Volume 27 · Number 1 · Fall 2009
Giving
Aggie Connections
A student talks about why she makes calls for the Annual Fund, and an alumnus, why he answers.
Ruth Anne Pfaff is a student caller for the UC Davis Annual Fund — one of many student callers who reach out to UC Davis alumni, parents and friends to encourage philanthropic giving to UC Davis. When Pfaff called Bob Lorber last May, she found a fellow Aggie with a strong passion for UC Davis. As a result of her call, Lorber gave his most recent gift of $1,000 to the Annual Fund and the university that he says gave him so much.
Ruth Anne Pfaff ’11, a third year psychology major from San Diego, has worked as a student caller for the Annual Fund since arriving at UC Davis. She now serves as a student supervisor, coaching and mentoring some of the 100 other student callers.
Bob Lorber ’69, M.A. ’71 is president and CEO of Lorber Kamai Consulting Group. He also teaches at UC Davis’ Graduate School of Management and has served on the GSM Dean’s Advisory Council for the past 18 years, three of those as chair. He’s proud to pass along his passion for UC Davis — his oldest daughter is a graduate and his youngest daughter will attend this fall.
As a high school student looking ahead to my time at a university, I always thought I would go into medicine. But taking psychology classes caused me to re-evaluate my plans; I really love the field of psychology. I am now considering pursuing a Ph.D. or combining that interest with a medical degree.
To help support my studies, I became a student caller for the UC Davis Annual Fund. In my job at the call center, I interact with other student callers who came to UC Davis from all over the world to study. And I have the opportunity to talk to a diverse group of alumni, parents and friends of UC Davis. No matter what their tie to UC Davis, they are always interested in hearing what is happening on campus, especially if they haven’t had the chance to visit in a while.
I had a great conversation with an alum from the 1940s who was amazed at all the changes that have taken place. Parents have even asked me for class recommendations for their students! Alumni are fond of sharing stories about various professors and giving internship recommendations — they want to make sure other students’ experiences are as good as theirs were. And that’s why so many people like Mr. Lorber give to UC Davis through the Annual Fund, whether it’s $10 or $1,000 — they realize the value of investing in today’s students.
I enjoy being part of something that has such a great impact on UC Davis.
I love UC Davis and what it did for my life. I still have a lot of buddies from my years of living in Bixby Hall and I met my wife, Sandy ’73, while managing the off-campus dorms in the early 1970s.
Like many other students coming to UC Davis, I had planned to go into veterinary medicine — until I took my first chemistry class and did miserably. A counselor at Counseling Services helped me identify my passions and strengths and set me on the right path. I will always be grateful for that advice.
That’s why I give to UC Davis — to ensure that students have access to the wonderful programs that benefited me. I made my first gift of $100 in 1980 through the Annual Fund and later became a sustaining donor of the UC Davis Chancellor’s Club. [The DCC honors donors who give $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund to support UC Davis overall.] I’ve always felt that our chancellors should have a source of funds that can be used where they are most needed.
I owe UC Davis a huge amount. My life would be very different if not for this great place.
We’ve all been challenged in these tough times, but we still need to give back to places that made our lives possible. For me, that place is UC Davis.