Renewing Our Commitment to You
By President Richard Cook
Colleges that aspire to greatness must offer their students extraordinary experiences and opportunities through the efforts of talented, dedicated faculty and staff. But they must do more. The very best colleges find ways to connect with and engage those same students over a lifetime.
One of the best opportunities for us to keep you, our alumni, connected with the College is through Reunion weekend. This year's festivities in early June brought record numbers of you, your families and other guests to campus. Your affection for the College and gratitude for the experiences you had here, and especially for the lifelong relationships you formed during your years on campus, were evident. When assemblies on at least three occasions joined the Reunion Choir in singing the Alma Mater, the depth of emotion was palpable. Clearly, many of you have great respect and affection for your college. It's a strong foundation, and we intend to build on it.
With the Alumni Council guiding us, the board of trustees and I have made the enhancement of alumni relationships one of our top priorities. We plan to examine every facet of our relationship with you, everything from how we communicate to the services and programs we provide. We will ask representative alumni what programs and services interest them and what they would find most useful. The board of trustees has already made a commitment to develop a space on campus-as attractive as it will be functional-to welcome and serve alumni when they return to campus, and the trustees have also invited the Alumni Council leadership to participate in board meetings and other functions, a proposal that was accepted with great enthusiasm.
Most colleges and universities are discovering that traditional regional alumni chapters and events attract fewer participants than they once did. We will explore some of the more attractive alternatives to regional activities, such as the formation of networks built around professional or personal interests. Cultural, recreational and travel opportunities for alumni also hold promise as a way to keep you engaged with the College.
The Internet opens entirely new possibilities for communication and programming, including "webcasts" of athletic events and possibly concerts and lectures. A summer "alumni college" filled with educational, cultural and recreational opportunities-led by Allegheny professors who may have been part of your original educational experience on campus, as well as some of our talented newcomers-is another option we would like to explore. Companion mini-camps for children could make a week or two on campus an attractive choice for your next family vacation.
While short-term visits are wonderful for many, a longer-term approach may be attractive to some of you. Many colleges and universities, including those in northern climates, are finding that some of their alumni choose to retire near college campuses so that they can enjoy the many opportunities such proximity provides. Nearby Wesbury Retirement Community has proposed an expansion of its residential alternatives that may be of interest to retired Alleghenians. Should you embrace this concept, we would welcome your participation in a variety of regular and specially designed activities on campus. The level of interest expressed by our alumni may determine the feasibility of this project.
Another way that we feel we can better serve you is to strengthen the quality and accomplishments of the College and to promote greater awareness of Allegheny in the wider world. Although it isn't easy to command attention and gain recognition for student, faculty, alumni and institutional accomplishments in this era of marketing hyperbole, in the coming months you'll begin to notice an increased level of public attention directed toward Allegheny College.
Aided by a major grant that has funded a comprehensive three-year public information initiative at the College, we are making a concerted effort to create greater recognition and appreciation of Allegheny College in our region and around the country. I ask each of you to make your own contribution to this effort to get the word out about this remarkable institution: Your conversations with others about Allegheny remain one of our most effective public relations tools.
You are one of our most significant assets. Nothing speaks more authentically about the mission and quality of a college than the character, citizenship and accomplishments of its alumni. By this measure, we rate very well indeed.
