Records topple in reunion giving

Reunion's celebration at the Zankel Music Center's Ladd Concert Hall generated applause for the alumni award winners and for the reunion classes' fundraising results.

President Philip Glotzbach reminded the audience that scholarship aid is the second-largest component of Skidmore's budget. And that commitment to access for all deserving students helped to rally many volunteers and donors throughout the year, resulting in the shattering of six class records and four reunion records in giving.

Inspired by a class challenge, the 50th-reunion class of 1966 raised a record $204,000 for the Skidmore Fund and a total gift of $2 million. Their gifts will support eight student scholarships over the next five years. The historic effort was led by Fund Chairs Lynne Meyer Sauer, Frances Srulowitz, and Betsey Wattenberg Selkowitz, along with Gift Planning Chair Susan Kanowith-Klein.

The class of '91, led by Lee Rosenberg Martinez and Alan Osetek, set both a class and a 25th-reunion record for raising $102,000 for the Skidmore Fund and a total of $758,000. The 10-year reunion class of '06 raised a class-record $38,000 with the leadership of Brittain Mason. With a total gift of $954,000, the 1971ers broke the record for total dollars raised by a 45th-reunion class. The class of 1961 set a new 55th-reunion bar with 21 donors a the Presidents Society level. The class of 1981 set a new 35th-reunion record with $493,735 total gift. The 1976ers entered new class territory with 19 Presidents Society donors. And the class of 2001 had its highest number of donors since its Senior Gift.

Gasps joined the cheers greeting the announcement of this year's over-all reunion giving tally of $8.3 million. The gifts came from more than 1,400 alumni, with help from more than 200 volunteers, spanning all reunion classes.