Although many of us are in touch through Facebook, Linkedin, and our listserver, it's helpful for class communications, as well as for looking up old friends, if we can keep everyone's information up to date in our Alumni Association database. Please take a quick look at all our classmates listed here. Although quite a few of them (including maybe you!) are in touch with us through social media / the listserver, we don't have a good contact e-mail in our database. The page gives instruction on how to get the information updated.
"Four years together by the Bay, where Severn joins the tide, Then by the Service called away, we’re scattered far and wide;"
Our service and careers scattered us; please help us stay together! Beat Army! Ingar
A message from Paul Dabbar, Co-Chair of the Class Project Committee:
Dear classmates:
As you know we started our next 10 year-increment class project process right after our 25 year reunion last year, and this week we are launching the solicitation
Our recent steps:
We completed our phone and Survey Monkey surveys during the summer, and then the committee and class officers worked with the Foundation to finalise the selection.
The class voted that their highest interest project areas were Cyber and Project Based Learning.
So after some work, we identified two specific projects that were high in USNA's top priorities for outside funds, that encompassed both of those top two areas of interest from our class surveys: International Cyber Outreach and Midshipmen Cyber Competitions
On the International Cyber Outreach project, the Cyber center (run by our classmate Paul Tortora) has started doing international trips during the summer for midshipmen to visit various other countries and get exposure to how they are "taking the fight" on this growing area for international security. Our funds would allow the this initial effort to be expanded and lengthened in terms of number of summer this can be funded.
The second project is Midshipmen Cyber Competitions. To support midshipmen participation in cross college cyber exercises (or as the Supe put it, “hackathons”). Before Paul and the current Supe took over this effort, USNA did not perform very well, but this last year after their re focus on that, USNA came in first in the Cyber Defense Exercise ("CDX") out of 28 schools, and met the President for the award. USNA participates in the NSA CDX, the NYU CTF Competition, and others that are proliferating across the military and undergraduate college realms. Additional funds for this program would allow additional participation of midshipmen in these events and an expansion in the number of events they can participate in.
Below is the final official project goal description.
Goal:
As an effort to broaden the understanding of how our international partners are operating and proceeding in the cyber domain, funds will be used to expand the current "International Cyber Outreach & Exposure" program. These focused summer trips will visit key partner countries, foreign industries, and other foreign based cyber efforts to comprehend operations in a globally connected world, constantly threatened by state and non-state actors. (Superintendent’s #3 Priority: International efforts/awareness/experience).
Should the Class raise a wider amount of funds from a successful solicitation, we will also provide funding to support and expand current cross-college and Department of Defense cyber competitions for the midshipmen, such as the NSA CDX (Cyber Defense Exercise) the NYU CTF Competition, CalTech/UCLA HackTech, and the Stanford TreeHack. (Superintendent’s # 2 Priority: Cyber Studies)
The Class officers will work with the Foundation and the Academy to brand one or both as Class of ’89 programs
The Class Officers also recommend that Classmates also allocate 5% of their donation to Athletic Excellence, as well as 15% as an Unrestricted Contribution to the Foundation.
Next steps:
The Foundation and the Class Fundraising Committee will be making calls to you all to begin the fund raise. And a letter will also come out from us describing the projects and request you donation. Please take the call and donate!
Posted on behalf of Clint Carroll and Paul Dabbar, co-chairs of our Class Gift effort:
Classmates,
As you may know, Captain Clint Carroll, USN and I are co-Chairmen of the upcoming Class of '89 fundraising effort. We expect this to be a unique and rewarding challenge for us as we tackle what will certainly be an exciting initiative in support of the Naval Academy. Our goal is 89% participation from our class; a level of participation no other class has accomplished.
Neither of us takes this role lightly. We have discussed among many people (our class fundraising committee, the Class Officers, fellow classmates, fellow noteworthy alumni, the Alumni Association and Foundation) the special, and important role we will each play is helping lead out class in what must be an indelible mark on our Naval Academy alma mater that has done so much to help us with the success we have each reached over the past 25 years. We look forward to working with you, our classmates, to make this a special and valuable representation of what we stand for as a class and as Alumni.
A committee is being established to help us navigate the different entities we will work with to deliver a successful class project and accompanying five-year fundraising campaign. This committee has pledged to help wherever they can to handle the many different tasks necessary to deliver success. Currently, the committee includes: Ingar, Jim Maxfield, Chris Owens, Steve Obsitnik, Earl Jones, Craig Washington, Andy Caufield, Brian Caldwell, Joe Fagan, Matt Sandoval, Steve Newell, Jay Bitting, Paul Tortora, Duska Pearson and Will Triplett.
If any of you have a desire to also help, we gratefully ask that you please let us know.
Over the next few months, more information will be distributed outlining the leaders, the committees, the projects being considered, the mechanics of funding these projects, and the process of contacting each of you (if you allow) about the role you can play to help us accomplish the goals that will be established.
The class committee and officers do not see this as a simple fundraising project. Rather we see this as something the entire class can rally around, each of doing something at some level. It will be a public reminder there is a reason the class of '89 is as strong and unified today as it was when we were Midshipmen. We hope to offer a tribute to the Naval Academy representative of what it did for us as young men and women so many years ago. We intend to show the other classes what a class can do when they are unified and determined.
Come join us as we tackle this new challenge moving forward as a unified, engaged and committed class.
We really need a very broad support of each and everyone one of you for this to succeed.
Thank you for your attention to these announcements; there will be more to follow shortly. As always, we can be reached at the email below for any questions
Keep in touch with your class! Most of our communications as a class take place over our listserver, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find us on Twitter or Google+ using the links to the right.
