The full-time MBA class of 2012 may have marched to Pomp and Circumstance on May 19, but they leave a lasting legacy: More than $69,000 raised in the annual Lifelong Connections (LLC) Campaign.
This year 94 percent of the class gave, with an unusually high 20 percent of them donating up front rather than pledging. Campaign co-chair Andrea Leewong, MBA 12, attributes this to a $2-to-$1 matching program set up by a group of young alumni. “This definitely helped to boost our overall numbers.” Gifts from the campaign go to funds that include MBA program support, faculty support, and the dean’s discretionary fund.
“I’ve had a phenomenal experience at Haas,” says Leewong, who co-chaired with Stephanie Tsai, MBA 12. Leewong says she was motivated to inspire others “in large part because of the generosity of those who came before me. I felt a strong desire to pay it forward.” Tsai notes that “LLC plays a big role in keeping our community strong.”
To reach out to fellow students with the LLC message, the campaign committee adopted its own version of the Haas Defining Principles as part of their message: Alumni Always, Pledging Without Attitude, Beyond Your Debt, and Enhance Your Status Yo. They also gave yellow sunglasses to those who donated or pledged. “An especially proud moment was when many of our classmates and even Dean Lyons wore them to graduation,” says Leewong.
Dean Rich Lyons receives a LifeLong Learning Campaign check from co-chairs Andrea Leewong (middle) and Stephanie Tsai, both MBA 12.