westfieldalumni.org

S u m m e r 2 0 1 1Update

The Official Newsletter from the Office of Alumni Relations

President’s Letter 1

Elections 2

Updates 3

Travel 4In This Update…

From the Desk of Evan DobelleIt is hard to believe that almost three months have passed since members of the Class of 2011 strode across the stage on the university green to receive their diplomas and join the ranks of the more than 33,000 alumni worldwide. It was a great day – our 172nd Commencement and our first as Westfield State University. Historic!

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony is always the introduction of the newest Golden Owls – those wonderful men and women who graduated from Westfield 50 years ago and longer. They always get a rousing round of applause from the audience and this year was no exception. As the audience showed their appreciation for them, I got to thinking of how meaningful their Westfield experience must have been for them to return to campus a half a century later. One Golden Owl even came from California to be with her fellow classmates!

Their presence on campus is a true testament to Westfield and its legacy – a legacy that is reflected in alumni everywhere who serve their families and communities and who know how much their alma mater has contributed directly to the richness of their lives and tangentially to the lives of others. Whether we celebrate together at Commencement or alone in our memories, the Westfield experience is certainly special.

How wonderful that our active Alumni Association offers many ways to stay connected. Consider becoming an Alumni Council member, volunteer, or stu-dent mentor, travel the world with Westfield’s popular travel series (Ireland this October and Spain next spring) and/or return for Homecoming on October 29.

Like the Golden Owls, please come back to Westfield often and keep in touch through Facebook, Twitter and the alumni website – westfieldalumni.org. Meanwhile have a healthy and happy summer.

Sincerely,

Evan S. Dobelle

Letter from Ryan O’Connell ’07

As I begin to transi-tion from President to Past President, I am reminded of how far we have come in the

past two years. I am proud to serve as the President of a strong, committed council that truly represents each of you. In late July, 28 alumni, staff and council members met to plan our stra-tegic priorities for the upcoming year.

Our focus is on VISION, OUT-REACH and FUNDRAISING. Vision will look at our alumni branding, marketing and recruitment of council members and volunteers. Outreach will evaluate homecoming, reunion weekend, publications and times where we reconnect with alumni to increase this contact in a meaningful way. Finally, Fundraising will focus on raising funds for the Association to create more opportunities for alumni to reconnect and to establish collabo-ration between the University and our constituents to increase scholar-ship aid for our current students. We believe this plan will bring us forward dramatically over the next year.

I look forward to seeing many of you back on campus on Satur-day, October 29 for Homecoming, 2011. This year’s Pre-Homecoming tailgate party, run by your Associa-tion, should bring a new tradition to the campus.

Sincerely,Ryan O’Connell ’07President, Alumni Association

Golden Owl Procession 2011

Upcoming EventsPlease visit www.westfieldalumni.org to learn more, or contact Kathi Bradford at

kradford@wsc.ma.edu

ElectionsTrustee Elections: Ready to make a bigger commitment to Westfield State? It is time to elect the Alumni Trustee for the University Board of Trustees. The trustee represents the interests of 33,000 alumni while also serving as a liaison between the council, the university and the board. This position requires approval by the Governor of the Commonwealth of MA and is slated to begin in March, 2012. Elections will be held according to the council schedule detailed below. Interested? Please contact Kathi Bradford at kbradford@wsc.ma.edu

Council Elections: Annually, we elect your classmates to serve on the West-field State Alumni Association Executive Council. This year we expect to have 4-5 positions that need to be filled. The Council meets 5-6 times a year to assist with the continued work done to increase communication and outreach, create opportunities to bring alumni together and to discuss ideas and issues that relate to our alumni as a group. This is an opportunity to work with alumni from across the decades to represent the worldwide group of 33,000 WSU alumni.

ELECTION TIMELINE 2011August 22–September 7: Call for Nominations

September 9–19: Ballot collection (Ballots will be sent to your home on or around September 1, 2011)

September 20–27: On line run-off election, if necessary

October 3: Announcement of the newly elected council members and the 2 top elected Trustees for consideration by the Governor. Please contact Kathi directly for the ap-plication form at kbradford@wsc.ma.edu.

Class of 2006 REUNION Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 1 at McGreevy’s on Boylston in Boston for your 5th year reunion! Information can be found at www.westfieldalumni.org/2006. Advance registration is $10 per class member, $15 for all others. Questions? Please contact the office at 413-572-8356.

Search: Westfield State Alumni

westfieldalumni.org

Updates from Alumni RelationsGroup Travel: After our very successful trip to Sorrento and Rome, and our upcoming travel to Ireland in the fall, we are excited to announce our April Break “Costa del Sol” trip to Spain. We will also host a Boston to Bermuda cruise from May 25–June 1. For future planning, watch the website for infor-mation! If you are interested in more immediate information, contact Kathi at kbradford@westfield.ma.edu. Hope you join us!

Alumni Store: Our alumni store will be offering a $40 CREW NECK style sweatshirt this fall along with our cur-rent hoodies and folding chairs. All items include a small donation to the alumni association. Support your as-sociation, dress to impress and spread the Westfield State name as you travel,

attend sporting events or host in your home. For more information, contact Dave at dlarocque@westfield.ma.edu

Reunion weekend 2012: Close to 200 al-ums returned to Westfield State at the end of June to reconnect, rejuvenate and get reacquainted with our beautiful campus. The Classes of 1961, 1971 and 1986 along with Musical Theatre Guild spent a fun weekend back in the residence halls. If this sounds like fun to you...and you are a member of a celebrating class (those ending in 2 and 7) or a past track/cross country athlete or a past Group/Orientation Leader or RA, we would love to have you back on June 23-24, 2012. Mark your calendars now. If you want to be part of the planning group for a particular group, please contact Kathi at kbradford@westfield.ma.edu

The last blast of Summer? On August 25, 2011, we will be heading out to the Berkshires for the Pittsfield Colonials game. The economical fee of $12 cov-ers dinner (hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, popcorn, soda and lemonade) and your ticket to the game. Local hometown heroes coupled with alumni performers and more will make this a special night for all. To purchase tickets, go to the alumni website at westfieldalumni.org/colonials. Hope to see you there!

Looking for an answer to a question? Have a new idea? Want to share some exciting news? Need to update your information? Contact our office at (413) 572-8356 for assistance.

Homecoming 2011 Come on back “home” to Westfield State on Saturday, October 29th for our annual Homecoming event! Watch as our Owls football team takes on Mass Maritime with a 2:00 pm kickoff. We are thrilled to offer FREE admission to Homecoming this year, and we hope many of our alumni will join us! Visit westfieldalumni.org/homecoming for more details and to register.

Class of 1991 REUNION Plans are in the works for members of the Class of 1991 to gather after Homecoming in downtown Westfield. Watch for more information on the Alumni website at www.westfieldalumni.org in the fall.

Stay Connected! Log on to our alumni website at

172nd Commencement

Alumni RelationsP.O. Box 1630Westfield, MA 01086

Costa del Sol trip to spain

April, 2012

2012 Boston to Bermuda Cruise

May 25 – June 1, 2012

Share that Once in a Lifetime Travel Experience with Westfield State University!

Valid Passport required for all tripswestfieldalumni.org/travel