Alumni Director News

Following a national search, Megan McGrath '06 has been appointed director of alumni relations. McGrath has served as assistant director of alumni relations since October 2006. As an Albright student, she worked as an ambassador for the Admission Office and was actively involved with the choir and Domino Players. She replaces Ted Isselmann ’01 who left in January 2008 to pursue a career in teaching.

Alumni Association Election 2008- Rock the vote!

The Alumni Association approved a slate of 15 candidates for the Alumni Association’s National Board in February. The alumni presented on the slate are representative of the Association’s ongoing commitment to diversity in class year, race, gender and program type.

Ballots for the 2008 election were mailed to all alumni at the end of March. You can vote for up to 11 of the 15 alumni comprising the slate. Officer elections are also being held at this time.

Ballots must be received by the Alumni Relations Office by April 21, 2008, to be counted in the official vote.

Results will be announced and the new board members will be welcomed at the annual Alumni Association meeting on May 9, 2008. 

Annual Alumni Association Meeting

The annual meeting of the Alumni Association will take place on Friday, May 9 at 3 p.m. in the Red and White Room of the new Schumo Center. Come back to campus to check in with the Association and Alumni Relations Office, meet the newly elected board members, and honor those members rotating off the board! Fellow alumnus Jeffrey Lentz ’85 will update the group on campus happenings from a faculty perspective.

Please contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@alb.edu or 610-921-7510 if you are able to attend. Those alumni attending the meeting are welcome to join us at the campus-wide Bluegrass Barbecue following the meeting.

Alumni Events

The Alumni Relations Office continues to provide the bulk of our programming in five identified geographic zones (New Jersey, Metro Baltimore/D.C., Metro New York City, Metro Philadelphia and Reading/Berks County) where the majority of our alumni reside. We have also partnered with alumni for successful programs in other regions.

Fifteen events with more than 700 attendees have been held this year so far. The average class year of our attendees has been 1985.

Here’s what’s happening in April and May:

April ’08

18- Reading DCP Alumni Event – Albright College

22- Life After Albright – Albright College

27- Fences Theatre Luncheon – Albright College

May ’08

9- Annual Alumni Association Meeting – Albright College

9- Bluegrass BBQ – Albright College

18- Commencement – Albright College

Keep your eye on your mailbox for the exciting summer event schedule. Highlights include two minor league baseball outings, a food tasting tour in Greenwich Village and a tour of Citizen’s Bank Park. Visit www.albright.onlinecommunity.com and click on “Event Registration” or contact the Alumni Relations Office at 610-921-7510 to register today! Register online before May 31, 2008, and you will receive a free Albright goodie!  

2,250 Alumni Strong

Along N. 13^th, our bimonthly e-newsletter, is sent to more than 2,250 registered members of our online community and allows alumni to keep their finger on the pulse of Albright happenings. If you’re not already a registered member, be sure to join our online community by visiting www.albright.onlinecommunity.com and clicking on “First Time User.”

A Word from the Dips

With new policies in place, the Lion Diplomats continue to engage a large group of regular members. The Cub Club Alumni Children Birthday program is going well. We've helped at events such as the Career Development Center’s “Careers in Business” and the Traditions Committee's Graduation & Beyond for the senior class.

All members are gearing up for a busy end of the semester. There are several events we'd like to invite you to!

April 27, noon, Albright Woods: Oozeball – an Albright tradition that combines athleticism, acrobatics, humorous team names and lots of mud! This annual volleyball competition, sponsored by the Lion Diplomats, pits student-formed teams against one another in a day-long tournament.  Now is your chance to relive the action!  The Lion Diplomats cordially invite you to join the Alumni Oozeball team. Grab a few friends or come alone – the day promises to be an exciting one!  Not interested in playing?  No problem! Come watch the fun!

May 2-3, 10 a.m.-10 a.m., FirstEnergy Stadium: The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of Reading. One of our members is organizing the Albright Team, and we'd like you to join us!

Please contact Sarah Ashley, Lion Diplomats secretary, at liondiplomats@albright.edu to sign-up or for more information on either of these events.

–Erica Rubin ’08, Lion Diplomat President

’Bright Bites

Share-A-Chair

Share-A-Chair

Albrightians on campus are seeing red!  With a little green, you could help bring another Adirondack chair to campus.  Currently, there are 84 Adirondack chairs gracing our campus lawns. With your help, we hope to have more!

Why the Adirondacks?  A Note from the President

Someone once observed that a liberal arts education is an extended conversation about things that matter to us as human beings.  Each year we welcome newcomers to join this conversation and over the four years of their residency in our learning community, we enjoy watching their conversational ability mature and deepen.  Although the primary focus for these conversations should always be in our classrooms, as a residential learning community, we are convinced that they must not be confined there.  We must do all we can to encourage the unplanned encounters that foster and advance this extended conversation beyond the classroom.  Our bright red Adirondacks are designed to do just that.  Did I mention that they are also very comfortable for reading, quiet meditation, or just allowing the mind to drift?  I hope that our Adirondacks will be a long-lasting reminder of good times, good friends, and thoughtful moments for all members of the Albright community.”

–Dr. Lex McMillan

Interested in participating?  You can make a tax-deductible donation of $150 to purchase a chair and add a bit more red to our campus. A plaque will be placed on the chair with your name, your sorority or fraternity, in memory of a loved one you would like to honor, as a graduation gift, etc. – the options are limitless. Please send payment of $150 to the President’s Office, attention Kathy Cafoncelli, or contact us at 610-921-7600.  All checks may be payable to Albright College.

Library Lessons

Library Lessons

Librarians know that the library is a place where anyone can go to dream, explore, learn and grow. We want to know how the library—any library—has helped you with your dreaming, exploring, learning, and growing at any stage in your life, from childhood to now. Do you have a favorite library memory? Send your story to Sid Dreese, sdreese@alb.edu.

Sounds of Spring

Sounds of Spring

The Mane Men of Albright College along with their director, Adlai Binger, recently performed at five venues during a tour of Pennsylvania.  The ensemble performed for more than 2,000 people in Sinking Spring, Lancaster, State College, Zelienople and Honey Brook.  Besides presenting a concert at each venue, they also sang at two worship services, a memorial service and a brunch. Works performed at each concert included popular tunes, inspirational music, folk songs, traditional American spirituals and ‘just for fun’ selections.  Dave Johnson, college relations, accompanied the group acting as tour manager, van driver, and public relations representative for Albright and the Mane Men.

Mane Men will be joining forces with the Albright Angels in a joint performance at Phoebe Berks Retirement Community in Wernersville at 7 p.m. on April 17.