04/19/2021
There is so much that could put into words, but the end result could be writing a long winded ACRN version of “War and Peace”. So we will try to keep this at a reasonable length.
When Carrie Markels, Scott Smith, Jay Kulpa, Cap Pedersen and I were working on plans for the 50th Anniversary celebration, we never expected that a pandemic would change our plans. Yet through their efforts we were able to set up the virtual celebration that occurred this past Saturday. I thank them for their kindness, generosity, and patience as we put together the virtual celebration, especially in the last few months as I have been dealing with my father’s health issues. A big shout out to Scott Smith for being our emcee throughout the evening and while there were some humorous comments about “when does the pledge request start”? it was the touch that we needed and it helped with the flow of the evening.
To those who came to the virtual celebration, it was great to see you on Saturday night. Although, I may not have been able to talk to everyone, listening to the stories in the second hour, especially those who were part of ACRN at the very beginning in 1971 or shortly thereafter, the thoughts of creating a documentary on the history of ACRN came to the minds of a few people and maybe that could be something someone could do in the near future. They showed the connections of why we came to ACRN, why we stayed, and how that love carries through all of us to this day.
To Greg Newton (ACRN Faculty Advisor) Nate Finley (current ACRN GM), and the current ACRN staff, thank you for allowing us on the ACRN Alumni Society Board to keep the lines of communication open and to assist when it was needed. It is very easy for older alumni to say you should “do it this way”, but that would hinder the abilities of a student run organization. The presentation and the stories shared resonated with all of us and many alumni came away not only impressed, but proud of what ACRN has become and will continue to be in the future.
Now that the virtual celebration has come and gone, where do we go from here? As we stated on Saturday night, our plans are to hold a celebration in Athens in early April 2022. The university will be allowing the chance in June to get on the calendar as the ability to bring people back for group celebrations will increase as conditions improve. Once we know more, we will let you know.
The other item that was mentioned on Saturday is the need for people to help, whether it is being on the Board of the ACRN Alumni Society or in other ways. We need to hold elections and choose new people to fill the board positions. While it has been an honor and a privilege to have served as the Alumni Society President for the past few years, we are also term limited and it is time to pass the baton on to continue to build the relationships that we have with the current staff and generate a new sense of direction going forward. The terms for the Board position will run in conjunction with the start of the Ohio University fiscal year, which starts on July 1st. The term of the Board members will run from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.
In addition to my role, which includes strategic planning and working with the Board on annual goals, the other positions that are available are:
Vice President/Treasurer - helps to recruit volunteers, participates in the university's VAAN (Volunteer Alumni Admissions Network) program, and keeps a record of the Society's budget and purchases.
Secretary/Archivist - records and distributes meeting minutes, leads preservation of archives and collections at the university's Mahn Center, and compiles post-mortems on Society events.
Communications Chair -The Communications Chair authors content for the Society's social channels and other written correspondence and maintains the database of all ACRN Alumni and their contact information. This will include maintaining the alumni website.
Scholarship Chair - The Scholarship Chair organizes and hosts philanthropic opportunities, raises awareness of the ACRN Charles Voge Scholarship, and serves as liaison with the university and the scholarship's donors.
New Alumni Chair - The New Alumni Chair has graduated within the last five years and serves as a liaison between the current staff and the Society, as well as ensuring that all recent graduates are counted as ACRN Alumni in our database and at the university.
If you are interested in any of the positions, you can let me know by May 1, 2021 through direct message in Facebook or by E-Mail at [email protected]. The plan is to have elections by May 15, 2021 through Survey Monkey. Potential candidates will be asked to introduce themselves prior to the election. The announcement of the new board would be at the end of May and the new board members would meet with the outgoing board members on June 15, 2021.
