Based on the fall 2007 alumni survey results, as well as the results of the May 2008 Alumni Symposia, your association has established three primary strategic initiatives to undertake during the next two years, and I invite you to join and work with volunteers and staff to support one or more of the them.

We will focus on:

• service to community and VCU
• university engagement and student/alumni programs
• membership acquisition and retention

Alumni services are not limited to social programming, and we hope the new service and engagement priorities will provide a more natural means for bringing you and other VCU graduates into the black-and-gold fold. VCU alumni tell us they want to give back to the university and “pay it forward” to benefit future generations of students. They clearly see their alumni association as a catalyst for promoting service to the community and to the university.

We also want to involve our university partners, such as the Division of Community Engagement, to make sure we tackle service projects collaboratively. But it’s not just about giving back in the Richmond area; we want VCU alumni like you to lead these efforts regardless of where you live.

We want to find more ways to connect to students, to make sure they’re engaged in opportunities for service with our alumni. We also want to make sure we’re motivating students to become actively involved with the VCUAA while they’re on campus so when they receive their diploma, one of the things they give to themselves is an active dues membership in their alumni association.

Alumni play a critical role in the continued success of the association’s goals and, in turn, the growth of the university as a leading institution of higher education. I invite you to connect, engage and serve as an active dues member and volunteer leader.

Yours for VCU,

Donna Dalton

(M.Ed.’00/E)