Fellow alumni, this has been a very exciting and eventful year for the UW Alumni Association and the University of Wyoming. The one thing we learned is, the only constant is that things are constantly changing, and if the organization is to thrive, we must embrace the change. As my tenure as UWAA president draws to an end, this seems to be a good time to look back at what has changed, what we accomplished and what we can look forward to in the future.
The campus has changed so much in the last few years, you may not recognize the place. The new Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center may be the most exciting new building on campus. Scheduled to open in October 2014, it will contain the UW Alumni Association, the UW Foundation, student recruitment and career services. We believe the location on 22nd and Grand will allow the UWAA to better engage alumni, assist new graduates with career services and support current students. The Alumni House will remain an important part of our organization as a place to host social gatherings, engage alumni and students near the central campus, direct the WYO-Gold student organization and manage other aspects of daily UWAA operations.
Perhaps most importantly, we have been working on a strategic planning process to ensure that UWAA remains relevant to everyone associated with UW. Our vision is: “To be recognized as a world leader in alumni engagement and advocacy by establishing unique, relevant and values-based lifelong connections between alumni, students and friends of UW and, in turn, strengthen the university’s historic land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service”.
Reviewing all aspects of the UWAA and projecting what we want to accomplish over the next six years ensures that we will fulfill our vision of being relevant to our alumni and the university.
Best Wishes and Go Pokes!
Tom Allen
