Pulse: How many full-time staff do you have in Alumni?
Alumni Relations: There are four full-time staff members in Alumni Relations: Kristin Jones Borton '05, Administrative Assistant; Michelle Rigel McCune '04, Coordinator of Regional Events and Services; Amy Cartzendafner Button '97, (former) Assistant Director (open position); Faith Linn '83, Director
Pulse: What services do you provide to Alumni?
Alumni Relations: We provide whatever services alumni need or want! Typically, this includes the quarterly alumni magazine Inspire; events like Homecoming and alumni basketball weekend; our regional Chapter program; maintaining a database of alumni information; online services including directory, web discussion forums, online registration, free email for life; and staff prayer meetings for alumni requests. However, there is no typical day in Alumni Relations. Other services have included everything from helping alumni in getting transcripts to assisting them in finding housing to praying and crying with them on the phone. Whatever they need, we try to do. In doing so, we create the opportunity to build relationships with them and encourage them to continue to be involved with CU.
Pulse: Do you have much of an opportunity to interact with students?
Alumni Relations: We've made a concerted effort to interact more with students and do so through dorm nights, gifts for each class, the Easter Egg hunt, our Did You Know days and contests, and DAE.
Pulse: What is DAE all about?
Alumni Relations: Delta Alpha Epsilon (DAE) is a service leadership organization that assists Alumni Relations in working with alumni and other campus guests of the Advancement Division. Selected after an interview process during their Sophomore year, these 10-12 students are committed to building relationships by serving. They assist us with alumni events, student programming, and office tasks. They do a great job of letting other students know what Alumni Relations is all about and they often become our best young alumni!
Pulse: How many events do you plan in a given year and why do you do them?
Alumni Relations: Although we're not just the party people, we do plan a lot of events! Last year we planned and executed 46 alumni events, 2 weekends of alumni council meetings and over 20 activities for students. Hmmm...maybe we ARE the party people!
Pulse: What fund raising responsibilities does Alumni Relations have?
Alumni Relations: Contrary to popular belief, Alumni Relations does not have any fundraising responsibilities. We are in the business of creating connections, building relationships, and serving. Our hope is that alumni who are happy with their alma mater and with the services offered when they are alumni will naturally want to be involved with Cedarville. One form of involvement may be giving back financially.
Pulse: Why are Alumni so important to Cedarville?
Alumni Relations: Alumni do SO much for Cedarville! They bring prospective students for visits, represent CU at college fairs, hire our graduates, provide internships for students, tell others about Cedarville, host events in their homes, serve on chapter leadership teams, invite university teams to their churches, volunteer to coordinate reunions, and pray. Oh, yeah...and sometimes they give CU a few bucks. =)
Pulse: How can faculty and staff further help your office?
Alumni Relations: Remember that, to do our jobs well, we need LOTS of alumni information. We need addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, employment, church, and family information. We're certain that every staff member knows something about a CU alum that we don't know. Please email us at alumni@cedarville.edu with anything you can find in your friends' emails, church directories, or old Christmas letters!