Why give back? While at PC, students experience a great deal that makes them who they are as students and as young people. There’s the close interaction in the classroom, in the halls, and all over campus that is expected at a small liberal arts college. And then, of course, there are moments that make PC PC – throwing the Frisbee in the plaza, sitting on the Neville steps with English professor Dr. Dean Thompson, and studying in Thomason Library.
On one hand, these moments may be taken for granted because they’re expected at PC. They’re what this small college in Clinton is all about. However, looking back, graduates often realize that these are the moments that ultimately come to define them as people. These are all moments that make a student think he simply wouldn’t be the same person if he had not gone to PC.
Giving back, then, for many young alumni, is seen not as something they might do, but something they will gladly do. As gladly as they threw the Frisbee in the plaza.
Brian Benenhaley, a 1996 graduate, believes it’s important for him to give back because others’ generosity made it possible for him to attend PC.
“The endowments and scholarships,” Benenhaley said, “opened doors for me that wouldn’t have opened otherwise.”
The chief operating officer of Subscriber BASE Holdings in Columbia, S.C., says that PC served him well because he learned how to “think, evaluate, and analyze problems.”
Benenhaley says he’s in a much better position today because of going to a liberal arts school instead of a larger university. The selfless contributions that alumni make to their alma mater will make it possible for more Brian Benenhaleys to attend an upper echelon” school such as PC. Otherwise, it’s simply not possible.
Ronnie Cannon, a member of PC’s Class of 1997, agrees.
“I’m thankful for the experience at PC,” Cannon said. “I like the name and reputation PC has, and I want it to get better.”
Cannon says he especially liked how close-knit the campus was.
“You’re able to call on anyone when you need someone,” he said.
The former PC basketball player keeps up with many of the friends he made in college, including former teammates, as well as business professor Dr. Norman Scarborough, executive director of alumni relations Randy Randall, executive vice president for external relations Bob Staton, and Blue Hose basketball coach Gregg Nibert.
Working in commercial real estate in Atlanta, Cannon is involved in PC alumni affairs in the Atlanta area.
Further, Cannon is now a member of the Scotsman Club. He believes it’s important to give back because of what PC gave him athletically and educationally.
“I want people to have a similar experience or better,” he said.
In addition to helping others and the school, Cannon says he gives because it’s fun to watch PC take the next step athletically as the school moves to Division 1. Contributions play a part in making that happen, he said.
While at PC, Rich Lassiter enjoyed playing backyard golf and ultimate Frisbee at the new townhouses. The biology major spent a semester in Australia and a Maymester in the Galapagos Islands. Lassiter was also involved in the environmental club.
Since his PC days, the 1998 graduate from Atlanta has given back in a number of ways. After graduation, he served as the Alumni Leader for six years. He organized sending letters to former classmates telling them about the advantages of donating to their alma mater.
Lassiter still keeps up with alumni donation efforts and says he is excited about the progress the college has made with the Promise and the Challenge campaign specifically. Earlier this year, Lassiter’s parents, E.G. and Marianne, made a significant contribution in the campaign that supports the sciences and visual arts.
Another way that Lassiter gives back to his alma mater is by making financial contributions.
“I follow in my father’s footsteps by making donations to PC,” Lassiter said.
Donating is a way of showing appreciation for a school that has done a tremendous amount for him and his family. Lassiter’s father, mother, and sister all attended PC.
“PC provided a good foundation for me,” Lassiter said. “It prepared me for the rigors of medical school.”
After PC, the biology major went on to graduate from the Medical College of Georgia in 2002. Now, he’s an emergency room doctor in Phoenix, Ariz.
Benenhaley, Cannon, and Lassiter are all young alumni who appreciate what PC did in shaping them to become the people they are today. They’re also similar in showing that appreciation by not waiting to give back later, but by giving back now. By doing so, others will, sooner than later, reap the benefits of their generosity.
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