Remember 1987? Stamps were 22 cents. Dirty Dancing dazzled audiences. Miami Sound Machine’s Rhythm is Gonna Get You was the cassette of choice in everyone’s Walkman. And one credit hour at SCC cost $34.50.
That same year, SCC’s then-president Dr. Gene Gardner hired an energetic young lady named Becky Rump to help with the college’s economic development efforts. It wasn’t long before Dr. Gardner recognized that Becky’s boundless energy and can-do attitude made her the perfect fit for leading up the College’s new Foundation Office.
Over the next 30 years, whenever there was a fundraising or friendraising component of a college initiative or event, Becky would be there. A consummate team player, Becky is the first to share the credit and notes that she often served to channel the energies and ideas of others so their vision would become our reality. Whether publicly leading the charge or working quietly behind the scenes, Becky has been there making the magic happen.
Becky’s impact on SCC can be seen everywhere. She was instrumental in creating the SCC Foundation’s scholarship program, which now awards 400 scholarships annually. She worked with dedicated SCC alumni to create the SCC Alumni Association, one of the few community college alumni associations in the country. She brought together local artists and art aficionados to create the SCC Art Collectors’ Club. She created the SCC Foundation Scholarship Reception, bringing students and donors together every November. She developed the annual Great Tastes event that generates $50,000 for schlarships every year. She has also organized countless giving campaigns and dozens of groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies.
Most recently, she coordinated a team of more than 60 volunteers who were part of SCC’s successful Building the Dream capital campaign which raised $27 million for campus expansion and improvement projects, and another $5 million in scholarships and planned gifts.
It’s easy to see why Becky was the recipient of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees’ Outstanding Administrator/Manager Award and named a Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction.
Becky will retire from SCC on June 30. Her 32-year legacy will endure well into the future.
A final fact about 1987. When Becky started at SCC, the Foundation had $5,560 in assets. That number is now over $18.5 million.
On behalf of SCC students and staff, the SCC Alumni Association, the SCC Foundation, and the thousands of appreciative scholarship recipients over the past 30 years, we wish Becky and husband Charlie all the best in their new adventures.
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