By ASHLEY YOUNG
Contributing Writer
The Hearst Corp. and Foundations, Saint Rose alumni, and some current Saint Rose students gathered on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower for the College of Saint Rose’s annual holiday reception to celebrate another successful year at the College.
The purpose of the event was to engage the alumni population in the New York area, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the state of the College, said Ridgely Harrison, a development officer in Institutional Advancement.
President R. Mark Sullivan gave a short speech about recent developments at Saint Rose such as the construction of Centennial Hall and the Huether School of Business. News of the women’s soccer team’s victory in the NCAA Division II National Championship brought great joy to the crowd. The trophy was revealed at the end of his speech.
The reception was held in the Hearst Tower located at 300 West 57th St. at 6 p.m. in a room overlooking Manhattan. Majority of the event was spent networking around round tables with red flower as centerpieces. Attendees also enjoyed hor d’oeuvres and wine while live acoustic music was played.
Raven Short, a junior studying communications: public relations and advertising at Saint Rose, received a personal invitation to the reception from Hearst at the Rose of Lima dinner in Oct. 2011. Short, 20, attended the event because she was intrigued by the great things she learned about the Hearst Corporation.
“George Hearst had only told me phenomenal things about the event and the corporation; I had to see it for myself,” said Short, a Hearst scholar. “Also this event allowed me to network within a positive environment.”
Short was not the only Hearst scholar in attendance. Omar Lopez, 24, was a Hearst scholar throughout his entire undergraduate career at Saint Rose. The 2008 graduate who works as a policy analyst with Democrats for Education Reform said he loves to reconnect with people from Saint Rose. He also said that the reception is significant because it gives supporters of the College the opportunity to put a face and story to the reports they get about the institution’s accomplishments.
“It’s important for people involved in the College to see the fruit of their labor,” said Lopez.
Dr. Sullivan illustrated the development of the College to attendees. The event allowed the alumni to get a good view of how far Saint Rose has come while he has been in office and even from last year’s Hearst event, said Harrison.
Saint Rose Trustee George R. Hearst III has sponsored the reception at the Hearst Tower for four years in the past, according to Stephanie Lamphere, director of special events at Saint Rose. This year, the reception proved to be a success.
“I feel this event is important because it celebrates the accomplishments of Saint Rose and thanks the many donors for their contributions and support,” said Short. “This event is also a time to spend with faculty and staff that up kept the motto of Saint Rose, to be the difference.”
