Senior Class gift sets participation record, raises 35K

More than 50 percent of the Class of 2009 donates, which President Machtley commemorates by jumping into the pond.

It is a sight that you won’t see on many college campuses: the University president – fully clad in shirt, tie, and suit – (voluntarily) taking a leap into a pond. Well, that is exactly what happened a few days before Commencement as President Ronald K. Machtley fulfilled his end of a challenge he made to the Class of 2009.

Earlier in the school year, he pledged that if more than 50 percent of the seniors made a donation to their class gift fund he would take a swim in the campus pond. When the totals were in, the campaign set a Bryant record with 414 donors, for a 51 percent participation rate. He paid the piper on a picture-perfect spring day with members of the Class of 2009, faculty, and staff cheering him on.

President Machtley leaps in the campus pond to fulfill his end of a challenge he made to the Class of 2009

“Now look children, you are not to repeat this at home!” he declared as he held up his Bryant #1 foam finger. “I have special SEAL training!”

Joking that every president should have a bathing “suit,” he approached the dock and prepared for his maiden voyage into what he called the “pristine” pond. With the Rocky theme song blaring in the background, President Machtley dove in head first to the delight of the raucous crowd. The first person to greet him as he emerged from the water was his wife, First Lady Kati Machtley, as well as the dedicated – and dry – co-chairs of the Senior Class Gift Committee, Normand Duquette, Hannah Jorgensen, and Ann Koskey-Wagoner.

This year, 414 seniors donated to the Senior Class Gift Campaign. The 51 percent participation rate was a Bryant record that President Ronald K. Machtley commemorated with a swim in the pond.

Not long after, video of the swim was posted on YouTube, which has been viewed nearly 1,000 times. (Watch the video.)

“A special thank you to the co-chairs for their outstanding leadership of the Senior Class Gift Committee, which comprised 20 seniors who were exemplary leaders of the many student organizations on campus,” he wrote in a campus e-mail the afternoon before his swim. “Through their hard work and diligent efforts, they brought the Senior Class Gift initiative to the next level of excellence.”

Culture of philanthropy

The money raised will purchase two bulldog statues to adorn one of the entrances to Bulldog Stadium. The gift helps signify a new era in athletics for Bryant as the members of the Class of 2009 led the University into its first year of Division I competition. The choice of the gift was voted on by the senior class.

The campaign got off to great start at a kickoff celebration held at the end of October when more than $12,000 was raised in one night. Two campaign weeks and a spring block party in the Townhouse area offered incentives like gift cards, prizes, and food to seniors who donated. All students who gave at least $20.09 (for their class year) were invited to a champagne toast at the Callahan Residence during Senior Week.

(L-R) First Lady Kati Machtley, Ann Koskey-Wagoner, President Ronald K. Machtley, Normand Duquette, and Hannah Jorgensen after the president emerged from the pond.

Koskey-Wagoner knew from the first event in the fall that this would be a Senior Class Gift campaign for the ages.

“There was so much energy and enthusiasm under that tent,” remembers Koskey-Wagoner, who recently accepted a position at e-Dialog, an international company that develops e-mail marketing campaigns. “I thought at that time that this was a special group of people who would help the committee reach its goals.”

An experience to remember

Duquette expects that the image of the president jumping into the pond will be one his classmates will remember for a long time.

“To be part of the class that saw President Machtley swim in the pond will forever stay with everyone from the Class of 2009,” says Duquette, who will work at Hanover Insurance in the commercial lines. “To hear him say that the ‘Class of 2009 is the best’ means a lot.”

At Bryant's undergraduate Commencement ceremony on May 16, President Ronald K. Machtley showed a shirt he said was given to him by a member of the Class of 2009.

Jorgensen, who will begin in EMC Corporation’s marketing leadership development program later this month, says her favorite part of the campaign was building a sense of the unity and camaraderie among the class.

“It’s always great when we can convey our passion for Bryant,” says Jorgensen. “I was thrilled when our dedication helped establish our own piece of Bryant history.”

Members of the Class of 2009, parents, and friends can still give online with a credit card by going to Bryant Online Giving. In the “Gift Designation” section on the second page, simply write “2009 Senior Class Gift” in the “Gift Designation Other” line.