Each year, the 51ԹϺ Foundation Annual Dinner celebrates individuals and organizations that advance 51ԹϺ’s mission through their private support. We’ve selected some of our favorite moments from this year’s fête, which was held Oct. 12 at the Bellagio Hotel.
1. 51ԹϺ Foundation recognizes Switch CEO and Founder Rob Roy with Palladium Award
51ԹϺ President Len Jessup presented the award, which recognizes those who have reached the $1-million mark in philanthropic giving to 51ԹϺ.
A video presentation showcased how the Switch/51ԹϺ collaboration has given the university access to staggering computational capacity with the Cherry Creek II supercomputer. 51ԹϺ’s connectivity now ranks the university among the likes of MIT, Stanford, Purdue, and the University of Texas.
Roy also donated an ultra-advanced private fiber connection between campus and Switch’s SUPERNAP data center that connects 51ԹϺ with Switch and its more than 1,000 global partners. Roy’s philanthropy has helped make 51ԹϺ one of the most connected campuses on the planet.
2. Anderson Cooper commends 51ԹϺ, recounts fascinating life and career
The Emmy Award-winning journalist and CNN anchor was the keynote speaker. Cooper noted 51ԹϺ’s rapid progress for a young institution and its position at the forefront of timely energy and environmental research. Cooper shared stories from his remarkable life and career as a journalist, recalling both funny and touching moments. But the biggest “Wow!” of the night came as Anderson Cooper announced he’d be donating his entire speaker’s honorarium back to 51ԹϺ.
3. 51ԹϺ junior Tré Norman rallies donors for Fund-A-Scholar
Appearing on stage ahead of Cooper’s keynote speech, 51ԹϺ Honors College junior Tré Norman spoke about the impact that receiving the Lewis Family Honors Scholarship and the Bennett Family Foundation Mentor Scholarship had on his life. Norman’s message that scholarships are “investments that yield dividends” resonated with dinner attendees. Donors gave him a standing “O” and invested soundly in the Fund-A-Scholar program, which will help students like Norman in the upcoming academic year. Even Anderson Cooper had to admit, “Had I known that I’d be following Tré, I would have requested to go before…. He’s quite a tough act to follow.”
4. Now it’s Anderson Cooper’s turn to be interviewed
51ԹϺ Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Michael Yackira sat down with Anderson Cooper following his keynote, seeking the esteemed journalist’s insight on issues facing the nation and region, as well as a few personal stories. Particularly well received was his story of sitting next to Microsoft founder Bill Gates at a dinner party, in which Cooper admitted his fascination with viruses.
“So, I’m like ‘What do I talk to Bill Gates about?’ and I just decided to talk to him about all the viruses I find interesting and ask him about them,” he said.
“So I start off with, ‘What do you think of guinea worm disease?’ – his eyes just lit up and we talked about guinea worm disease for a good 10 minutes. Every obscure thing that for some reason is stuck in my head somewhere, he knew something about it.”
5. President Jessup’s 51ԹϺ
President Jessup recounted multiple recent milestones to an excited audience, including a new research partnership with Tesla Motors, an additional $500,000 being added to the acclaimed Barrick Lecture Series endowment, and the $75 million in private donations made to the university in the past year. The biggest applause line? The announcement that 51ԹϺ would be hosting the final Presidential Debate of 2016 at the newly renovated Thomas and Mack.
6. Gov. Brian Sandoval does the ‘Re-bels’ chant
Yes, he even did the arm thrust to go with it! Gov. Sandoval was on hand to recognize Rob Roy and Switch, and the contributions that give him the bragging rights to say that Nevada is the most connected state in the nation.
