Office Policy on Helping University Departments with 
Alumni Interaction

Alumni Relations supports and encourages the interaction of all University departments with the alumni of the University.  More and more departments are calling on their alumni for support with political, financial or advisory resources.  If a relationship has not been established with these alumni, they are often reluctant to assist. 

Although alumni involvement is often one additional responsibility for the department, it is one of the most rewarding.  This is the opportunity for the faculty and staff who have helped to develop and educate the students, to see the fruition of their labors in the successes of these former students.

There are several ways we try to assist with this process. They include: 

1)      Maintaining address, phone, fax and e-mail on all University alumni.  Printouts and labels of alumni are available through the Alumni Office for approved University related communication.  

2)      Consulting on alumni events, programs, and involvement for the department or office.  We will gladly give you ideas, advise and support for any project or program you are undertaking with your alumni. 

3)      Newsletters to department/program/college alumni.  The alumni publication, The Pride, is published and mailed to all University alumni four times per year.  However, this does not provide the depth of information that a departmental newsletter offers.  We will help with procuring a mailing list and, if money is available, will pay for postage for the mailing (one time per year).  If we pay for the postage, we do expect to be cited in the newsletter with the statement “This newsletter was available due to financial support of Alumni Records and Services,” which should appear on the front or back of the publication.  Since donations and dues from the alumni are used in this manner, it helps the alumni to know where their money is going. 

4)      Alumni receptions at Association meetings are great ways to celebrate a department’s alumni.  For example, the music department usually hosts an alumni reception at the Texas Music Educators Association annual gathering.  We will help by providing funds for either a room or food (up to $100, if money is available) to support this program (one time per year).  This money cannot be spent on alcohol and should be requested at least four weeks prior to the convention or meeting.  Usually we can provide nametags, a door prize and other goodie items, if available.  Any unused items should be returned to the Alumni Office. 

5)      Homecoming receptions are a good way to bring alumni back to campus and to update the alumni on the department activities.  We can provide publicity through the Homecoming calendar and The Pride.  On Homecoming day, we will provide nametags and a door prize or goodie item (usually a Homecoming button), if available.  A mailing in the early fall is sent to each department requesting that these receptions be scheduled by the deadline. 

6)      An honored group or department is highlighted at Homecoming each year.  If you have a student group or department you would like to have highlighted, please contact the alumni office about a year in advance.  We will spend the year helping you clean up your database and informing your alumni of the event through The Pride and our alumni website.  You may wish to do some direct mailings in order the alumni to hold-the-date and to make final reservations with a form.  On the day of Homecoming you might choose to hold a reception, attend the Homecoming luncheon (where your group would have reserved seats and be honored during the program), and go to the football or other sports game.  We can assist you with ideas, nametags, door prizes and goodies (when available). 

7)      Alumni Ambassador Forum is held each year on the first Thursday in April.  On that day, each academic department is allowed to honor an Ambassador.  This is the highest honor a department can bestow upon an alumnus.  Information on this program is sent to each academic department sometime between November and January.  It is beneficial for the department to be thinking of whom it wishes to honor before this time, so that any necessary arrangements can be made.  This program provides an easy, low cost way for the departments to interact with alumni.  The Alumni Office takes care of most of the arrangements, mailings, awards and luncheon preparations.  The department must identify an Ambassador, call that person to see if they are willing, make arrangements with the department for lectures or meetings with the Ambassador while he/she is here, and provide a host for the Ambassador.  

8)      Departmental Chapters are another avenue for interacting with your alumni.  If your department is interested in forming or reorganizing a chapter, the Alumni Office staff will help you make a plan of action.  We have a chapter handbook that provides ideas, forms, etc. for this purpose. 

Please do not hesitate to call on the Alumni Office to run an idea past or to ask if we can help.  We will gladly help in any way we can.  We need our alumni to increase the value of an A&M-Commerce degree and to promote our University in ways that employees cannot.