Double the Celebration for the Class of 1974
Members of the Syracuse University Class of 1974 have the opportunity to reunite and celebrate their 50-year reunion not just once, but twice this year!
The University will be holding a celebration weekend for both the classes of 1964 and 1974 from April 11-13, which includes a welcome reception at the Chancellor’s House followed by dinner at the Sheraton and the Syracuse University Alumni Awards. The Office of Multicultural Advancement will host the triennial Coming Back Together (CBT) reunion for Black and Latino alumni the weekend of Sept. 12-15, which will also include special programming and recognition for members of the 50-year class.
“I encourage classmates to attend both of these wonderful celebrations,” says Wes Dias ’74. “I also want to invite alumni to participate in our Reunion Class gift by supporting the Our Time Has Come Scholarship (OTHC) Class of ’74 Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports underrepresented students with financial need in attending Syracuse University.”
The Class of ’74 Endowed Scholarship Fund was created 10 years ago by Dias and Gwynne Wilcox ’74 to commemorate their class’s 40th reunion. At CBT 2014, they announced a gift of $20,000. Over the last decade, the fund has grown to over $100,000.
As alumni come together to celebrate the golden anniversary of their graduation and reflect on the successful lives and careers their Syracuse University education helped prepare them for, Dias says it’s the perfect occasion to pay it forward for the benefit of the Syracuse University community and society at-large.
“The academic and social challenges of college life are substantial enough without having to intensify them with financial worries,” says Dias, a member of both the Office of Multicultural Advancement Advisory Council and the Maxwell School Advisory Board. “Students from underrepresented constituencies frequently are first-generation college students. As wonderfully talented, intelligent and motivated as they are, financial insecurity can undermine all their best efforts. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance so that students can focus on being students.”
OTHC Scholarship recipients are enrolled in all schools of the University and the program boasts a 100-percent graduation rate, with many students graduating with academic distinction and holding top leadership roles on campus. “The scholarships awarded seed the future of society by supporting current students in need who mature into educated, strong, intelligent individuals who can meaningfully contribute to society,” says Dias. “Over the many years of my philanthropy to SU scholarship funds, I have seen the profound, real-life impact scholarships have on recipients. What better legacy can we leave?”