VII.1 COLLEGE RELATIONS: ALUMNI, DEVELOPMENT, STATE RELATIONS, & COMMUNICATIONS

The College of Letters & Science works in partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) to strengthen ties with the college and its 177,000 living alumni. This partnership plays a significant role in supporting departmental and college development and state relations initiatives. College departments, faculty, and staff play an important role in the success of our alumni programs, and anyone who would like to learn more or is interested in participating is encouraged to contact the Wisconsin Alumni Association or email Megan Costello, Outreach Specialist in the College of Letters and Science (890-0740; mlcostello@ls.admin.wisc.edu).

Letters & Science alumni relations focus on the following areas:

Alumni Data . The Wisconsin Alumni Association has a shared and extensive database of UW-Madison alumni. The database is known as 4th Dimension and is often called 4-D. The database is a desktop client administered by WAA.

Since 2003, the College has worked with WAA and its data resources to strengthen knowledge of the Letters and Science alumni base at the college and departmental level. The database is cross-listed with National Change of Address listings every night and its core data is considered high. The College also works with WAA to ensure that the database is as current as possible, and with departments to facilitate access to core information for alumni relations and other purposes.

Departments and programs with alumni data needs may work directly with the Wisconsin Alumni Association by contacting Kevin Check (262-9599; kcheck@waastaff.com). Kevin is the Director of School & College Relations at the Alumni Association. You may also contact Lucy Mathiak (265-8287) and Megan Costello (890-0740) who both have access to the alumni database and can assist departments.

Letters & Science Alumni Newsletter . The college's alumni newsletter, Letters & Science TODAY, is distributed to alumni, friends of the college, college staff, and university administrators twice a year. The newsletter is mailed with the UW-Madison alumni magazine, On Wisconsin, without charge to all college alumni currently living in the United States for whom current addresses are available. In 2005-06, the circulation was around 147,000.

Letters & Science TODAY also is available in electronic format through the college website, at http://www.ls.wisc.edu/newsletters.htm.

Alumni Weekend . Letters and Science hosts an on-campus event for emeritus faculty and alumni from reunion year classes during Alumni Weekend which is held in early May each year.

Career Services . Letters & Science Career Services partners with the Wisconsin Alumni Association to hold general and specialize career fairs throughout the school year. In addition, the alumni association works to help identify alumni who are willing to serve as career mentors to students and recent graduates.

Commencement Receptions . In order to strengthen relations with its newest alumni, the College of Letters & Science partners with the Wisconsin Alumni Association to host receptions for new graduates and their families and friends. The receptions are held at the Kohl Center immediately prior to the college’s commencement ceremonies in December and May, and are becoming important opportunities for department and program faculty and staff to celebrate with their students. For information on the receptions or assistance in planning for your participation, please contact Amanda Heggestad (890-3037).

Distinguished Alumni Awards . Letters & Science and its departments work with the Wisconsin Alumni Association to identify and nominate graduates for the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards. The awards traditionally are presented at a ceremony and dinner on the Friday evening of Alumni Weekend in May each year.

Departmental and Campus Partnerships . The Wisconsin Alumni Association offers a number of services to the campus community. Some of these services are offered without charge; others are provided for a fee on a contract basis. Letters & Science have contracted with the association for help in developing centennial or other anniversary celebrations, editing and designing alumni newsletters, designing and sending monthly emails to alumni and friends or other support activities designed to heighten connections between alumni and their departments.

WAA can be particularly helpful to departments looking to redesign their alumni newsletter or find new ways to communicate with students, alumni and friends. http://www.uwalumni.com/home/waa/campuspartners/campuspartners.aspx.

Forward Under 40 Awards. A recent addition to campus, the Forward Under 40 awards are given each year to outstanding young alumni making an impact by living the Wisconsin Idea. Since the program began in 2008, Letters and Science alumni have received the majority of these incredibly popular and amazing awards. Campus units have the opportunity to nomiate their alumni each spring with the awards being officially announced the following year. http://www.forwardunder40.com.

Founders Day . Letters & Science faculty are frequently invited to serve as speakers at the Founders Day dinners that are organized annually by alumni association chapters throughout Wisconsin and the United States.

Letters and Science New and Notes - L&S News & Notes is a monthly e-mail update and blog for faculty, staff and graduate students in the UW-Madison College of Letters & Science. News & Notes showcases the many good things happening in L&S. Our goal is to communicate our research and education activities, accomplishments and recognize faculty, staff and students. Once a month, the Dean sends an email out to the entire L&S community, including the L&S Board of Visitors and the UW System Regents. The email features five Top Stories from the college that month. To be qualified for a Top Story submit your news by the third Friday of the month. L&S News and Notes "About" page.

Grandparents University. Letters & Science faculty frequently teach classes to new "majors" at the summer-run Grandparents University. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association UW-Extension Family Living Program, this two-day events is a chance for children and their grandparents to get a hands-on learning experience at UW. http://www.uwalumni.com/home/learning/gpu/gpu.aspx.

On The Road . Letters & Science faculty, staff, and outreach units regularly participate in On the Road, a partnership of the UW-Madison, the UW Foundation, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association. It emphasizes the many ways the university contributes to the lives of citizens of Wisconsin and the nation by taking campus faculty and staff to museums, service clubs, and K-12 schools throughout Wisconsin, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. The Wisconsin Alumni Association manages the On The Road program on behalf of UW-Madison.

Last updated Aug 24, 2009 per mc by tb.