Graduates and current students of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (formerly Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College) convened at Charlotte, N.C., recently to rejuvenate alumni involvement toward the advancement of the institution.
This was the first time for the North Carolina chapter to host the event. The goal was to inspire attendees to become leaders and the theme was “Ensuring the Legacy: The Role of Alumni.”
“We hope to equip them with the tools they need to go back to their local chapters and get other alumni involved,” said Calvin Booker, president of the National Alumni Association.
Attendees included Pine Bluff Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr.; Chancellor Charlie Nelms of North Carolina Central University; Dr. Stephen Broughton, a member of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees; Marcus Chanay, vice president of student affairs at Jackson State University; and Eunice Williamson, organizer of the first National Alumni Conference (1988).
The highlight of the opening ceremony was the State of the National Alumni Association by Booker.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“I look at progress by what we accomplish,” Booker said. “We have to sustain our organization. With more than 17,000 alumni on record, there is an opportunity to make a tremendous impact if we can get everyone involved.”
Booker also talked about fundraising efforts that work to benefit students with scholarships.
“Did you choose UAPB? Yes. Have you been blessed? Yes. Can you give something back? Yes!” Booker exclaimed.
“When we look at the numbers, there is an opportunity for growth,” Booker said. “If we can get each alumnus to give $10 dollars that would equal more than $170,000!”
Session topics included Communicating with Alumni, Chapter Development, Recruiting High Achieving Students, Student Leadership, Presentations from UAPB representatives and a forum on selecting the next Chancellor.
Anita Walton, director of alumni relations at North Carolina Central University, challenged alumni to narrow their focus for better results. She encouraged the group to research the data on the location of alumni and locate trends on the largest concentration of alumni. She also asked attendees to consider the generation types when looking at ways to communicate with the goal of being consistent and creative.
“It’s not just having those chapters. It’s maximizing the use of those chapters (recruiting, outreach, branding),” Walton said.
William B. Harvey, Dean of the School of Education, made a case for the continued existence of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) during the luncheon and gave relevant suggestions on ways to ensure sustainability.
On the second day, representatives from UAPB gave updates to the alumni, beginning with a State of the University address by Interim Chancellor Calvin Johnson. With a litany of family members that have attended and graduated from UAPB, Johnson did not hesitate to continue to recommend it as the place to be.
Current students and recent graduates reflected on their UAPB experience. Mary Benjamin, vice chancellor of academic affairs at UAPB, was accompanied by Courtney Godfrey (from UAPB’s School of Business and Management), Vincent Newton (School of Education), Megan Williams (School of Arts and Sciences) and Kacy Wright (School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences).
The conference ended with a banquet that featured Dianne Suber, president of St. Augustine University. She asked every person in the audience to be able to answer the question,”Why support UAPB?” from the perspective of a legislator.
“Support doesn’t mean just buying a season ticket,” Suber said. “It means you understand the importance of engaging all alum to make a difference.”
To reiterate the point of keeping things in perspective, she asked SGA President Obum Nwankwo, SGA Executive Director Marquies Carter and Miss UAPB Raulanda Watley to stand during the conclusion of her address.
“If you want to continue to afford an opportunity for a better life to young people like these, it starts with you doing something today,” Suber said.
After Suber’s address, presentations were made to Chairman’s Circle of Excellence Awards recipients: Danny B. Campbell (graduate of the class of 1992); Frances Harris-Waddell (’70); Lovelace P. Gipson Jr.; Ernest Walker (’71); Ladonna Jones (’87); and Phillip Williams (’89).
At the beginning of the conference, Booker challenged attendees to contact five people in their immediate network to see how much money could be raised by text messaging, Twitter and Facebook. Before everyone was dismissed at the end of the banquet, Booker reported that more than $8,900 had been raised in less than 48 hours.
Details: Visit www.uapbalumni.org or call 536-2309.