Students, faculty, and community members all showed up dressed to the nines to celebrate 50 years of the UCC foundation at the seventh annual Legacy Ball. Excitement filled the room as guests were handed cocktails by women painted gold, and just as appetizers were served guests were greeted by Wildlife Safari’s six-month old cheetah cubs adorned with bowties.

This year’s Legacy ball grossed the largest number of donations since the pandemic; raising nearly $400,000 to support UCC students.

Jessica Paugh, CEO of the UCC Foundation, explained how many sponsors of the event have also helped the college in various other ways through ongoing partnerships with UCC. “Some are supporters of a specific academic program and others are supporters of the Foundation. I think that our community feels the responsibility that we have and we are all stepping into that role. There is a sense of pride and belonging that comes along with that.”

Approximately 500 people attended the ball held at Seven Feathers Casino Resort, enjoying several courses of food, an auction and then dancing.

Words from Sponsors

Representing the Cow Creek Tribe, Chairmen Carla Keene spoke about the importance of supporting higher education, “One of the important things for the tribe is that we support education, not only for the tribal members but for our community as well. We always felt that being involved in the schools was a great asset for the community.” The Cow Creek Tribe is an ongoing partner with UCC, and has been a longtime supporter of the college, helping fund building needs and scholarships.

Representatives from Mahlum Architects also attended the Legacy Ball including AIA Associate Jeremy Rear and AIA, LEED AP Principal PJ Bauser who spoke about their company’s involvement with UCC fondly. “The wonderful thing about UCC is that it’s such a tightknit community. I see a lot of the different programs collaborate with each other so there are a lot of opportunities for discovery. I found that (collaboration) being prominent in the planning work we have done for the college,” Rear says. Mahlum Architects designed Tapoyta Hall and helped UCC update its master plan.

Mahlum also offers internship opportunities for students interested in architecture.  Bauser explains the importance of getting hands on experience early, “I think there’s always something good about doing work in industries like architecture that students are training for such as making sure that the spaces line up and supporting what the environment would look like in the real world.  Interns are training with the best experiences, getting the collaboration that Jeremy was talking about.”

Mahlum has been a contributor toward the college for over a decade, and has attended every annual Legacy Ball except during the pandemic.

UCC Foundation

The Legacy Ball would not be possible without the UCC Foundation staff’s planning and organizing of the event. “We take a week off of planning after doing follow up for the ball, and then we start planning for next year. It’s a long process,” Paugh says.

UCC would like to thank its sponsors, and everyone who helps support students further their education.

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

For more articles by Molly Jerscheid, please click here.