A Letter from the President of the Alumni Association
Greetings, Tigers! I am pleased and honored to serve as the new president of the Wittenberg University Alumni Board, and I am committed to representing our alumni, now at 26,000 strong worldwide, in a way that makes them proud to “Tiger Up.”
As my term begins, I am optimistic about the future of our alma mater and our Alumni Association. We have excellent university administrators, students, faculty, staff and especially alumni. With the selection of Dr. Michael Frandsen as the 15th president of our beloved university, the pieces are now in place to carry forward and improve our tradition of excellence in all that we do.
This letter also serves as a Call-To-Action for our fellow alumni. Together with the Alumni Association, the Alumni Board has clearly articulated some aggressive goals for the 2017-2018 academic year, and we need everyone’s help to accomplish them. With that said, I want to share our goals with you in hopes that you will use your talents and gifts to help make these goals a reality.
Improve Alumni Engagement - The time and talents of our alumni are just as valuable as the treasure they share. Current Wittenberg students need access to mentors, internships, career advice, and more. This past year, in fact, the Alumni Board started a mentoring program, which matched 23 students with alumni mentors. Our goal this year is to more than double that number to 50. A wide variety of mentors are needed. From sharing career advice with a senior, helping students from diverse backgrounds, mentoring an athlete, or working with a first-generation college student, the opportunities to engage are endless. If you are interested in becoming a mentor to a current student, contact the Office of Alumni Relations so we can get you matched. All departments need mentors. You can e-mail at alumni@wittenberg.edu or call 937-327-7414.
You can also join Wittenberg’s new alumni engagement platform called Switchboard, which is a place for students and alumni to ask questions, post internship & job information, and share resources. The more alumni that join, the more valuable a resource Switchboard becomes for both other alumni and current students. If you know of any internships or jobs at your company, post it on Switchboard to help someone in the Wittenberg family get placed. Students also post questions on Switchboard, so you could help by answering a question or two, which in turn might help that student solve a problem and gain a new perspective.
Share A #LifeAfterWitt Story – “Having Light We Pass it On To Others” is not just our motto; it’s the way we live. Our alumni have pursued incredible paths and enjoyed amazing accomplishments after graduating from Wittenberg, making an impact in more ways than many of us may realize. Many have started successful businesses, ascended to the top of their chosen fields, or contributed to society in inspiring, meaningful ways. Help us tell our story. If you or one of your classmates has an interesting story or achieved a notable level of success since graduating from Wittenberg, submit the story so that we can celebrate with you and them. Such stories also demonstrate to prospective and current students the true meaning of #LifeAfterWitt. Submit your stories at alumni@wittenberg.edu.
Increase Charitable Giving – Donations are the lifeblood of Wittenberg and all other institutions of higher learning. Our goal for the upcoming year is to increase the amount of donations raised, as well as the percentage of people who give back. During the last calendar year, 17 percent of alumni donated to Wittenberg. Without a doubt, we can do better than that. The university in general, along with all the organizations you participated in while on campus, need your support. The percentage of alumni that donate is important because it is a major factor in how publications such as U.S. News & World Report rank schools. Schools are ranked higher when alumni are actively supporting their alma maters. I encourage you to make a gift to Wittenberg and inspire a classmate to do the same. It will make a big difference in the life of a Wittenberg student. Pick a cause and give back today.
As I serve the next two years as your president, along with 22 other hard-working members of the Alumni Board, we are all excited to work with the dedicated professionals in our Offices of Advancement and Alumni Relations. The leadership and staff are committed to keeping us informed about life at Wittenberg and organizing alumni events across the country. If there is anything your Alumni Board and Alumni Association can do for you, don’t hesitate to let me or any other board member know. We are here to serve you.
In closing, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve our university in this capacity. I look forward to joining with you as we begin another exciting year together as proud Wittenberg alumni.
Sincerely,
Brian May ’99
President, Wittenberg Alumni Board
Brianmay06@gmail.com