Support from Alumni

One of the truly remarkable things at this university is the degree of connection between the alumni and the students, faculty, and administration on campus and how much they are involved.

Many of the university's buildings are named after the alumnus who paid for them. Not so visible except to students like me is the money alumni give for scholarships. An amazing number of us are heavily subsidized by these scholarships: some because their achievements have earned the money, others because they wouldn't have been able to afford to come if they'd have had to pay the whole shot themselves. I've heard many students say that because of the scholarships, coming here costs less than going to a State University would.

I know that lots of private universities receive this kind of financial support and depend on it. But here it goes much further, because the individual alumni are resources for us.

There's a networking program, organized from a university office, which organizes alumni events that seem to draw lots of people of all ages from all over. Last week I went to a hockey game that the alum were invited to and afterwards there was a cocktail hour where you could talk to them. Lots of students make valuable connections that way; my friend's older brother got his first job as a result of a contact made at one of these events. Some departments bring alum into the classes where they give talks and hold miniature conferences. The guidance office encourages you to find an alum to shadow and get work experience and use as a mentor.

The university is in a remote rural area, far from any large cities. The surrounding counties are full of people in leadership positions who are our alumni. But geographically, the alumni are spread over the whole country. It always amazes me how far alumni have traveled to attend events like hockey weekends -- the other side of the country sometimes.

Last year, I called an alum to tell her that I was looking for an internship. She told me to stop in and apply and I was hired. One conversation at a university social event, a subsequent phone call and application letter, and there was the internship. And that happens a lot.

Sure, this is not a big university and yes, I would like to see what what a bigger one has to offer. Actually, I know what a bigger university has to offer: more variety, more specialization, courses that go to higher levels. This won't be the only university that I attend.

However, I'm certain that whatever happens, this is the one I'll look back on with the most nostalgia, and also the one I'll support with time, money, patronage, and whatever else I can contribute. I feel comfortable here, extremely grateful to the alumni who've done so much to make it possible, and determined to do all I can to make sure the university thrives in the future. More than ever before in my life, I now know the meaning of the word loyalty.

(Well yes, I feel a different kind of loyalty to individual people, like my friends, my mom, and the rest of my family. But here I learned what it is to feel another kind of loyalty as well.)

Many of us, when we graduate, will take that feeling with us. And that's why we have such strong alumni support.