Seniors kick off class gift campaign

Members of the Class of 2010 who donate before the end of the week will have the opportunity to vote for the class gift.

As a member of Center for Student Involvement’s Leadership Council, a co-chair of the Student Programming Board, and representative on President Machtley’s Senior Advisory Council, Meghan Aloisio ’10 (Gloucester, MA) has taken advantage of the limitless opportunities available to her at Bryant.

What better way to conclude her time at Bryant than by adding one more title – that of senior class gift co-chair.

“My time at Bryant has given me so many wonderful friends, experiences, and lessons,” says Aloisio. “I felt that through this committee, I would have the opportunity to give back to Bryant.”

At the campaign’s kickoff event in October, Aloisio and her co-chairs, Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA) and Alex MacKenzie ’10 (Newton, MA), helped raise more than $12,000 as nearly 100 fellow seniors donated.

“The class gift is a chance for Bryant seniors to say thank you to this institution and leave our mark on the people we leave behind in May,” she says.

Culture of philanthropy

Throughout the fall semester, the campaign has already raised $25,500. The goal is to generate $40,000 with a 52 percent participation rate, which would break the participation record of 51 percent set just last year. Any student who makes a donation by Friday will have an opportunity to vote for the senior class gift.

The three ideas are a renovation of the Townhouse Gazebo, a Class of 2010 legacy scholarship, or an entrepreneurial start-up fund. Students interested in making a donation should e-mail the class gift co-chairs or John Garcia, assistant director of annual giving.

(L-R) Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA), Meghan Aloisio ’10 (Gloucester, MA), and Alex MacKenzie ’10 (Newton, MA).

“We tried to select gift options that benefit the entire Bryant community in order to show the impact a donation can have,” says Lussier.

Lussier, a member of Bryant’s Honors Program, says he wanted to take a leadership role on the committee to continue the momentum started by last year’s seniors. The Class of 2009 set a participation record, which President Machtley commemorated by jumping into the campus pond.

“The challenge before us at the beginning of the school year was daunting, but I knew that with a great group of people on our committee, we could accomplish anything we set our minds to,” says Lussier.

Supporting Bryant

While his fellow students and their families have made a significant investment to attend Bryant, Mackenzie says the continued support of the Bryant community is critical to ensure future students enjoy the same experiences.

“Without the continual efforts of annual giving and the support of alumni, Bryant would not be the institution it is today,” says MacKenzie, a management concentrator and Italian minor.

After graduation he plans to work in the corporate world for a few years before taking over his father’s real estate development company or starting his own company. “The reason I chose Bryant was to receive an education that would accelerate my career and equip me with the skills to be a successful entrepreneur,” says MacKenzie.

He hopes the generosity of his classmates continues as they use their Bryant education to make a difference in the world.

“The senior class gift is the first way for students to begin to give back,” says MacKenzie. “I believe most students who donate now will continue to donate in the future.”