts 19-20 Honorary Gifts 21-22 Our Dedicated Volunteers 23-50 Alumni Gifts 24 Chart: A Summary of Gifts 25 Chart: 2009 Class Reunion Gift Campaign 51-52 Faculty, Staff and Emeriti Gifts 52-54 Friend, Foundation and Organization Gifts 55 Parent, Student and Family Gifts 56 Corporate and Matching Gifts 57-61 Gifts in Honor of Current Students 62-63 Gifts in Honor of Seniors 64 Gifts in Kind New Look for Annual Report Preserves Our Financial, Natural Resources 2 Table of Contents A Message From The Chair Overcoming Tough Times Together Brian Murphy ’83, Chair, Cortland College Foundation Although I have been a Cortland College Foundation Board Watching the festivities in the Park Center Alumni Arena, member since 2005, I had the privilege in 2008-09 of serving I was moved by the thought of your gifts to the foundation as the board chair. While the past year has been challenging that enriched the educational experiences of those graduates, for the entire global economy, the difficulties faced by many of whom would have been unable to otherwise afford colleges and universities and their related foundations have a SUNY Cortland education. been unprecedented. College endowments, both large and small, experienced double-digit losses. The most prestigious As I walk across campus, my pride swells with the physical universities in our country reported upwards of a 30 percent beauty and the many improvements, such as the recently drop in their endowment values. constructed Education Building and Child Care Center, made possible by the support of our elected officials, friends and Unfortunately, our foundation was not immune to the the citizens of New York state. A portion of Moffett Center ravages of the investment markets. We suffered endowment has been renovated and is now the modern home to the losses of 17 percent. The foundation board acted promptly Sociology/Anthropology Department. The College plans to implement a strategic plan to preserve capital while major renovations to Bowers Hall and Studio West and has reviewing its ongoing investment policies and strategies to begun to design its student life center, an incredible facility meet its long-term investment goals. that is certain to help Cortland become one of the healthi- est college campuses in America. One of the consequences of the negative investment returns this past year was a reduction in the number of scholarships As an alumnus, I have never been prouder of the fine work that SUNY Cortland was able to offer its students. However, accomplished on campus. Thank you to all of the faculty, the College, the foundation and, most importantly, the staff and students who make SUNY Cortland an exciting and students themselves were fortunate to have benefited from important institution of higher education. My deep appreciation the wonderful generosity of 35 donors who offered to make goes to the foundation board of directors, the alumni board up the difference in their scholarship deficits and, in some of directors and the College Council. These volunteer leaders cases, in other affected scholarships so that these much- work tirelessly and truly give of their time, talent and treasure needed funds could be awarded in 2009-10. The stories in on behalf of SUNY Cortland. this annual report speak to the generous acts of caring and kindness by our alumni. Lastly, I would like to thank each and every donor to the Cortland College Foundation. Without your generous Despite the tough economic times faced by so many, our support, the foundation would be unable to help the alumni and friends continued to support the foundation and College provide the enhanced educational experience for the College in near-record numbers. The foundation raised our students. You make a difference in the lives of countless $2.9 million during the fiscal year. While just short of last students. More strongly than ever, I believe a Cortland year’s record of more than $3 million, such support was education changes lives. phenomenal given the uncertain economic market. We had 6,000 donors who gave an average gift of $225. As we continue our slow but steady ascent from the largest recession since the Great Depression, the focus on the In my role as chair, I frequently returned to campus. In May, foundation and the role of our alumni to support our future I beamed with pride as two of our Class of 1975 graduates, opportunities has never been clearer. Such private capital Gen. Anne Dunwoody and Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, received support to SUNY Cortland has migrated from an ancillary honorary doctorates at Commencement. Meanwhile, the function to critical funding for expanding programs. Now Class of 2009 was energetic, enthusiastic and seemingly well more than ever, your participation will help SUNY Cortland prepared to enter their chosen professions. fulfill its critical educational mission. On the Cover SUNY Cortland’s newly constructed Education Building located on Neubig Road features a state-of-the-art child care center. 3 Table of Contents The Cortland Fund: Alumni Give in Record Numbers With the classes of 1959 and 1969 leading the way, The Two more diverse classes than these are hard to imagine. Cortland Fund raised a record $760,000 from all alumni during its 2008-09 campaign. “We were a very tight-knit group,” observed Ron Black ’59, who was class president while at Cortland and chaired the The Class of 1959 donated $25,000 to fully endow an annual Class of 1959 Reunion Committee. “The College was much SUNY Cortland scholarship for a deserving student with smaller. There were just a few buildings and when you walked financial need, while their 1969 counterparts marked their to classes, you said ‘hello’ or ‘hi ya’ to just about everyone. 40th reunion by pledging to raise $40,000 to support a People stayed in New York mostly and kept up friendships future scholarship at their college. after college and that’s why our 50th reunion was so successful. More than 135 alumni and their guests attended, possibly the Jennifer Janes, who directs The Cortland Fund and oversaw most from one class at Cortland ever.” all three fundraising efforts, noted that despite a difficult fiscal year, more graduates made the effort to support their The Class of 1959 formed a 30-member committee that alma mater. The $80,000 total increase followed a $65,000 spent more than a year and a half organizing reunion jump the previous year. activities. Don ’59 and Donna Bell Traver ’59, as well as Richard Wagner ’59, ran an effective telephone tree to invite “While the average gift was smaller because of the economy, graduates and seek their support for the scholarship. Extra we actually had more people giving this year,” she observed. gifts from this generous class will underwrite improvements “We are truly grateful for the loyalty and dedication of our to the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House. alumni during the past year.” “For my class, the years from 1965 to 1969 were a time of Janes’ staff worked closely with alumni affairs staff to ensure great change,” commented William “Bill” Dickerson ’69, who the success of fundraising by the 11 class years celebrating spearheaded his class’ fund drive. “Timothy Leary visited formal reunions at Alumni Reunion Weekend in July 2009. campus bringing with him for the first time talk about LSD They recruited class committees to encourage members of and drugs. Students began questioning things. Many of us their particular year to attend the reunion as well as to faced the prospect of being drafted into the Vietnam War. It participate in reunion class giving. was an exciting time to be a college student.” In 2009, the classes of 1959 and 1969 decided to go above “What we’re hoping with this class scholarship is to grow the and beyond by starting scholarships honoring their classes. endowment large enough to give one or more scholarships,” Each will support an annual scholarship of $1,000. The Class said Bill, noting recently that $35,000 has already been of 1959 Scholarship can be awarded immediately while the pledged. “Steven Paxhia ’69 conceived the idea as this was Class of 1969 is seeking a few additional pledges in order to our 40th year. This was the year to raise an endowment to begin bestowing the scholarship when the endowment is support a scholarship.” fully funded. Steve, Bill, Lynn Wecker ’69 and Amy Poster Beekman ’69 all placed the calls to classmates. Another classmate suggested soliciting five-year pledges in order to include as many graduates as possible. “When we went to college in 1965, tuition at Cortland was $200 a semester,” Bill said. “And if you were fortunate enough to have gotten a Regents Scholarship, which a good many of us did, it was waived.