Donor Honor Roll 2005

The 2005 Honor Roll of Donors

Dear Alumni and Friends of Keene State College,

Although it has only been a few months, I feel very much at home on this wonderful campus. I have spent my time meeting people and learning about the College's priorities and values. My daughter Lauren and I have been warmly welcomed by all.

I knew about Keene State's exceptional academic reputation long before I became president, but the reality of the excellence here becomes clearer by the day. I was barely unpacked in the President's House when I traveled to Hyannis to accept the 2005 Jostens ECAC Institution of the Year Award, presented to Keene State in recognition of the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance. In receiving this award, Keene State joins a very distinguished list of ECAC award recipients. We share the list with only Harvard, Yale, Williams, Georgetown, Princeton, and Middlebury.

I have also cheered the men's soccer team for helping Coach Ron Butcher reach his 500th victory. And I attended my first Children's Literature Festival and learned firsthand about this internationally recognized forum for the discussion of children's literature. I have observed the vitality of the College's faculty, working to strengthen the undergraduate curriculum for all our students. The College recently received a substantial grant from the Davis Foundation to fund some of these activities. And I have witnessed the character of our students who put service at the center of their lives, whether locally with the Red Cross during our recent flooding, or internationally with trips to build houses through our campus Habitat for Humanity chapter.

In this issue of Keene State Today, we acknowledge some of the people who make this campus such an extraordinary place to work and learn – some of our friends who stepped forward over the past year to provide financial support to the College. The length of this list doesn't begin to capture the value we place on these relationships.

And so we thank these wonderful people for their friendship as well as their financial support. Together, we have the inspiration and the confidence to move Keene State College forward.

Sincerely,
Helen Giles-Gee
President