Alumni Assoc. Board plans new semester initiatives

By Peppy O'Neill

Members of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Alumni Association Board of Directors rolled up their collective sleeves Tuesday night in the Student Center Poplar Room, as they hammered out an ambitious agenda for the coming academic year.

They pledged to continue well-received programs like the Alumni Day at the Basketball Games and Alumni After Hours while envisioning new partnerships with campus and community groups. The Board will also place emphasis on innovative ways to engage alumni through evolving social media tactics, reactivate its scholarship program, and support campus efforts to recruit students.  In addition, Board members will back student activities like the circus-themed, week-long Fall Fest celebration  Oct. 1-6, focusing particularly on a family-friendly carnival scheduled for the Student Center parking lot Saturday, Oct. 6.

Led by Board President Jim Kramer, the group also reviewed their involvement in a trio of successful summer initiatives: Independence Day parades in Racine and Kenosha, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event held at UW-Parkside's outdoor running track; and a new partnership with the Racine Raiders football team.

The Board welcomed speaker Crista Kruse, manager of Mentor Kenosha & Racine for the university's Center for Community Partnerships. She laid out the history and inspiring progress of the five-year-old community service project while encouraging Board members to consider joining the ranks of those who help mentor youth in grades 4-8 in the Kenosha Public School system. 

"These are young people who are in the most difficult period of transition in their lives," she told the group, "and having someone there to support them on a regular basis makes all the difference. Just showing up every week--that's the most important thing a mentor can do."

The UWPAA Board is comprised of 17 members, who meet on campus monthly in collaboration with the UW-Parkside Alumni Relations Office.

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Story Status: Archived
Publish date: 9/13/2012

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