Anne Gannaway recalls that when she began her work as the director of alumni engagement and special events four years ago, "I could see that we had an involved alumni base, that we hosted a lot of events, and we offered some good volunteer opportunities.
"But we wanted to understand how we could make those experiences even more meaningful-and align them with the mission and strategic priorities of the university."
Because alumni are among the greatest champions of a St. Ambrose education, enlisting their help to encourage potential new student enrollment made good sense.
That idea led to a partnership between the offices of Alumni Engagement and Admissions. Working with Lisa Stanforth '16 MBA, assistant director of first-year admissions and alumni liaison, alumni this year have begun serving as ambassadors for the university at college fairs, and sometimes, even during campus visits.
"From Peoria to Milwaukee and even as far away as India, alumni are joining our admissions counselors to talk about their experiences at the university," Gannaway said. "Lisa has been tremendous to work with, offering opportunities that I believe will bring a new generation of Ambrosians into the university, and in a few years, into our alumni family, too."
Katie Zorn '15 welcomed the opportunity to tell students at her former high school about her great St. Ambrose experience.
"I spoke to prospective students about how, from the first time I stepped on campus, I felt welcomed and how that feeling never went away," she said. "I felt more connected as an alum and was happy to have an opportunity to give back to a place that gave me so much."
Another unique admissions-focused alumni volunteer experience was introduced last winter. When alumni from the Chicago area gathered during the Alumni Holiday Luncheon, they were invited to hand write notes to prospective students.
"Our alums have so many wonderful stories, and it was special to not only hear about them, but also watch as they shared those experiences on paper with students who are thinking about attending the university," Gannaway said.
More new and creative opportunities for alumni to support St. Ambrose are coming, thanks to an infusion of new talent on the alumni engagement staff. Becky Lorentzen and Paige Nagle '13 MOL were hired this year to fill the respective roles of volunteer coordinator and coordinator of event engagement.
They join Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Wendy Pondell '05 and Administrative Assistant Bobby Harris in assisting Gannaway's efforts to make the experiences of engaged alumni both valuable and fresh.
"There are so many ways to be part of this university today," Gannaway said. "We have an incredible Alumni Association Board and invaluable Wine Festival committee. In the past couple of years, academic and student activity programs have helped us develop alumni advisory boards that guide faculty and students in their professional and personal interests. Alumni regularly speak in our classrooms, passing on their knowledge and expertise to students on the verge of new careers.
"My hope is that we can always keep our alumni in the fold-both in the way they want to be reached and in the way they want to participate," she said.
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