The Alumni Association

In my last post I pondered what connects us through the years.  What are the common threads that connect me to a brother in the class of 2024 or the class of 1964?  Clearly we are all connected indirectly through each other, but we can also connect directly via our alumni association.  The time and effort I've put into the Association has been rewarded with entirely new, direct connections with older and younger brothers.

But why do we have an Alumni Association?  Its overarching mission is to facilitate the creation of lifelong connections, with a subsidiary mission to provide a physical home for the undergraduates.  At present we are doing well in the subsidiary mission, but I think we can do better in the larger mission.  There's a lot to do, but many hands make light work.  You can help by joining one of our committees: Nominating, Engagement, Networking, Physical Plant.

Nominating committee members should be good at keeping in touch with brothers, so that when a board member or committee position opens we can easily identify candidates to fill it.  The Engagement Committee is for fundraising but also for repairing connections that have weakened over the years.  We are looking for class leaders or era leaders to give a personal touch when we invite brothers to attend meetings or social events, or of course to donate.  The Networking Committee is just getting started, but the idea is to facilitate professional contacts between alumni.  Physical Plant Committee members should be interested in maintaining and improving the house and should be able to visit from time to time.

I hope that both the Engagement Committee and the Networking Committee will help create bonds between alumni within eras and across different eras, enriching our collective Phi Sig experience.  And of course the Nominating Committee will ensure we have the best possible team to carry our Association into the future.  If that sounds good to you, please join the team!

Rich Downey, ‘94, Alumni Association President