We are pleased to say that beginning today, Elizabeth Dove, ’84, will become a regular contributor to Beyond the Back Gate. As the current president of the Meredith College Alumnae Association, she will be writing in once a month to share her words with the online alumnae community. This month, in her first blog post, she discusses the importance of giving back to Meredith: the place that has given so much to each of us. Enjoy!
How giving back to Meredith Pays Dividends
“I was fortunate to get a scholarship when I went to Lehigh University and Princeton. They were both wonderful schools. Somebody was kind enough to spend their money to educate people that they would never get to know. That’s what I think philanthropy is about.” – Lee Iacocca
Have you ever wondered how the support you give Meredith comes back to you again and again? Funding scholarships, college programs and unrestricted contributions are the gifts that just keep on giving! At the same time, there are so many other ways to get involved and give back to Meredith: career mentoring, admissions work, regional events and especially recruiting qualified students — these are just a few of the many opportunities available to us as alumnae.
Many of us can create a long list of the ways that Meredith helped us when we were undergraduates whether it was by providing us the opportunity to see notable figures, conduct research or travel to new places. A recent graduate told me as she was close to graduating that one of her professors used his contacts to help her obtain job interviews. One of our Alumnae told me a story at Reunion Weekend about how a young nurse at a hospital helped her husband recover after heart surgery. She was amazed at the dedication, kindness and patience her husband received during recuperation. After several conversations with this talented young woman, our alumna asked her where she went to school – ‘Why Meredith College,’ she said! Our alumna was so proud and grateful, and she told me she thought back to the support she had given Meredith all these years and wondered if it was ‘somehow coming back to her’. I think it just might have!
I want to issue a challenge to you to give back where you can. Recruit a new student to Meredith, create a scholarship in honor of your class, mentor a Meredith graduate professionally… do something that shows you give back to the institution who gave to US so generously.
– Elizabeth Dove, ’84, President, Meredith College Alumnae Association
beyondthebackgate.com 
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