Alumni

Alumni Association updates trustees

York, Pa. -- The Penn State Alumni Association reported on its strategic goals, accomplishments, membership growth and continued service to the University in a presentation to the Penn State Board of Trustees today (July 13).

Alumni Association outgoing President Lewis H. Gold, a 1959 Penn State liberal arts graduate, outlined the Alumni Association's agenda and results of the 2006-07 academic year. Topping the list of accomplishments was The Penn Stater being named the best university magazine in the country. The bi-monthly magazine for members of the Alumni Association won the 2007 Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Penn State was the first public university to win the Sibley since 1967.

"The Sibley is the highest honor bestowed on The Penn Stater this year, but it is not by far the only award," Gold said in his report. "Our flagship magazine has won 40 other awards this year alone."

Another major accomplishment was the growth in student membership through the Blue & White Society, the student contingent of the Alumni Association. Blue & White Society membership has grown exponentially in the last year, up by more than 2,600 students or 34 percent to 10,126. This growth has been fueled in part by the expansion of active Blue & White Societies to six additional Penn State campuses -- Altoona, Berks, Dickinson in Carlisle, Fayette, Hazleton and Hershey -- bringing the total of active Blue & White Societies to 13 beyond University Park.

"This is the third consecutive year that membership in the Blue & White Society has experienced explosive growth, more than doubling the membership from two years ago," said Gold.

Among other Alumni Association initiatives and accomplishments highlighted by Gold were:

-- Total membership in the Alumni Association grew to an all-time high of 159,831, an increase of 768 over last year, which maintained Penn State's status as the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world. Life membership grew by 2,756 members to 89,799, securing the Alumni Association's status as the leader in life members as well.

-- The Alumni Association rolled out two significant new benefits for alumni: the online Alumni Library, which directly connects alumni to the databases, resources and special collections of Penn State's University Libraries, and AlumnInsider, a monthly e-newsletter exclusively for members designed to keep them informed about Alumni Association and Penn State news.

-- The series of intellectual, cultural and networking events called "City Lights" continued growing. This year, seven "City Lights" events were held in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., drawing more than 1,700 alumni and friends.

-- The Grassroots Network, the legislative advocacy arm of the Alumni Association, co-produced with the College of Agricultural Sciences a new "Penn State Capital Day" in Harrisburg this spring and conferred its second annual "Friend of Penn State" legislative award on Pennsylvania Rep. Jess Stairs, who represents the 59th legislative district.

-- The Alumni Association made a $300,000 gift to endow the Match Day Program at Penn State's College of Medicine.

-- The Alumni Association increased its support to Penn State campuses, providing a 10 percent increase in support for alumni relations programs and networking events.

Gold also introduced his successor as president of the Alumni Association, David C. Han, a two-time Penn State graduate with a 1988 bachelor's degree in biology and a 2005 master's degree in health evaluation sciences.

Han, who became the 75th president of the Alumni Association on July 1, is a vascular surgeon at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, an assistant professor of surgery and radiology and the program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship in the Penn State College of Medicine.

Established in 1870, the Alumni Association strives to connect alumni to the University and to each other, provide valuable benefits to members and support the University's mission of teaching, research and service. For more information about the Alumni Association, visit http://www.alumni.psu.edu online.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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