It was a day like no other in Oswego's history. In the wee hours of Sept. 30, two dozen students clad in yellow Oswego T-shirts boarded a bus for New York City, where they would join honorary campaign chair Al Roker '76 on NBC-TV's "Today" show to announce the launch of Inspiring Horizons: The Campaign for Oswego on nationwide TV.

Those T-shirts showed up again in the afternoon, turning the Lee Hall field into a sea of color. In fact, so many people turned out for the "Oswego Family Portrait" that 1,000 shirts ran out before the advertised start time and an underline was added to accomodate the crowd. Roker and fellow meterologist Chris Brandolino '96 emceed the event, along with Steve Levy '87 of ESPN, who directed the participants from the roof of Lee Hall.

"The family portrait will communicate that the strength of Oswego lies in its people" said Kevin Mahaney, vice president of development and alumni relations. The day would end with President Deborah F. Stanley and Roker arriving in Hewitt Union ballroom in a "snowstorm", to officially launch the public phase of Oswego's first-ever campaign. "The launch is a celebration of the Oswego community and of all that we have achieved and can yet achieve together", President Stanley said.