The official kick-off for the 2005 class gift campaign was held at Low Library on March 29. This year’s graduating class voted to support a loan assistance program for students who take positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. Addressing the audience of MBA students and faculty and staff members, Vice Dean Safwan Masri applauded the choice of the class gift and said that the School’s graduating class has historically been the most generous of all top-tiered MBA programs, raising from $550,000 to $800,000 over the past few years. This class gift will play a key role in building an endowment for loan assistance. By providing partial support for up to five years after graduation, the program will encourage greater numbers of American and international MBA graduates to take leadership roles in the social sector in the US and abroad. The program’s first beneficiaries will be members of the class of ’05. “The student vote demonstrates a commitment to community in the broadest sense and recognizes that MBA skills are needed in all sectors,” said Jason Blake ’05, class gift committee cochair. “It’s an investment in the reputation of the School.” Professor Ray Horton, director of the Social Enterprise Program said, “Loan assistance has been a high priority for development, and this gift should be seen as the foundation for a robust program that is comparable to our peer institutions.”