May 2005

CAMPUS NEWS

2005 Senior Class Gift committee members Cathy Fluegeman, Chris Salazar, Rachel Weiner, Amrith Fernandes-Prabhu, and Elena Budnitz with Dr. Ladner

Senior Class Celebrates Graduation, Class Gift to New Arts Center

Seniors about to graduate came together one last time Saturday night, May 7, with their families and friends for the annual Senior Class Toast at the Ritz Carlton. This year, more than 1,000 proud grads and their families gathered in their best cocktail attire at the Ritz in downtown D.C. to celebrate their accomplishments and their new lives ahead.

The Class of 2005 chose a student lounge in the Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Art Center and a donation to bolster the student endowment at the university library as their legacy to AU. Senior Class Gift Committee members Cathy Fluegeman, Amrith Fernandes-Prabhu, Chris Salazar, Elena Budnitz, and Rachel Weiner presented Dr. Ladner with a check for $62,885.42.

Alumni Board President Carey Earle '88 looks on as Cathy Fluegeman addresses parents and her peers.

“We leave our mark on AU. Our Senior Class Gift, a student lounge in the new Katzen Arts Center, will not only enable us to establish an enduring presence at the university, but will also help to make the arts central to the life of AU students,” said Fluegeman, the senior class gift chair. “Although raising money for the gift was not an easy task, we were determined to give back to the university that has given us so much. We would like to thank our fellow classmates, faculty, staff, and especially our parents, who supported our efforts to help make this gift possible.”

President Ladner graciously thanked the graduating class and congratulated them on their hard work. “This is the largest Senior Class Gift in the school’s history and the largest turnout at a Senior Class Toast.”

Alumni Board president Carey Earle, SOC/BA ’88, offered an inspiring champagne toast, congratulating and welcoming the newest members into AU’s Alumni Association. “I’m honored to represent the alumni of American University, and to be here tonight to welcome the Class of 2005 into our great alumni network. Tomorrow when you graduate, you will be officially joining a select group of individuals who call themselves AU alums – from members of Congress, ambassadors, and Peace Corps volunteers, to record and film producers, novelists, judges, and Academy Award winners. AU has a proud history of notable alumni.”

The Senior Class Toast began as a tradition in 1997, when a small group of grads got together at Maggiano’s restaurant in Chevy Chase. Now, with more than 1,000 attendees annually, the Senior Class Toast is an extraordinary event that seniors look forward to and remember fondly.

-Ashley Ferrell, '07 and Vanessa Yost
Photos by Rick Reinhard for AU

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