In a promising new initiative to help raise funds while improving the alumni experience, Associated Student Government (ASG) may soon have a secretary for alumni affairs. The editorial board of The Miami Student thinks this is an excellent idea and is eager to see the position created and filled. With our current budget crisis, we need our alumni now more than ever.
This board believes alumni are likely to be more responsive to requests from students than generic phone calls or mailings.
When a student is making a request, it shows that students are knowledgeable and concerned about Miami University's funding problems and other issues. The same request coming from the administration would likely get less attention from alumni.
In addition to working through ASG and various university offices currently responsible for alumni contact, the secretary for alumni affairs would also work closely with student organizations to help them fundraise from their own alumni.
The editorial board believes this has great potential for success. The more personal and specific the approach, the better. Many alumni would likely be more inclined to donate to a specific organization or department than to the university in general.
Putting students in contact with alumni, especially those working in their field of study, could present excellent networking opportunities as well.
This board would like to stress that alumni are more than piles of money.
Alumni are also a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for Miami. They can do more than fund us, they can inspire and inform us. In return, we need to help Miami stay relevant for them. Hopefully the secretary for alumni affairs will help improve events such as Homecoming to attract more alumni.
This board is pleased a student will now be designated to make our experience as alumni better when the time comes.
All Miami students will one day be Miami alumni. Once we graduate, we continue to have a responsibility to the university. Some of us have received generous scholarships, others have found lifelong relationships.
We have all learned something or experienced something exceptional here. In the service of education, love and honor we should continue to serve Miami itself.
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