- Between December 2006 and October 2008, the College selected its first 14 GOLD Scholars, Hamilton students who are chosen based on financial need as well as academic performance and campus contributions. The College selects a new GOLD Scholar for each $15,000 collectively contributed by the GOLD Group to the Annual Fund, which provides direct support for the College's priorities, particularly scholarship aid. The program has aided such students as Akilah Bond '09, a women's track and field All-American who has taught and assisted refugees through Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders) service learning program and plans to attend law school; and Mariam Ballout '10, who has been active in choir, the Student Assembly and the Middle Eastern Student Association and has worked on campus leading tours for the Admission Office.
The GOLD Scholars Program allows young graduates to make a direct and dramatic difference in the lives of those just a few years younger. "It's such a cool opportunity in that it gives a face and a personality to a gift," Steadman says. "Graduates know who these people are and can see the impact they'll have on the world once they graduate. That collective generosity is so powerful."
- In spring 2007, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council created the Committee for GOLD Group Engagement, which as its first major task recently completed an alumni opinion survey to measure the interests and opinions of the GOLD Group and other graduates. Chaired by Salkin, the committee aims to increase GOLD involvement in the life of the Hamilton community through volunteering, unrestricted giving to the Annual Fund, participation in regional and campus events, and enhanced career and social networking.
The survey will be "a driving force" behind the committee's work, Salkin says; meanwhile, the focus is on "existing programs and how they can be strengthened and expanded."
It's particularly important to GOLD representatives that their special interests and talents not isolate them from older alumni. Leah Tenney, noting a get-together planned by the Boston GOLD Group and the Boston Alumni Association, says, "Young alumni are interested in networking with older Hamilton alumni, and this sort of event will help them feel as though Hamilton is supporting them in that endeavor." And Abby Tracy speaks of the "common ground" that alumni of all generations renew at each meeting.
"Recent graduates can share all of the changes that have occurred at Hamilton, whether it's a new building or a change to the curriculum," she says. "It's always fun to hear a recent graduate talk about his or her experiences on campus to an older alumnus — the look of pride in both Hamiltonians' eyes is priceless! In a way, it's the younger alumni who can make the Hamilton experience more tangible to alumni who have been away from College Hill for years."
