2025 Rock the Tower Raises More than $239,000 for Converse Fund
Alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends of Converse enthusiastically supported our 2025 Rock the Tower challenge. On November 6, 2025, Converse celebrated its 9th annual day of giving with the support of 683 donors, including 48 first-time donors.
This year’s Rock the Tower raised $239,028 for the Converse Fund, exceeding the goal of $225,000. Converse celebrated a massive 70 percent increase in donor participation and support from the Converse community ranging from the Class of 1947 all the way through the Class of 2029. We had donors from all over the world, even as far away as Austria and Tanzania. A special congratulations goes to the Class of 1968 for the largest gift total, and to the Class of 1987 for being the class with the most donors.
The Converse Fund helps ensure the success of our students. Gifts to this fund, cumulatively:
- Open doors through expanded scholarships, ensuring deserving students from all backgrounds can call Converse home.
- Fund research and experiential learning, including study abroad opportunities.
- Help maintain Converse’s strong reputation — your degree holds more weight when your school is successful and well-funded.
- Bring our programs to life — supporting resources such as the Mickel Library and providing essentials such as art supplies, instrument repairs, and gallery and performance spaces.
- Signal a strong and supportive community. When current and prospective students see our community giving back, it sends a powerful message about the impact of a Converse education and the lasting value of our beloved institution.
When you support Converse with a gift, you ensure that the transformative experience of a Converse education continues to shape lives – now and forever.
Thank you to the anonymous Converse Community members who provided matches and challenges, and to:
- Rev. Dr. Lisa Wimberly Allen ’89
- Wallis Crum Bond ’87
- Dr. B. Brant Bynum
- Dr. Marlyn Canero Ciesla ’89
- Nancy Bain Coté ’79
- Rebecca Poston Creel ’04
- Dr. Joe P. Dunn and Jenny Dunn ’99
- Kerry Ashley Easler ’96
- Deidre Tindal Fuqua ’07
- Sandy Russell Hartnett ’75
- Dr. Jennifer Hawk
- Carter and Geordy Johnson
- Ann Mullins Johnson ’99
- Dr. Savannah Elizabeth Joyce ’89
- Laura Michelle Massey ’01
- Amy Tibbals Morales ’86
- Rose Buyck Newton ’92
- Cat Elizabeth Parler ’16
- Dr. Linda Lawson Payne ’68
- Cary Ramsey Perkins ’96
- Betty “Boopie” Poole Rose ’63
- Emily Jones Rushing ’73
- Anne Richardson Seabrook ’82
- David and Jennifer Smart
- Erin Poston Smith ’04
- Angelia Kerhulas Stanland ’86
- Libby Cuttino Tilson ’79
- Jean Elise Warren ’75
- Yosi Zewde Weldemedhin ’08
- Shelley Williamson Widenhouse ’72
- Thayer Cheatham Willis ’70
- Elizabeth “Beautsie” Robertson Zahrn ’67
Throughout Converse’s history, committed alumni and friends have trusted us to use these gifts in impactful ways that best support our mission and propel our university forward. Your generous support matters more than ever as we strive to remain relentlessly student-focused for generations to come. Thanks to all who helped us Rock the Tower in 2025!