Engaging Alumni in ODU's Reputation
Most weekends, a college president spends time doing some type of institutional business and this past Saturday, July 25, was no exception for me.
Former Old Dominion University Alumni Association Board president, Steve Winter, and his wife, Lynne, hosted my wife, Kate, and me for a lovely reception and dinner in their Virginia Beach home with several other former Alumni Association presidents. In all, twelve of them and their spouses came from as far away as Richmond.
As you might suspect, there was much conversation about the upcoming football season as well as the impact of the state budget on ODU's future. There were also stories - lots of them, in fact - about fond memories connected in some way with the Old Dominion University experience.
Despite the fact that all of these attendees had been volunteers at a high level for ODU, they were gathered again collectively to ask, "What else can we do to make ODU an even greater place than it is today?"
As we talked, some of the obvious places for advocacy came up. Be more involved in recruiting and retaining students, serve as liaisons for ODU with elected officials and engage other alumni to reconnect with their alma mater. But we all agreed the most significant way alumni can further increase the value of their diploma is simply by telling others our successful story.
One ODU graduate, for example, recently told me about a day last year when he wasn't feeling well and spent most of the day watching television. Much to his surprise, it turned out to be "ODU day" with prominent alumni scattered across the airwaves.
There before his eyes Anne Donovan '83 was coaching the women's Olympic basketball team, Jay Harris '87 was anchoring ESPN's Sports Center, astronaut Michael Bloomfield '93 was being interviewed on Discovery and one of Emmy-award-winning Beth Polson's '73 movies was about to air.
And what was best about his report, to me, was that his home only receives basic cable service. I was left wondering what other ODU success stories were playing that day beyond his basic 36 channels.