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“The fact
that there are alumni out there who realize the importance
of new students and
who care
enough
about their alma mater to donate money to future classes says
a lot about them.”
—
Grant Thomas Offord ’05
Coming Back, Giving Back: Rice Alumni Set New Records
Homecoming and reunion. Both bring to mind vivid
images of lively football games and barbecues, handshakes and
hugs with old college friends, conversations with professors
and tours of new buildings, stories of college pranks and tight
deadlines, and above all, a demonstration of unmistakable pride.
Rice alumni are among the most loyal supporters that any university
could hope to have. From the volunteer help they give in a variety
of ways to the financial contributions they make, alumni ensure
that Rice remains the institution that they attended: an exceptional
institution in a stimulating—and fun—environment
for learning and growing.
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Alumni involvement in homecoming and reunion is
key to the success of Rice: The Next Century Campaign. Contributions
to reunion class gifts presented at homecoming provide support
to Golden Anniversary scholarships and the Rice Annual Fund.
In turn, those contributions help us reach two campaign core
priorities: increasing Annual Fund and unrestricted gifts, and
enhancing education and student life. Once again, Rice alumni
came through in a big way!
“I really appreciate
all the hard work of the folks who worked on our reunion committee.
Their diligent efforts,
along
with our $20,000 challenge for reaching 62 percent participation,
helped us exceed our goal.”
—
Dick Wright ’62
Reunion Giving = Campaign Support
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Each year, the eight reunion classes raise a significant
fraction of all money raised for the Rice Annual Fund. In 2002,
$1,489,774 in cash and pledges was received, an increase of 80
percent over last year.
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200 alumni volunteered in 2002 to contact classmates
for Rice’s reunion giving effort.
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Class of 1962
64 percent participation
$368,971 cash and pledges
The highest participation rate ever for a reunion giving class;
most money raised for a 40th reunion
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Class of 1977
53 percent participation
$586,045 cash and pledges
The most money ever raised by a reunion, non-Golden Anniversary
class; highest participation rate for a 25th reunion
- Class of 1982
51 percent participation
$121,472
The highest participation rate for a 20th reunion
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Class of 1997
37 percent participation
$29,395
The highest participation rate for a 5th reunion
To learn more about how you can volunteer for homecoming
and reunion, go to http://alumni.rice.edu and
click Get Involved.
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Also See:
First Impressions
of Lasting Loyalty: Rice’s Outstanding Alumni!
Reunion Rewards |
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Coming back to campus
Homecoming Weekend 2002 was eventful for a number of reasons: • Total
attendance for the weekend was 3,489, up nearly 24 percent
over 2001 attendance. • Twenty-two
percent of undergraduate alumni celebrating their
reunions were on campus. • More
than 400 graduate-only alumni and students returned
to Rice for the first-ever homecoming weekend
events scheduled specifically for them. |
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| Golden Anniversary Scholarship supports students
The Class of 1952 surpassed its $500,000 goal to raise $621,700
to create a scholarship in honor of its 50th anniversary.
An impressive 69 percent of the class participated in this
five-year effort.
As a result, four
Rice students received Golden Anniversary Scholarships
for the 2002–03 school year:
• Laura
Dominguez, a Will Rice sophomore from San Benito, Texas
• Evan Hunt,
a Jones sophomore from Houston majoring in art and English
• Grant
Thomas Offord, a Will Rice sophomore from Laredo majoring
in chemical engineering
• Rebecca
Ann Villarreal, a Baker sophomore from Fort Worth majoring
in psychology and religious studies
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