Connecting With Future Alumni

One benefit of working in alumni relations is that every May my team and I get the opportunity to connect with 1,500 new alumni. One of the really neat benefits of working at Lehigh in alumni relations is that we also get the opportunity to connect with dozens of pre-alumni (most people think of them as students … remember what I do here!) who work hard throughout the year to promote and celebrate Lehigh traditions. This group makes sure that activities such as the Bed Races, Founder’s Day, Lehigh-Lafayette Spirit Week, the Senior Class Gift Campaign, the Student Alumni Dinner Club and The Rally come to life for students and stay alive for generations.

This organization is the Association of Student Alumni (ASA). They’re a select group of about 50 students whose mission is to create and enhance traditions that promote alumni involvement, campus unity, school spirit and giving back to Lehigh. The brainchild of former alumni director Chris Marshall ’88 and his team, ASA was founded in 2002 and pioneered the business of inspiring students to become engaged alumni. Now many schools across the country have dedicated staff that work with student groups, but—I don’t have hard data on this, but my spidey senses tell me—none are as passionate and hard-working as our ASAs.

Caitlin Saunders, associate director of Student Engagement in the office of Alumni Relations, spends just about every hour of her work day to support the group and think about ways to connect them with our alumni networks. To that end, ASA is starting to work more closely with our Young Alumni Council and the Lehigh University Alumni Association, which advise the Alumni Relations staff on strategies and decisions around Reunion, class affinity, volunteerism and many other topics. Through the Senior Class Gift Campaign, ASA introduces Lehigh students to philanthropy and the importance of giving back, and they help us celebrate the generosity of our alumni donors.

We know that if you come to events, volunteer, mentor, “like” us on social or give within the first few years of graduation, you’re much more likely to stay connected to your Lehigh family throughout your life. So getting the input and wisdom from soon-to-be-alumni ensures that when they graduate, they’ll pick up what we’re putting down (good example there—is that phrase even still a thing, and did I even use it right? Young alumni, ASAs, please let me know.)

My team and I have been so fortunate to get to know the current ASA members, in particular President Bea Maloney ’19, a master at motivating fellow students to show and share their passion for Lehigh. I’m so grateful for her and the other ASA members, and I can’t wait to watch them become bona-fide alumni in a few years! If you’d like to learn more about this great organization, visit their site at https://sites.google.com/a/lehigh.edu/asa/.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Cunningham
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations