President's message, cont'd...

Alumni donors hit a home run (cont'd)

I want to say how proud I am of our alumni for stepping up and hitting a home run on this campaign. The level of alumni giving more than doubled during the course of the campaign, a tremendous achievement. Moreover, alumni became the lead donor group for the first time ever. In fact, 61 percent of the campaign's donors were alumni.

All of this could not have been achieved without the support of 1,000 active volunteers nationwide, many of whom were alumni. You served on the steering and honorary committees, hosted campaign events in your cities, and helped to solicit gifts from your peers in businesses, foundations, the community and among campus faculty, staff and students. To all of you, congratulations, and many thanks.

One of the primary goals of the campaign was to educate alumni regarding the need for private giving. We all need to understand that today, no college can survive without private donations. They make a tremendous difference in terms of meeting critical needs. In this case, the University sought -- and received -- essential support for faculty and academic programs, student financial aid, facilities enhancement and overall campus enrichment.

The campaign succeeded in achieving that goal, as the numbers show. For those of you who helped to make the campaign such a success, I thank you.

But we can't stop here.

It's crucial for all of us to understand that the University will continue to need our support on an ongoing basis. State support of the University systems isn't what it used to be -- not in New York, not anywhere in the country. If we want to make sure that Binghamton continues to offer the youth of today the same high quality of education that we received, we need to continue to be major donors.

I take great pride in the fact that Binghamton still offers young people the opportunity to achieve the American dream. A large percentage of our students come from families with gross incomes in the $30,000 range. Many of them come from homes where English is not the first language. Many are first- or second-generation Americans. Binghamton University is the ticket for those kids.

Supporting Binghamton is an investment in our youth and also an investment in our own future: The better the University does, the more widespread its reputation, the more valuable our degrees. Look at who we are and what we've achieved: Binghamton graduates are everywhere! We're succeeding in every profession across the country and across the globe. And we're doing it because of the education we received at Binghamton. It's time to recognize that, and to give something back.

The media are full of news about the competition for support facing colleges and graduate schools today. More and more, education is a highly competitive business. Colleges are fighting for funding to attract top students and for top students to attract funding. I'm very proud that under the leadership of President Lois B. DeFleur, we continue to get more than a fair share of the best and brightest students applying to Binghamton. But those students need our continued support.

For the legacy that is Binghamton, and for the value of our degrees, we need not only to sustain our University, but to cultivate and nurture it, to see to it that it receives all the resources it needs to continue to flourish and grow.

-- Marty Triano '76

Because of personal and professional commitments, Marty Triano has resigned as president of the Alumni Association. Joe Bress '66 will serve as interim president for the remainder of Marty's term. You may reach Joe by mail at Binghamton University, PO Box 6004, Binghamton, New York 13902-6004; by fax: 607-777-2654; by phone: 607-777-2431; or by e-mail: alumni@binghamton.edu.