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Alumni connect to make student center a reality

Nearly 125 alumni and student volunteers came together to learn how to use social networking to help the Bicentennial Student Center (BSC) become a reality.

This new fundraising campaign - cutting edge for higher education - is modeled after such popular social networking as Facebook, in which people create a group of friends with whom they stay in constant contact.

By building relationships among growing circles of alumni, their support collectively will build the most-sought after resource ever requested by Miami's student government - a student center in which space and resources are provided for ideas to germinate, students to meet and eat, and various student groups to unite to combine resources more efficiently than is now possible.

The goal of the campaign is to get half of Miami's living alumni 71,809 people - to contribute to the campaign. Volunteers left the training with T-shirts stating "One of 71809. Building Miami's future together."

"We understand the realities of the current economy," said Miami President David Hodge, "but the future will not happen if we don't plan for it today. The enthusiasm of this core group provides a strong first step toward funding this vital new student resource." Welcoming the group to the BSC fundraising launch, John Peck '66, national volunteer coordinator for the BSC, talked about his own family's deep ties to Miami. His great-grandfather was the first to attend, graduating in 1864. John's son, Stephen, is a sophomore at Miami today.

Peck credits Miami as being the place that taught him how to learn. The faculty provided the coaching, and the students were trusted to learn and to discover on their own and from each other, he said, a core value that he sees being instilled in his own son today.

Not only is a dedicated student center important to Miami's future and the undergraduate experience, Peck said, but it is a rallying point for Miami's alumni, most of whom continue to speak about how much the university still means to them. Yet, only 18 percent contribute financially to the university on an annual basis.

"This Bicentennial Student Center will be at the heart of the 'Miami Experience,' something that all alumni share," said Peck. "This will be a unifying symbol for the Miami community. By gaining the support of such a large number of alumni we open the door for continued involvement and create a culture of giving that will sustain Miami into its next 100 years."