Students learning about role of Fellows
Students of generations past had little inkling about the meaning of Fellows Day. That is changing, thanks to Fellows themselves who have, for the past two years, included students in their annual gathering and business meeting.
Each fall, the university welcomes members of the Fellows Organization back to campus to thank them for their ongoing support of the Heidelberg Fund. This year, 50 students participated in the annual event on Saturday. Their presence had a two-fold purpose: to allow Fellows to get a glimpse of student life and to provide the students with an opportunity to make connections and network with alumni who may be able to help them upon their graduation.At this year’s Fellows luncheon, Dr. Jim Troha, vice president for Institutional Advancement and University Relations, added his thanks to the Fellows for their ongoing support. “Your support has made possible one of the greatest opportunities we can provide, and that is an education. What a remarkable gift to witness the development of these students as they grow and mature into productive adults. This is why many of us chose this profession.”
President Robert Huntington, who took office in July, shared with the Fellows some of his early experiences since his arrival. He also summarized the beginning of the school year and discussed “our collective learning as an institution” and academic expectations for the year.
In extending his thanks to the Fellows, Dr. Huntington said, “We cannot move forward and succeed … without your leadership, passion and support. If you are sure of anything, you may be certain that all of your financial contributions matter, especially the ones that come into the Heidelberg Fund because that is our only established receiving pool for unrestricted giving. It helps us run this place by providing much needed financial aid to our deserving students.” (Read Dr. Huntington's speech)
From July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009, some 1,452 Fellows Organization donors contributed $549,000 of the Heidelberg Fund’s total revenue of $656,800. The president asked the Fellows to consider what it would take to raise $1 million or more annually for the Heidelberg Fund, in support of strengthening the core academic mission. An increase in alumni giving from about 20 percent to 30 percent would be a major step toward the $1 million goal, he added.
The Fellows bid farewell and thanks to outgoing president Paul Assenheimer, ’60, who completed his two-year term, and welcomed new president Andy Karhu, ’91, and new vice president, Rebecca Denton, ‘ 04.
Assenheimer reflected on Fellows accomplishments, which have included reaching out to younger alumni and current students, co-sponsoring the Senior Dinner and sponsoring residence life pizza nights, and hosting Fellows on the Road events.
“All of these have led to the Fellows Organization being a better known entity among students,” he said.Despite a down economy, the Fellows Organization grew by 118 members in the past year. Since the organization’s inception 1950, aggregate giving has surpassed $11 million.
In his acceptance remarks, Karhu admitted that in 1989, he was one of those students who had no idea what the Fellows Organization meant. Through his youthful and energetic leadership, he hopes to set an example for students to become engaged with alums during campus events and beyond.
Fellows Day, he noted, is the largest gathering of students and alumni on campus. The Fellows, he said, “accept the challenges of President Huntington.”
“We will move forward with those objectives in mind, but we can’t do it without your continued support. You are what helps students. I ask you to dig a little deeper and give a little more, because you are the future for our students,” Karhu said.
In Heidelberg tradition, the luncheon concluded with the singing of “Sweet Alma Home,” the university’s alma mater. Professor Emeritus Dr. Ferris Ohl, ’36, who has conducted the song for decades, and Dorothy Ohl, ’44, his accompanist, received a key to the university in gratitude for their enduring support of the university and the Fellows.