2008ANNUAL REPORT - Dutchess Community College

Happy Anniversary Dutchess!Last year was a busy one at DCC as the College celebrated50 years of excellence and service to the residents ofDutchess County and the mid-Hudson Valley. Our yearlongcelebration culminated with a Gala Dinner Dance atthe Grandview in Poughkeepsie with 500 of our closestfriends. Having the community come together in such a bigway demonstrates the amazing support the College enjoyslocally. People want to be involved with the College andgreatly value its extraordinary impact on the mid-HudsonValley.The 50th Anniversary celebration also marked exceptionalgrowth in our annual fund and in fundraising overall. Wesaw an additional 765 alumni and friends contribute toDutchess last year, which means that more than 2,500 peopleare now supporting the College. This is a tremendous success!Giving to community colleges tends to be much lessfrequent than giving to four-year schools. What I have foundover the years is that alumni often say that DCC had agreater impact on their lives than their four-year school.Yet, giving tends to be much lower. Now is the time forchange, however. It is time to support Dutchess at the levelsthat it deserves. Many of our students are in great needand the time has come for us to be able to award more andlarger scholarships.Even though 2008 was a fantastic year that saw the Foundationraise $1.7 million, it is truly only the beginning. Asa relatively young college we are pleased that alumni donateto the best of their ability. Alumni giving is currently at5% and we hope to see that percentage grow as we movePatricia L. PruntyFoundation ExecutiveDirector“Having the communitycome together in such abig way demonstrates theamazing support theCollege enjoys locally.”into the future. It is time now to give back, time to increaseopportunities and time to show support for your College.More donations mean that we can award more scholarships,therefore helping more deserving students. This inturn helps everyone, as our successful alumni become leadersin their communities around the country.Thank you for making 2008 a wonderful celebratory year.When the call went out to support the 50th AnniversaryAlumni Fund, many of you responded. If you did not, pleasethink about donating to the Foundation. As Benjamin Franklinsaid, "An investment in knowledge always pays the bestinterest," and at DCC your donation will receive a very highrate of return!2008 ANNUAL REPORT5 5