Giving back to Duke is personal
BY ADRIANA V. DIFRANCO
Abbey Bucher Ness ’11 knew one day she wanted to pay it forward for Duke.
Originally from historic Salisbury, N.C., Ness received the Hayes and Clem Clement Scholarship, a full scholarship that allowed her to take advantage of her time on campus as a Trinity Scholar.
Trinity Scholarships honor Duke’s origins as Trinity College, originally located in Randolph County, N.C., and are given to students who excel academically and are engaged community leaders.
Ness’ experience at Duke was transformative, she says, and today, she strives to give both her time and treasure back to Duke in honor of the Clement family.
“Every time I give to Duke, I do that in honor of the Clements because I am so grateful to them,” Ness says. “I hope that my family and I can give in a similar way to help continue that legacy of philanthropy.”
Abbey and the Clements in 2015. From left to right Abbey’s mother Gayla Bucher, Clem Clement, Hayes Clement, Abbey, Abbey’s husband Eric Ness, and Abbey’s dad William Bucher, Jr.
Ness and her husband Eric, class of 2010, have found meaningful ways to get involved by giving to Duke’s Next G.E.N. program, which was started to help recent graduates who want help Duke through giving, engagement and networking.
“What I love about Next G.E.N is that it encourages young alumni to give at levels they’re comfortable with,” she says. “There is absolutely a role and a real need for giving at modest amounts.”
Through the experience, she was able to meet other alumni with similar mindsets and to volunteer her time on the Next G.E.N. Leadership Council, an exclusive group for Duke undergraduate alumni from the last 15 years, focused on philanthropy and volunteering.
“I honestly didn’t know that these types of board positions were achievable. I thought you had to be CEO of Apple or something to get involved,” Ness says. “Turns out you don’t.”
Ness also jumped into volunteering during the year lead-up to Reunion Weekend to mobilize her class and encourage them to attend and give to Duke in honor of their reunion.
“I enjoyed having the excuse of Reunion to reach out to other alumni,” she says. “It’s been fun to reestablish relationships, even if they’re not going to reunion, just to say ‘hello’ and get an update on what’s going on in their lives.
Getting involved looks different for every alum. The important thing is to find what is meaningful to you, she says.
“If you have a passion for seeing something happen at Duke that’s not happening, Duke staff are more than happy to have a conversation with you about that,” Ness says. “I think that that’s also a hallmark of Duke’s philanthropic community, just that the institution is open to that.”
Today Ness is the Director of Planning at The Schreifer Group, where she does master planning work for federal agencies around the world. That Duke is such a big part of Ness’ success is not lost on her.
“My time at Duke introduced me to an incredible global community of changemakers who are doing amazing things in every profession,” she says. “One advantage of giving in your working years, is being able to actually see the benefit of your impact. I would encourage alumni of any age and tax bracket to think about how their support can translate into tangible differences in a student’s experience.”
