From the Alumni Office:

Jennifer Hamlin Church, Associate VP for Advancement & Director of Alumni Relations

Curtain Up! Light the Lights!

Great Theater at (and Beyond) the Heights

If you’ve been to Siena recently, you know the arts are alive and well. At this year’s Homecoming, you heard lots of music (marching band at halftime, Acapelicans at Alumni Awards, choir at Mass) and saw lots of art (John Wittersheim and Lois DeMots retrospectives in Studio Angelico, alumni art in McLaughlin, six alumni sculptures in the new Wittersheim Memorial Sculpture Park). And there’s a good chance you were humming “Day by Day” from the Theater Siena production of Godspell directed by theater program chair Doug Miller ’74. All of the arts are vital to the life and legacy of Siena Heights—enough so that Joni Warner ’83 now works officially connecting our campus with the Lenawee community through the arts.

Today, I’d like to spotlight Siena’s theater program.

For the past decade, one of our most popular alumni events (outside of Homecoming) has been the annual spring Dinner & Theater gathering. About 100 people come to campus—from as far as Detroit, Lansing, Battle Creek and many parts of Ohio—for dinner and the final production of the Theater Siena season. Some people come every year and it’s not uncommon to hear things like “Wow, I saw this once in Boston/New York/Toledo—but this was better!”

That sentiment was definitely buzzing around the Croswell Opera House in Adrian this past summer, when Siena’s Mark DiPietro ’83 directed a full-scale production of Les Miserables with a cast and crew almost half made up of Siena Heights alumni, students and faculty. “We had 300+ people audition,” said DiPietro, chair of SHU’s Fine and Performing Arts division. “They came out of the woodwork for the chance to be in the full, adult version of the show.”

From the Editor:

The Other Side of “The Ask”

Although I work out of the fundraising (Advancement) office here at Siena Heights, but I’ve never considered myself a fundraiser. However, I’ve grown to appreciate the role our area plays.

I like the term Advancement. It rings true. It’s not just “fundraising” or “development,” as some other institutions or organizations prefer. Our department literally “advances” the University on many fronts, including raising money to support the institution.

During my time at Siena, I’ve come to appreciate my colleagues who travel the area, the state, the country—and sometimes the world—in search of crucial resources. Although they often share how rewarding the experience is “friendraising,” I know it is not an easy job.

As a graduate of another institution, my tendency is to recoil when I get a letter in the mail or a phone call from my alma mater asking for donations for a cause or campaign. I’m sure as a graduate of Siena Heights that is not the case with you (!), however, after seeing the need on the other end first-hand, let me tell you that their efforts are worthwhile.

Our high-profile events such as the Siena Summer Spectacular for Scholarships do a great job communicating the need for student scholarship dollars. But there’s so many other “below-the-radar” projects and initiatives that often don’t get that much attention. Let me point out a few:

From the Alumni Association:

Mary Small Poore, President—Alumni Association Board of Directors

Harness Your Potential

I have had the privilege of participating in the SHU First Year Experience (FYE) dinner-and-book discussion for the past four years. Annually, FYE students are instructed to read a particular book over the summer and write a paper in response. During Welcome Week, the students meet in a faculty home with their FYE instructor to share dinner and their thoughts on the book. Alumni have been invited to participate the past several years—and this is one of my favorite alumni activities. Not only do I feel like a college student again () but this experience re-energizes my faith in younger generations. These students give me so much hope for the future! They never fail to impress me with their thoughts, insights and energy. This year was no exception. It also warmed my heart to see their interest in meeting me and hearing my alumni story. They recognized that many alumni have given time, talent and treasure to make Siena Heights the university it is today. I have never heard so much gratitude from incoming students. I was humbled.

I share this because I want you to know the difference you can make in the lives of our current and prospective students. Try something simple like wearing alumni gear in your community or using a Siena coffee mug in your office; you’ll be surprised at the conversations you spark and the SHU ambassador you become. You could serve as an active Alumni Association Board member, coming to campus several times a year to promote activities that engage alumni with their alma mater. You might connect with former faculty or staff and offer to be a mentor to current students, or speak to a class about how Siena Heights has influenced your experience, personally and professionally. Perhaps, as you look to hire someone, you would consider contacting the SHU Career Development Office—where you might find that graduating senior who is a perfect fit for your business.