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Dear Colleague:
IIt's hard to describe the typical Saint Louis University alumnus. With our 13 schools andcolleges, our more than 80 programs of study, our 19 centers and institutes and all the diverse possibilities for student involvement, it might seem as if our more than 90,000 alumni would have very little in common.
But they do.
Our alumni may have many different majors and areas of interest, but they all share a Jesuit education that has prepared them for lives of service for others.
More than 800 alums came back to campus last month for Reunion Weekend, and I was amazed to see the different ways in which our graduates are working to make the world a better place.
Many of these women and men also continue to work to make Saint Louis University a better place. They stay connected to the University in vital ways -- and not just by coming back for Reunion Weekend or attending a Billikens game. They play a critical role in forming a new generation of SLU alums.
For example, our Alumni and Parent Ambassadors Program involves more than 500 alumni volunteers from across the country who help recruit the best and brightest students through college fairs in their areas. These dedicated alums call potential students to answer any questions that they may have, and many of them also host Summer Send-Off receptions in their homes for the entering freshmen from their area.
Many of our students are referred here by our alumni. Locally, alumni associations from Business and Administration, Parks College and Allied Health Professions call to encourage admitted students to select SLU. This year's freshmen class continues the legacy of quality education: 24 percent of our new freshmen are sons or daughters of Saint Louis University graduates.
Our alumni also help our students through career networking. Several alumni associations host yearly career networking/job search events to support those SLU students ready to enter the real world.
I'm particularly pleased that once again our alumni will participate in the SLU Make a Difference Day this month. These alums will join faculty, staff and students in the daylong community service project on Saturday, Oct. 23. There also will be alumni involved in three cities outside of St. Louis.
Our alumni do many other things for our University. They support us through annual fund donations and other gifts. These financial gifts are very important and so very much appreciated.
Wherever I go around St. Louis, and at out-of-town events, I see people wearing clothing, ball caps and jewelry that identify them as Saint Louis University alumni. I am thrilled for the publicity, but more impressed by the message. No matter where they go after graduation, a bit of their alma mater -- especially the value-based Jesuit education -- stays with them. It shows in their lives and in their work.
Just as our alumni are out working to make the world a better place, our faculty, staff and administrators (many of whom are alumni themselves) put in long hours each week working to make Saint Louis University the special place that it is.
We have a strong past, but we're going to have an even better future.
Our faculty and staff, in ways both big and small, are working every day to help make this happen.
Please know that my prayers are with you.
Lawrence Biondi, SJ
University President
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