A View from the Bridge

by Suzanne Sweeney '55

This is the year that my '55 classmates and I look down that long span of fifty years connecting us to our Allegheny days—a half-century of life experiences, with our Alma Mater at the far end marking the beginning of our journey as adults. Those of us who returned for this special reunion can report that the view from this height is spectacular!

The campus is ever-beautiful. Allegheny is still teaching students to think and write, to fashion their lives around values, to become valued persons in the world. We count ourselves privileged to have had our place in this tradition.

The privilege of an education at a first-rate liberal arts residential college is under siege in this day of high-speed access to college degrees online. Who of us would have exchanged speed for the experience of living within the college community, having personal interaction with professors and friends, forging connections to last a lifetime?

Maintaining ties to the College through attending reunions and making generous contributions gives alumni a stake in ensuring the continuity of the Allegheny tradition into its third century.

Reunions are golden opportunities to express gratitude for the privilege of an Allegheny education. In embracing old friends one can also embrace Alma Mater and the liberal arts tradition through open-hearted financial support.

It feels good to have a stake. The view is splendid! It will endure through the generosity (to borrow a phrase from PBS) "of viewers like you."

Why We Give

For each of us Allegheny College was exactly the right place to be for four of the most important formative years of our lives. The college was the perfect size to allow us to gain social confidence and to encourage active participation in campus life. The academic program was challenging and prestigious, enabling Dave to attend the medical school of his choice and providing us with a well-rounded liberal arts education that has had lifelong benefits.

Our interests in art, music, and literature—awakened at Allegheny—have continued, and these interests have inspired us to pursue many enriching experiences. Of course, meeting each other is perhaps the greatest benefit of all!

We have long planned to give financial support to the college to help maintain this liberal arts tradition that was so valuable to us. Now that we are able to do so, it gives us great pleasure to contribute to the endowment of our alma mater so that it may continue to enrich students with an exceptional educational experience.

– Dave Flieger '65 and Julie Haude Flieger '66

The first-class education provided by the College on one of the most beautiful small college campuses in the country is extremely rare today. The combination of challenging academics, a quietly competitive and friendly student body and a faculty and administration committed to outstanding teaching makes Allegheny truly unique.

I attribute my professional success more to my curricular and extra-curricular experiences at Allegheny than I do to my post-Allegheny professional education. Allegheny trained me to think and analyze creatively with perspective and insight. Allegheny educates its students for a life of learning. It is this unique approach to education that is the hallmark of a quality liberal arts education, and Allegheny does this as well as any national liberal arts college in the country.

I am truly grateful for the educational experience I had at Allegheny. That is why I have continually been involved in Allegheny affairs as a member of the Alumni Council, as a leader of my Class's reunion activities and as a financial contributor to the College. I will be eternally grateful to the College for the type of education it provided me so many years ago and its steadfast commitment to do the same for the current generation of Allegheny students and for generations of students to come.

– Paul Marcela '78

The Power of Bequests

One thing everyone can do to help Allegheny continue its tradition of offering the finest education to its students is to include Allegheny College in their will. Think of what the College could do if we received bequest gifts similar to those at our top three peer institutions, represented on the chart below. Bequests can provide scholarships for our students, help with the cost of faculty and student research, keep the campus looking beautiful, and much more.

To accomplish this through your will, you can use language as simple as "I give $____ or __% of my disposable estate to Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, a not for profit organization, organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to be used without restrictions or to be used for (specify purpose here)."

For more information, contact the Office of Gift Planning at (814) 332-2735; julianne.foltz@allegheny.edu.

The Clock Is Ticking...

Time is running out for the Skattum Challenge. Already a resounding success, the Skattum Challenge has provided additional funds to complement the gifts of more than 9,000 alumni, parents, and friends over the past two and a half years. But why stop there? In the weeks ahead, before the challenge concludes on June 30, 2005, we hope to increase that number to 10,000 individuals.

How you can help:

If you pledge the same amount to the Annual Fund for three years, the Skattums will give an extra $100.

OR

If you pledge increasing amounts to the Annual Fund for three years, the Skattums will give an extra $300.

Please consider participating in the Skattum Challenge:
Online at www.allegheny.edu/giving
Toll-free at 866-332-3853
Via mail at Office of Development, Allegheny College, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335