By Georgene Pilling ’04M

It is my pleasure to make a special announcement to the alumni community. I am taking on a new role here at Arcadia, moving from Director of Alumni Relations to Program Director for Alumni Relations. Having served Arcadia University for 14 years, the last 5 1/2 as Alumni Director, I am excited to make this change and take on new responsibilities that will continue to serve you and the University.

For the better part of the past 2 1/2 years, I have been working with alumni leaders to guide the University through an assessment of alumni relations with the goal of increasing alumni engagement on and off campus, locally and internationally. This goal is directly in line with the University priorities that President Oxholm has recently announced, one of which includes an increase in alumni engagement. Plans call for us to institutionalize a comprehensive campus-wide system that will support expanded efforts to engage students and connect them to their alma mater while they are here, and to engage alumni by tapping into their vast resource potential as career mentors, as providers of internships for students and jobs for graduates, and as key leaders in philanthropy and access to foundations.

In my new position as Program Director for Alumni Relations, I will have the opportunity to focus on making many of these goals a reality through a wide variety of programs and events for alumni—some that already take place such as class Reunions, Florida gatherings, and alumni travel and study—and others that will be new and exciting opportunities for growth.

The search process for the new Director of Alumni Relations has already begun and will benefit from your involvement. If you are interested in being involved in the process as a member of the search committee, please contact Alumni Association President Faye Senneca ’59 at fayesenneca@gmail.com by December 15.

As we all know, change happens, and I am counting on this one to be a good one for the University and for me! Thank you for your constant enthusiastic support and good wishes as I move into new and uncharted territories.

“Change has a bad reputation in our society. But it isn’t all bad—not by any means. In fact, change is necessary in life—to keep us moving… to keep us growing… to keep us interested. … Imagine life without change. It would be static … boring … dull.” —Dr. Dennis O’Grady