Letter from the Alumni Association President
Distinguished Alumni,
As we embark on yet another year, I’d like to take a moment and reflect back to the beginnings of our alumni association.
The very first official alumni association president was Julia H. Wilson. I remember receiving a letter from her welcoming me as a new alumnus of Columbia Southern University, back in 2003. I still have this letter today and some motivational quotes from her included, “Your participation is tremendously important to us” and “Your involvement will allow is to develop future quality programs and services for our graduates, as well as maintain a line for communication for the college and graduates.” Little did I know how much of an impact those words had on me.
I believe it was in 2003 that I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Larry Williams. I remember talking to Dr. Williams about the CSU alumni association program and how I wanted to get involved in helping the alumni association program grow, just how Julia Wilson had mentioned in her letter to the alumni. Dr. Williams was full of energy and excitement, which ultimately motivated me and got me excited about the alumni association. Dr. Williams was instrumental in launching the very first alumni website, which included our missing and core values, member benefits, chapter handbook and information, CSU merchandise and alumni newsletters. Many, if not most, of these items you still see today in our alumni association.
I attended my first graduation at CSU in 2005. This is where I had the pleasure of meeting everyone, including Dr. Williams and the wonderful CSU staff and administration. Dr. Williams energy was amazing and his excitement was even more motivating than it was through my communications with him via e-mail and phone. Dr. Williams encouraged me to run for alumni president and since 2005, I’ve had the pleasure and honor of holding this position. Although bitter sweet, my term for this position will expire this year (2008), and other newly elected officers will take the lead.
Dr. Williams took on other responsibilities within the university, and then came Mrs. Jessica Brown and Dr. Joe Wilkins, who took the alumni association to the next level. Today, we have more alumni benefits than ever before and I’d like to highlight these benefits for all of you:
CSU Click
The CSU Click program was launched in 2007, with the efforts of Jessica Brown, Dr. Wilkins and other CSU administration. Click is an online social networking community designed exclusively for our alumni allowing them to network with other CSU graduates, share photos, explore an array of job opportunities, and much more. Other features within Click include:
- Network with alumni about career and business opportunities.
- Share photos and blogs in a secure environment.
- Share information or seek advice by messaging the network.
- Hear about events going on in their area put on by other CSU alumni.
- Start groups to find other alumni with similar interests.
Free Subscription to the CSU Communicator
All alumni are e-mailed the CSU Communicator which includes sections such as university news, partnership updates, and faculty/administration/alumni news. You can also view this newsletter and archives on the alumni website.
Access to the Student/Alumni Forum
Students and alumni can access the forum by visiting the “student center” of our website or through the “alumni website.” Access to the forum following graduation is free.
Discounts from Select Companies
Several companies have partnered with CSU to offer the alumni benefits such as discounted hotel rates, auto insurance, health
insurance and rental car discounts. You can also find more information by visiting:
http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/alumni/memberonly.asp
- Avis
- Intercontinental Hotel Groups
- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Wild Vacations in California
- Graebel
- Wild at Work
- Liberty Mutual
- Affinity Health Plans
- DentalPlans.com
Free Access to the Online Library
Alumni are allowed to continue using CSU’s online library resources at no charge. This also applies to those who have graduated from a CSU degree program and are now re-enrolling in another CSU degree program, whereas the re-enrolling student will not have to pay the library fee.
Robert G. Mayes Memorial Scholarship
CSU alumni have until April 15th, 2008 to submit their application materials for the Robert G. Mayes Memorial Scholarship. Established
in loving memory of Dr. Robert Mayes (1945-2005), CSU founder and president, this $5,000 alumni scholarship will be awarded annually to
a CSU graduate.
From where our alumni association was many years ago, to where we are today, we have grown exponentially. The most exciting part of all
is that we’re not done growing, and I envision many more benefits and features to become available for all alumni to enjoy. I also want
to encourage my fellow alumni members to take a leadership role and become an elected alumni officer, where you too can help our
alumni association grow into the future.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about the special alumni benefits included in this letter. I look
forward to serving as your alumni president for the remainder of my term and encourage all of you to consider how you can make a difference
at CSU by serving as an officer for the alumni association.
Sincerely,
Jamie Gauthier, MBA
President, CSU Alumni Association
jamie.gauthier@columbiasouthern.edu