| Reunion
2005 has alumni coming back and giving back — to keep
Kellogg strong
by
Raksha Varma
Kellogg
School alumni and their families return to Evanston to celebrate
the grads' first, fifth, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 40th
and 50th class reunions April 29 to May 1. As Kellogg prepares
for Reunion
2005, former reunion coordinators explain the importance
of coming back to campus, and the role alumni philanthropy
plays in the life of the business school.
"Reunion
is a great opportunity to connect with classmates," said
Karl Mills '84, co-chair
of the 2004 reunion gift committee. "I was able to pick
up a conversation from 20 years ago with many of my friends
as if no time had passed at all."
Mills, a partner
and founder of JMK Investment Partners in Oakland, Calif.,
and president of the San Francisco Opera (see page 70), also
spoke about the significance of financial contributions.
"Our experience
[at Kellogg] was subsidized," said Mills, 44, who resides
in Lafayette, Calif., with his wife and three sons. "With
the generous support of alumni before us, we were able to
access a world-class education. Today, it is our responsibility
to give back to future generations of Kellogg students."
As an alumni reunion
coordinator committee member, Mills, along with co-chair Bob
Egan, used challenge grants to help raise over $120,000 in
2004. With challenge grants, for every dollar an individual
contributes, a pool of donors matches the amount. "This
is a great fund-raising technique," Mills said. "The
quality and level of the school cannot be maintained without
these resources."
Tod Francis '83
expressed a similar perspective. "I joined the reunion
effort because I wanted to help the school, as it had helped
me years before," he said.
Francis, chair
of the 2003 reunion gift committee, is managing director of
Shasta Ventures, a venture capital company located in Menlo
Park, Calif.
"Fund raising
for the 2003 reunion was a challenge, but we managed to do
it successfully with the help of matching gifts," said
Francis, 45, who has served on the Kellogg Alumni Advisory
Board for six years.
"These
efforts will help continue the Kellogg mission to deliver
a high-quality educational experience for its students,"
said Francis.
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