1971 – Fall ’21 Class Letter
1971 – Fall 2021 Class Letter
Class Agent:
JIM BEISNER ’71
(770) 570-7725 / [email protected]
Greetings, Class of 1971!
It is hard to believe we were starting our freshman year fifty-four long years ago, just as the Class of 2025 did this fall. Classes officially started on Monday, August 30 and the academic year is in full swing with in-person classes. The College is continuing to follow CDC and Fond du Lac County Health Department guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety protocols. The Ripon College community is growing. As of August 27, Ripon College welcomed a class of 250 first-year students and nine transfer students. This compares to the fall of 2020, which had 241 first-year students and ten transfer students.
Seventy-one percent of the incoming class come from Wisconsin. Seventy-four students represent 23 other states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. While COVID-19 restrictions have limited the number of students from foreign countries, Ethiopia and Myanmar are represented.
Although there is a large time gap between our start at Ripon and theirs, the quality of education has not changed in all those years. Through the support of our time, talents, and treasures, Ripon College has maintained a superb educational experience. Coming back for Alumni Weekend provided an opportunity to see this first-hand. There were alumni and guests from 29 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, that were on campus, August 6-8, representing the classes of 1961 to 2023, for the first-ever August Alumni Weekend after COVID-19 put a pause on campus events over the past 18 months. Our class had 15 people attend the Saturday evening gathering, but many more were seen around campus during the weekend. Enclosed you will find our official 50th Reunion photo commemorating this milestone event.
It was so good to get together and reminisce about our time at Ripon so many years ago. The update provided during the Alumni Weekend State of the College program, as well as information that is shared in the Ripon Magazine and the online newsletter concerning current College activities along with department updates and alumni news, continue to show the excellent contribution Ripon makes to the nation and State of Wisconsin.
As a reminder, we are now considered part of the Golden R Club. As a Golden R Club member, we are invited to join with all Club members (those who have celebrated their 50th Reunion and beyond) for a special celebration held each year during Alumni Weekend. I hope to see many of you at future Alumni Weekends! Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2022, which will go back to the traditional end of June date: June 23-26, 2022.
Campus News
Previous Fiscal Year Update: A record-breaking 2,087 donors from all around the world supported Ripon’s fourth annual giving day on April 28, known as #OneDayRally, reminding us all that regardless of the circumstances, Red Hawks come together.
Campus Upgrades: The McCullough Family Lounge in Farr Hall of Science — a favorite location of students for studying and collaborative work — recently received an extreme makeover with the intent of making the space more contemporary and technologically friendly. The renovations were made possible by a lead gift from Trustee PHILIP MCCULLOUGH ’69/P’04, and his wife, Pat. Also, a new Data Visualization Lab was installed in Todd Wehr Hall, which is a great asset for the math and computer science departments.
Endowment: Ripon’s endowment recently hit an all-time high and as of August 19, 2021, it was at $112 million.
I want to especially thank the classmates who so generously gave to our class gift in support of our 50th Reunion. Our class was able to give Ripon College $25,945 and had 39% of our classmates contribute to the gift in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021. These funds will support the many and varied operations the College provides students that enhance their learning experience. I urge your consideration to continue your support of Ripon by increasing this year’s gift in recognition of all we have accomplished because of Ripon College.
Sincerely,
JIM BEISNER ’71