Doug Goodnough
Reflections Editor

What Can You Do for Siena Heights University?

I recently had a chance to meet with our Alumni Association Board at its annual retreat. Meetings are not an unusual occurrence for someone in my position. As director of Marketing, I often have to sit down with various individuals, groups, committees and organizations on campus. In fact, I sometimes think I spend more times in meetings than anything else I am involved with at the University. But it’s the nature of the position.

And, honestly, most of the time these meetings focus on what I – or my office – can do for them. Maybe it’s a brochure. Or a press release. Or a web site change. Or a photo. And that’s fine. Besides, that’s what we’re here for – to serve, promote, support and advance the University.

Towards the end of my update to our alumni board, President Michael Lane had one final question for me, and one that I don’t get asked very often. He said, “What can we as alumni do for you?”

Hmmm. That threw me for a bit of a loop. I didn’t have much time to ponder that question, but I came up with the best answer I had at the moment: to be an “ambassador” for your alma mater. Our graduates can represent the brand of Siena Heights to everyone they meet. That made sense. After all, that’s what someone in marketing is supposed to say, right?

However, that question lingered beyond that meeting as I thought a little more about some possible alternative answers. Just what can alumni do for me? That led me to an even better question: what can they do for Siena Heights University?

Of course, the “easy” answer is to give us your financial support. Being a nonprofit organization, fundraising is the key to keeping a Siena Heights education affordable and available for future generations. I hope you already know that, but if you want to learn more, I can put you in touch with someone from our Advancement Office who can explain all of our giving options.

But there are other ways to help Siena Heights. Here are just a few:

• Did you know we have a “Refer-A-Student” form on our web site? It takes just a minute or two to fill out and gives our enrollment people an excellent head start on recruiting a prospective student. Word-of-mouth is still one of the top ways we learn about new students.
• Host or help with an alumni event in your area. Our Alumni Office schedules several events around the country to help our graduates reconnect to their institution. Having someone locally who can help make those connections is invaluable to making these events successful.
• Come back to campus every once in a while. Our campus has changed quite a bit in the last few years, but the essence remains the same. We are proud of what we are doing here, and we want you to experience it!
• Hire a Siena Heights graduate. Are you an employer? If so, we may have someone for you. Connect with our Career Services Office when you have a job opening. Developing that employment “pipeline” for our students helps them connect their education with their career goals. Talk about a “win/win!”
• Use our social media channels. Are you on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? Have you downloaded our Android phone app? If so, we have established a solid presence there. Utilize it. We know people lead busy lives, and these options allow you to stay “plugged in” to your alma mater.
• Finally, let us know what you are doing. Our Class Notes section in the magazine always has room for another alumni update. We know it is one of the most popular sections of the magazine, so drop us a note when you have good news to report. Who knows, you might be a feature in an upcoming edition.

Doug Goodnough
Editor