Meadville, Pa. – Dec. 22, 2004 – When Allegheny College announced that it was launching the institution's largest-ever comprehensive campaign, Tradition and Transformation—a campaign to raise $105 million—squarely in the middle of a national economic recession, College leaders knew that while the timing might not have been ideal, the intensely competitive environment of higher education demanded action.

Now, just two years later, thanks in part to a gift by Bernd Rehm '74, no one is questioning the decision to press ahead with the campaign.

Rehm's contribution was the 89th pledge on a day last fall when Allegheny received 149 pledges. It was a generous response to a phonathon solicitation initiated by one of the College's student callers. Rehm's multi-year Annual Fund pledge put the campaign over the $90 million mark, an achievement that no fundraising campaign in the College's 190-year history had ever matched.

“Whether the gifts are large or small or somewhere in between, the most important reason for this campaign's remarkable success in the midst of a difficult economy is that our alumni are deeply appreciative of the difference that Allegheny College has made in their lives and are committed to making sure their alma mater is well prepared to serve the changing needs of tomorrow's students as well,” explains Vice President for Development John McCandless.

Rehm's motivation for giving echoes McCandless's explanation.

“Allegheny College contributed a great deal to my professional success, so it seems appropriate for me to give back to the College,” says Rehm. “Allegheny prepared me well for what I'm doing now, not just with regard to science preparation, but also in terms of important communication and analytical skills.”

Rehm, co-owner of ReSolution Partners, LLC, a new environmental consulting company in Madison, Wis., is especially appreciative of the role that one of his professors played in helping shape the direction of his career path.

“Professor Sam Harrison was my major advisor. He did a good job of putting the science of geology into a social context, which led directly to my decision to pursue environmental geology, hydrogeology to be specific, an area just beginning to emerge as an important branch of geology. He also played an important role in helping me find a good-fit graduate school,” says Rehm.

Today, with 18 months left in the campaign, alumni and friends of the College have pledged just over $92 million. The alumni-giving participation rate has topped 40 percent, and thanks largely to a giving challenge from Allegheny alumni Dag and Julie Grosjean Skattum, class of '84 and '85 respectively, multi-year pledges are at an all-time high.