Reflections Magazine Issue #64 - Spring 2006 | Page 20

Editorial from the alumni office Ready To Reconnect? Alumni relations is all about (surprise!) building relationships. As head of the Alumni Office, it’s my job to help alumni connect with Siena Heights – and with each other. And 2005-06 has been a great year for connections. Consider a few examples: Last fall’s Alumni Weekend brought together the “Beautiful Losers”of the early ’80s for a rollicking reunion of alumni who hadn’t seen each other (or Siena Heights) in two decades. Class reunions, fraternity gatherings, seminars and sports brought others to SHU. All across campus, alumni were re-connecting. “I knew I’d have a good time, I just didn’t realize I’d have a wonderful time, ”wrote one alum afterward. Others said: “Beautiful liturgy…Something for everyone…Lots of fun.” And this: “The university really tried to take care of us. I had a good feeling about Siena Heights afterward.” That’s the sort of comment that brings me back to work after the exhausting, but invigorating, extravaganza that is Alumni Weekend! Later in the fall, students in several of Siena’s off-campus programs drove from both sides of the state to spend a Saturday morning exploring the main campus. This pilot program helped our far-flung future alumni put down roots at Siena – literally: By Commencement the tulips they planted will be in bloom. “Excellent!”wrote one participant. “I now feel like part of the university.” We also nurtured Siena connections at the 8th annual Lake Michigan holiday gathering; at a Theater Siena Shakespeare production; at March Madness events in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.; and in getting-to-knowyou visits around the country. 20 Reflections Spring ’06—The Artman Imprint As I write this column, we are just a few weeks past Alumni Awards Day – a “once-a-year celebration of Siena’s past, present and future,” according to Alumni Board President Joe Balusik ’90. While on campus, our four honorees met with students from 20 different classes. Connections? Just listen! Meeting the award winners “inspires me to be the best that I can and to get involved with my passions to make a difference in the world,” said one student. The program “made me feel like I’m in a great place,” wrote another. A third student said he felt “a kind of bond…because we are all part of the SHU tradition.” These are the things that make my job at Siena Heights so rewarding. When alumni reconnect – with each other and with SHU – and we all come away inspired and proud, then I know we’re on the right track in alumni relations. If you’d like to be more involved, come to Alumni Weekend. Volunteer to help at an alumni event – or host one. Call. Or email. Or visit campus – you’ll find the Alumni Office in Sacred Heart Hall 102. One way or another, we’ll connect! Jennifer A. Hamlin Church Associate VP for Advancement & Director of Alumni Relations [phone] [email protected]