Alumni Council Fall 2024 Summary

The Alumni Council gathered on campus Thursday, Nov. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 9 for its fall meeting. President Scott Shepherd ’82 presided over the meeting, which was attended by 25 members of the Council. 

Group photo of Alumni Council taken in Fall of 2024.
Alumni Council photo taken November 2024 on campus.

The following is a summary of the meeting:

  • The Council kicked off its meeting weekend with a tour of the new Hannah Alumni House and visits to the Disability Cultural Center and the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice. At the two centers, members connected with students and staff who are working to build community in these spaces and through the services and programs offered at each;
  • In concert with Student Government Association (SGA) leadership, the Council hosted an event called Finding Joy In Your Career. Other student connection opportunities throughout the weekend included a dinner with students on Friday evening; a Middle of Everywhere presentation featuring the Council’s four international alumni members; and a Saturday afternoon lunch program on Women in Finance featuring four of the Council’s members.
  • The Council committees and task forces each met and reported on their work to the Council. Highlights include:
    • The Career Exploration Task Force partnered with DAR to recruit an incredible 116 alumni externship opportunities for spring break 2025. The task force played a pivotal role in this achievement, collaborating on a robust social media effort with eight posts with numerous social interactions and an email marketing campaign that produced 700 personalized emails to prospective hosts — all of which built key relationships and promoted the externship experience.
    • The Dialogue Across Difference Task Force presented a plan to partner with alum Veronique Porter ’08 to host a virtual event series in 2025 focused on skill building for community engagement across difference.
    • The Philanthropy Task Force finalized plans to launch the College’s first collective giving initiative in the spring to support creation of a new First-Generation, Low-Income Lounge.
    • The Alumni Engagement with Academia Task Force shared the outcomes of their peer school review and next steps in exploration of opportunities for engaging more alumni in the intellectual life of the College.
    • The Alumni Awards committee presented a slate of 15 alumni to receive a 2025 Alumni Award to be presented at Reunion 2025.
    • The Membership Development committee commenced its work to recruit two new members to join the Council in 2025. Interested alumni should complete an application by Jan. 5. For this cycle, the Council particularly encourages applicants who graduated between 1965-1979 and 2020-2022.
  • The Council met with Bernadine Douglas, vice president for development and alumni relations, for an update about comprehensive campaign planning and readiness; the results of the recent donor survey; and an overview and discussion of new strategies DAR is pursuing to bring more alumni, parents, and friends into relationship with the College.
  • The Council devoted much time to an extensive workshop and discussion regarding the College’s financial sustainability with a review of comparative and institutional data.  President Anne F. Harris and senior leadership members Germaine Gross (vp of finance), Joe Bagnoli (vp of enrollment), and Bernadine Douglas engaged with the Council in this discussion about the strategies available to meet the College’s values of access and socio-economic diversity in the years ahead.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Our thanks for your continued interest in the work of the Council.

Warm regards,

Scott Shepherd ’82, Alumni Council President 
Jayn Bailey Chaney ’05, Assistant Vice President of Alumni and Donor Relations