SNC in Your Neck of the Woods

One gathering, one night, multiple locations  across the Upper Midwest: It’s the newest way the college stays connected and engaged with its alums, and an innovative way to welcome the most recent graduating class into the alumni association. 

As the college continually strives to cast a wider net, says Todd Danen ’77 (Alumni & Parent Relations), he and his team find they are more often taking to the road.

The Welcome Class of 2012 event drew crowds of nearly 50 alumni in Chicago, Milwaukee, the Twin Cities and De Pere. This year’s Welcome Class of 2013 event will be held Sept. 5, with added locations in Madison, Neenah and Wausau. 

In several cities, gatherings will take place in venues actually owned or co-owned by alumni: Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub in Chicago is owned by Patrick O’Brien ’02, Nicky’s Lionhead Tavern in De Pere is owned by Tom Nick ’77, Leff’s Lucky Town in Milwaukee is owned by Chris Leffler ’91 and Greene’s Pour House in Neenah is owned by Mary Greene ’92. 

At least two college representatives will staff each location. John Sabo ’07 (Alumni & Parent Relations), the overall coordinator, plans to keep the community in the loop through live Tweeting. And a personal message from President Tom Kunkel will be relayed to each location.

In past years, Alumni & Parent Relations has planned an average of 20 off-campus events; in 2012 that increased to 28. This year, 33 events are scheduled, ranging from golf outings to Packer parties to Sunday Mass/brunch events to cocktail hours to baseball games – all in your neck of the woods.

Former SGA president Joe Susag ’12, who attended the Welcome event in Minneapolis, was pleasantly surprised to find there were more alumni and more alumni events in the area than he anticipated. That first night, he was able to connect with current trustee Betsy Buckley ’69. 

He says, “Meeting with Betsy was an incredible  opportunity. She encouraged me to reach higher in my search for jobs after AmeriCorps and helped me to identify and analyze some of my strengths and weaknesses.”

Molly Maher ’12 also attended the Welcome Class of 2012 gathering in Minneapolis. Having moved to Minnesota after living in Green Bay her whole life, Maher was interested in networking and reconnecting with people from home. 

“I got to see familiar faces of staff members that I had gotten to know through my dad, Tripp Maher ’80 (College Advancement), and through Knights On Broadway, as well as some of my classmates. Being in a room full of alumni was like being in a room full of my family.”