A video produced by this year’s Lifelong Connections Campaign (LLC) Committee urged fellow students "Don’t forget where you came from." They didn’t: Every member of the full-time MBA class of 2009 made a pledge to the campaign, achieving a 100 percent participation rate for the first time in the campaign's 21-year history.
Technically, the class even exceeded 100 percent participation because an exchange student from London contributed to the campaign.
Despite tough economic times, the full-time Berkeley MBA class of 2009 pledged a total $59,285. The first $25,000 in pledges was matched by Dean Rich Lyons, bringing the campaign’s total pledges to $84,285. Money raised through the Lifelong Connections Campaign directly benefits the Haas School through the Haas Annual Fund.
Nora Tucker and Mahta Eghbali, both MBA 09, co-chaired this year’s LLC committee, which invigorated the campaign with the viral video to promote the idea of "You. Us. Haas. Stronger." They also used competition as a motivator, bestowing the cohort that completed pledging first with extra funds for year-end celebrations. The Oski cohort won.
At a May 15 Consumption Function to celebrate the end of the year, the LLC committee presented the class of 2009’s check to Dean Lyons, who thanks the committee for the hard work and dedication that led to such a successful campaign. "I am inspired by your commitment," Lyons told them.
Lyons thanked all of the graduating students for "being an integral component of the Haas Community." "Your participation as active alumni will continue to be important as we make Haas even stronger," he added.
Mahta Eghbali (left) and Nora Tucker (right), both MBA 09, helped achieve 100 percent participation for the first time in the history of Lifelong Connections Campaign. Here they present the campaign check to Dean Rich Lyons.