Feature Article
Class of 2008 Completed Record-Breaking Class Gift Campaign
On March 7, 2008, the Class of 2008 made history at the School of Social Policy & Practice. They completed their five week Class Gift Campaign and raised $20,571 to sponsor the renovation of the Caster Basement Hallway. The Class surpassed their goal of $20,000 and also achieved 86% participation among members of the graduating class. The total includes a $10,000 gift from Ms. Marjorie Gordon Schaye, CW’75, a member of the SP2 Board of Overseers. At the beginning of the Campaign, Ms. Schaye offered to match every student gift dollar for dollar up to $10,000. But when the members of the Class of 2008 raised over $8,000, Ms. Schaye offered the full $10,000 in recognition of the tremendous energy and dedication exhibited by the Class during their Campaign. Additional gifts from friends, faculty, and professors helped the Class exceed their dollar goal.
The Campaign was chaired by Abram Harris, MSW 2008 candidate, and managed by a committee of almost twenty students. Sharlis Anthony, MSW 2008 candidate, designed the Campaign’s logo, and the committee chose “Ask me how we can change the world” as their Campaign motto. In addition, the Campaign logo included the tagline, 100 years of social change in recognition of the School’s Centennial Celebration. Both phrases proved to be excellent summaries of the Campaign, given its record-breaking success and ability to bring about substantial change within the Caster building.
The basement hallway is the entrance to 80% of Caster’s classrooms and its computer lab. As a result of this Class Gift, the hallway will be transformed with a new floor, fresh paint, new moldings, and art on the walls. In addition, the old lockers will be removed, effectively opening up the space and eliminating the cramped feeling that currently greets students and other visitors. Modern (and aesthetically pleasing) lockers will be installed on the second floor of Caster outside of the student lounge, which was renovated as a result of the 2007 Class Gift Campaign. This relocation of the lockers will cement the second floor area as the hub of student life in Caster. And last, but not least, the hallway renovations will complement the proposed project to install windows in the basement classrooms.
Congratulations to the Class of 2008 on an extremely successful Campaign, and special thanks to everyone who supported it.