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Ed. Magazine

Paying It Forward and Backward

Illustration, graduating students

Illustration by Daniel VasconcellosWhen the members of the class of 2012 arrived on campus last fall, little did they know that a special gift awaited them. It was courtesy of the 2011 Class Gift campaign, through which graduating students raised more than $25,000 for unrestricted financial aid for the next class. Most important, 67 percent of graduates made a contribution — a record since the class gift program was instituted at the Ed School in 1998. Announcing the gift at last year's convocation, class gift chair Michael Clarke, Ed.M.'11, thanked his classmates and acknowledged the power of paying it forward in education. "Think of the message that you have sent to next year's class by contributing to financial aid for them," Clarke said. "You are saying that despite your student loans, or that you are still looking for a job, you care enough about the future of education to lend a helping hand to the people on the next rung of the ladder." In the class gift program's early years, gifts were designated to specific projects, such as the video events monitor in Gutman Library or the student lounge area in Conroy Commons. However, in recent years, class gifts have been designated for unrestricted financial aid for incoming students, one of Dean Kathleen McCartney's top priorities. The program has also come to stress not just how much is raised, but also participation, encouraging all graduates to contribute whatever amount they are able. In 2011, three master's cohorts — Higher Education, Learning and Teaching, and Special Studies — achieved 100 percent participation. The 2012 class gift team wants to take this generosity one step further this year by setting a goal of 100 percent participation by all graduating students. The 2012 class gift chair Alison Faux, Ed.M.'12, says that to encourage contributions, the committee is stressing both "paying it forward" and "paying it backward." "The class gift does two great things," Faux says. "It helps us support next year's class, just as we were supported by the class of 2011. It also helps us reflect on those who helped us get to this point in our careers." One way the program enables the latter is by asking students to "applaud an educator" by making their gift in honor of a favorite former teacher or professor. Those educators are recognized on the class gift website and with a personalized certificate. Faux also hopes that by participating in the class gift campaign this year, her classmates will begin considering their long-term commitment to the school. "By carrying forward the same spirit of giving to the HGSE Fund as alumni, we can continue to help future classes through financial aid," Faux says.

Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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