Note: This message was originally sent on October 11, 2019
It is reunion weekend… hundreds of Zags are making their way back to campus for festivities that kick-off this evening, will run through Saturday and then culminate with mass led by our Alumni Chaplain, Steve Hess, S.J. on Sunday.
Among the many Zags who will gather this weekend are several from the Class of 1999. Flash back 20 years and it was several student leaders within this senior class who inspired their fellow classmates to establish “The Class of 1999 Diversity Endowment.” Gift by gift, they began building the fund, made up mostly of contributions of less than $100. Today the fund annually produces just under $2,000 for GU’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to provide workshops for students, faculty and staff, to host visiting speakers and other programming. For example, just this last academic year 53 faculty representing 16 academic disciplines across the 6 professional schools as well as the College of Arts and Sciences participated in a two-day workshop focused on best practices for inclusive classrooms & departments. A portion of the endowment funds were used to help underwrite consulting fees, instructional materials, faculty stipends and nourishment/refreshments.
This weekend, we celebrate all our returning Zags, including this great story and the (two-decades) long list of contributions made by the Class of 1999. Here’s to the next 20-years and the many ways the Class of 1999 Diversity Endowment will shape the communities of GU.