This Week in the Alumni Office

This week, we’ll explore who we are and what we do.

The Alumni Association was created in 1970 - that’s right next year, we’ll be 50 - to keep alumni from the Junior College and the College (as it was then) connected to Missouri Western.  That mission has not changed. The Alumni Association is led by a 25 member board of directors. These alumni volunteers work with the office staff to identify strategic priorities which support the mission and goals of the University. The office staff carries out the day-to-day operations of the Association. We coordinate event logistics and marketing. I also travel and visit with alumni face-to-face or in small groups.

So, who are we? Who will answer the phone when you call? First and foremost, we have our outstanding student staff who not only work for the Alumni Office but also for Development, Public Relations, the Foundation and the Vice-President’s Office. When you call, you will most likely talk with Avionna, Brielle or Emelita.

Alicia Otto is the Administrative Coordinator for University Advancement. Like our students, she also has responsibilities in Development, Public Relations and the Vice-President’s Office. She holds things together and somehow manages to know my schedule better than I do. She also keeps our candy basket full. Alicia has worked at Missouri Western for almost eleven years, three of them in University Advancement. She is a proud mother and grandmother and is working towards her Bachelor of General Studies Degree, with Minors in Journalism and Entrepreneurship. In her spare time, Alicia is an avid photographer.

That leaves me. You probably know my name. I’ve been at Missouri Western since August 2006. Before moving to St. Joe, I lived just north of Tampa, FL where I was the alumni director at Saint Leo University. I also worked in the alumni office of my alma mater, Adrian College, in Michigan. Before getting into alumni work, I was a full time hall director at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota (see a pattern here?) and was a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech where I completed my Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration.

Stop by, call or email us anytime.

Last week, Alicia Otto and I attended a two-day seminar on social media marketing strategies. Neither one of us were convinced that this topic would take two days - a two-hour webinar, maybe - but two days, probably not. So, there we were, locked in a small local hotel conference room with representatives from the American Angus Association, Northwest Missouri State and St. Joseph PD. We’d paid our money and we were going to learn something. And learn we did.

One suggestion (it was really more than a suggestion) was to start a blog. I was unconvinced. What would we write about? Alicia said we should call it “This Week in the Alumni Office” and discuss what we do. Maybe, she continued, we even let alumni take over once in a while.

And so, here it is, the first edition. We’ll talk about what we do and you’ll meet the office team. We might discuss topics like:  

• Are RSVPs a thing of the past or does society have a fear of commitment?
• What’s Homecoming all about?
• How to get the most out of your free Alumni Association membership
• Solving the mystery of alumni board appointments (and who’s on the board anyway)
• What the heck we do all day (you can bet Vice-President for University Advancement, Jerry Pickman will be tuned in that week)
• And, we may even let alumni take over once in a while.

I hope you were following our Facebook page this weekend and shared your stories of Drs. Looney, Murphy, Scanlon and Vartabedian. This week, the University plays host to three candidates who are all vying to be the fifth president of Missouri Western. As you probably know, Dr. Vartabedian announced his retirement late last summer. His last day will be June 30. Click here to learn more about the candidates: Presidential Search

Also this week, the women’s basketball team will play in the MIAA tournament in Kansas City. Their first game is on Wednesday at 6 pm in Municipal Auditorium. Join us at Leinenkugel's in the Power and Light District at 3 pm for a pregame rally.

Until next week, see our website to learn more about alumni events and opportunities.