It’s hard to believe, but the current two-year term is coming to an end next month, and this is our last newsletter before the new CACO Board assumes office. Serving as CACO President for the past two years has truly been an honor and I feel immensely lucky to be part of the Big Red family with all of you. As we have transitioned back to in-person events, I’ve been thrilled to be able to meet so many class officers and celebrate the amazing work you all do: from Reunion in Ithaca and our Cornelliana Night celebration of our William “Bill” Vanneman ’31 Outstanding Class Leader Award winner to CALC in San Diego and our celebration of the inaugural class of Robert S. Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award winners, I could not be more grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with you all in this role. But we couldn’t do any of it without our incredible team, including our wonderfully dedicated CACO Board, our amazing staff liaisons, and all the volunteers who continue to shape the class experience! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. While we’re nearing the end of the term, we’re not quite there yet! Lots of events are happening between now and then, including of course, Reunion 2023. We’re so excited to see you back in Ithaca in just a few weeks and so thankful for all the work you’re putting in, gearing up for the big weekend and encouraging classmates to register for activities. A note for any class officers who enjoyed the keynote at this past CALC, the Olin Lecture at this year’s Reunion will also feature Ozan Varol ’03, a rocket scientist turned law professor and #1 bestselling author. The CACO Board is thrilled to celebrate the newest recipient of the William “Bill” Vanneman ’31 Outstanding Class Leader Award, Martha Mapes ’48, MS ’49. We will be honoring Martha on Saturday, June 10th during Cornelliana Night. You can read more about Martha and her longtime service as a class officer here. Outside of Reunion, check to see if President Martha Pollack is stopping near you any time soon on her presidential tour. These events are a great chance to learn more about what’s happening at the university level and understand the direction that Cornell is moving in. The end of the term also coincides with the end of Cornell’s fiscal year. Every year before the fiscal year ends, I make sure I’ve made a gift to Cornell. It’s easy to track if you participate in Giving Day (scroll down for a recap of this year’s effort), but no matter when in the year you give, it’s always possible to direct your gift where you think it will make the greatest impact, whether that’s the Annual Fund or your class scholarship. This year, CACO Board Members have contributed to a wide variety of programs, including academic departments, Anabel’s Grocery, Student & Campus Life’s Access Fund, Cornell Botanic Gardens, a campus oral history project, and the Shoals Marine Lab, just to name a few! We hope you’ll join us this year in making a gift to Cornell before June 30th in recognition of our collective efforts to do the greatest good. |
Giving Day took place in March, and collectively we raised a record-breaking $13m to support Cornell programs! This year was also the first year that classes were given the opportunity to create fundraising pages for class-specific funds. 15 classes participated and they helped to raise nearly $75K from 300 donors – awesome! Extra congratulations are in order for the Class of 1987, who secured an additional $1,500 for their class fund by winning the class participation prize. (Participation was defined as the number of classmates who made a gift to any area on Giving Day and, to keep it fair, is calculated based on percentage of each class's emailable population.) Huge thanks to everyone who participated in Giving Day, from donors to Champions, to make this the most successful one yet! |
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Every year during Volunteer Appreciation Week in April, Class Programs recognizes an outstanding class officer each day of the week on our CACO Facebook group. Check to see if you recognize any familiar names like Judy Prenske Rich ’62, Susan Murphy ’73, PhD ’94, Laura Gonzales Meyers ’04, Alice Katz Berglas ’66, Laura Bloch ’88, Leslie Kirchler-Owen ’98, Bill Doerler ’55, or Aliya Ali ’17 by joining our group at facebook.com/groups/cacocornell. You’ll need to request access to join the group, but once you’re in, please feel free to post links, updates, events, or anything else related to Cornell or class officer responsibilities! You can also use the group to find and connect with other class officers. To submit a class officer to be considered for a spotlight in a future newsletter, please e-mail caco@cornell.edu. |
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As mentioned, the CACO Board is turning over this summer, meaning that your peer liaison may also be changing! The new assignments will be announced after the July changing-of-the-guard and will be effective through summer 2025. You’ll hear from Julie Vultaggio ’02, the incoming President of the CACO Board after she assumes office. In the meantime, you can still reach out to your current CACO liaison or your engagement officer with any questions. |
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Communications "Office Hours"
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Last month, we held an “Office Hours” session for peer-to-peer sharing about all things related to communications. We learned about various ways that class officers engage with their classmates and get the word about programs and events. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared thoughts on social media platforms, maintaining websites, sending newsletters, and more! The topics for our Office Hours series have been chosen based on results from a past class officer survey. If you have a request for a topic for future sessions, please feel free to reach out to us at caco@cornell.edu. |
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