A year of records
Reunions play a central role in alumni giving to Yale. Classmates keep a close eye on reunion totals year after year, and every five years, they pull out all the stops to support the university and to set new giving records. For alumni of the 3s and 8s, 2012–2013 had a special significance, with reunions offering a rare opportunity to celebrate a presidential transition.
Reunion giving during the fiscal year reflected broad support for President Levin, incoming President Salovey, and the direction of the university. Contributions reached $50.8 million, with significant gifts supporting Yale’s core priorities of financial aid, teaching, and research as well as numerous unrestricted contributions to the Alumni Fund.
Of the thirteen Yale College reunion classes, three set all-time records—1968, 1978, and 2008—giving the most generous class gifts for each of their respective reunions. Seven other reunion classes placed among the top ten: 1948, 1953, 1963, 1983, 1993, 1998, and 2003. The Class of 1963, building on an anonymous $100,000 challenge gift, also set a record for Alumni Fund giving in the current year, with $1,198,284.
A triumph of teamwork and class spirit
This successful reunion year was an extraordinary display of teamwork and class spirit. Some 391 volunteers connected with 2,839 classmates, and many classes organized challenge gifts.
Fiftieth Reunion co-chair Jerry Kenney ’63 explained this enthusiasm: “The reunion gift to Yale is also the gift we give each other in renewing friendships and returning to the place we loved for four short years a long time ago.” Dan Arons ’63, ’67 M.D., his co-chair, added that many view Yale as more than a four-year college experience. “It gave us the foundation for a well-lived life. We learned the skills to grow and achieve new things and the confidence to become leaders in our communities,” he said.
A large number of participants were first-time volunteers who reached out to promote giving for faculty and student needs. Bill Mulrow ’78, who served as a 35th Reunion gift co-chair, found the role to be rewarding. “Volunteering was a really great experience,” he said. “It was a way to reconnect with classmates and with all the exciting happenings at Yale. And as an added bonus, the Class of 1978 set a record, all-time, for giving at the 35th Reunion.”
Many reunion gift committees had three or four co-chairs and an expanded volunteer corps that could speak to a broad representation of classmates. Representing the enthusiasm of Yale’s younger alumni, the Class of 2008 topped the charts at a record fifty-five gift committee members.
Co-chair Ben Cooke ’08 was among the volunteers. “All of us on the committee relished reconnecting with friends and forming new ties with other classmates,” he said. “Through donations large and small in honor of friendships, experiences, and memories, plus generous alumni challenges, our class was thrilled to set a 5th Reunion record for total giving. I hope that our class’ example reminds other young alumni that we have a responsibility to support Yale.”