Class of 2006 Raises Largest Donation for Leave A Legacy 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, the MBA class of 1996 created the inaugural Leave A Legacy Campaign, establishing a strong MBA tradition and fueling the momentum for future campaigns. The campaign was conceived by a group of MBA students who were searching for a way to affect the future of the business school, help raise the school’s national profile through rankings and build a stronger alumni network. Ten years later, this student-run campaign has funded numerous school improvements, including suit lockers, changing rooms, endowed excellence campaigns and the 21st Street plaza renovation.

“It would have been nothing without the entire class of ’96 jumping behind the campaign,” said Jason Watkins, MBA ’96 and chair of the original campaign. “Plus, we had great leadership from folks like Jim Reddan (MBA ’96), student leaders who were developing the new MBA Alumni Association such as Tom Stephenson (MBA ’95) and Dave Hendricks (MBA ’97), along with support from the school’s development office. I also have to give a lot of credit to the cohort system—it really brought classmates together.”

The original Leave A Legacy was based on similar campaigns at other top 20 schools and research articles about the effect of a class gift on both the school and the national rankings. Since 1996, the Office of Resource Development has partnered annually with second-year MBA student committees to identify a project that will benefit future McCombs School students.

“At the time, we were focused on adding value for the alumni by allowing them to choose the gift and memorialize their class, and then setting in motion a natural momentum to give,” said Watkins. “Continued giving is a mindset and a personal sales job—but once you get everyone over the hump, they’ll have a personal bond with the school and are more willing to give as an alum.”

Student participation in the Leave A Legacy Campaign has steadily increased. By 2005, the amount pledged had more than quadrupled to nearly $104,000 since the campaign’s inception. The class of 2005 also set a new class participation record with 86 percent of all 2005 MBAs signing pledges to the campaign. And this year, the class of 2006 raised the most money—a total of $129,070—with the smallest class in the 10-year history of Leave A Legacy.

The current Leave A Legacy Campaign established the David L. Chen Memorial Fellowship to honor an MBA classmate who passed away while on vacation in Thailand in January this year. An avid traveler, Chen (pictured top right in photo above) had planned to spend his final semester as a graduate student abroad at the National University of Singapore.

Heather Densmore and Dale Shover, co-chairs of the 2006 Leave A Legacy Campaign reported that based on historical McCombs School endowment returns, this year’s gift will result in annual scholarships ranging from $5,600 to $7,500 each year.  One MBA student will receive the David L. Chen Memorial Graduate Fellowship to use toward his or her second-year tuition each year.

Watkins has great anticipation for the Leave A Legacy Campaign. “History has yet to be written for this campaign,” he said. “There’s been such incredible work in the past 10 years, and I think we’ll see a greater impact from this in the years to come.”