Young Alumni Involvement Deepens

(Highlight from Participation Continues to Rise)

Young alumni are assuming an emerging role in support of Lafayette. Since 2010, the number of young alumni donors has risen by 474. For the 2011-12 fiscal year, 1,595 young alumni raised $120,836 representing a $32,231 increase in only two years, and while the average gift may be smaller compared to older classes, the boost in numbers indicates strong satisfaction with the educational experience and a commitment to give back.

The increased participation of young alumni demonstrates their confidence in the leadership and direction of the College. Alex Karapetian ’04, president-elect of the Alumni Association, took on the role to give voice to his fellow graduates and their role in ensuring that the College is able to provide prospective and current students the same invaluable experience year after year. “Lafayette is a lifelong community and network,” says Karapetian. “My goal is to continue bridging the gap between young and older generations of the Lafayette family to support the College as it continues to develop and become even more successful.”

Last year, 90% of graduating seniors (524 students) gave a total of $12,411 with the majority of the funding used for internship stipends. This example of students helping students promotes the importance of reinvesting in the College, knowing that it will enable future students to have the kind of internship experiences that benefitted some graduating seniors in their career paths.

“Our class has never been shy about showing our passion for the College and each other,” says Matthew Potter ’07, a leader behind the record-breaking 47% class participation in 2011-12. “We have always been inspired by the Lafayette experience. Since becoming alumni five years ago, we have been afforded many opportunities to continue this personal growth through top tier career and education options in a variety of fields and industries. Lafayette continues to stay ahead of the curve in higher education because of outstanding people and the ability to drive leadership across diverse facets of the local, national, and global communities.”