University of Minnesota Alumni Association : Celebrate our Successes


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Alumni Association Home > Minnesota Magazine > Past Issues > 2004 > January-February 2004	Print View

Celebrate our Successes
1/14/2004

If you're like most people, you've spent some time at the turn of the year reflecting—on your life, your family, and the world around you. We at the UMAA have been in full-on reflection mode as well. Our focus, however, has been not just on the past year, but the past 100 years.

During that span, the UMAA has raised funds and support for scholarships, facilities, and myriad campus initiatives. The UMAA has been a strong, tireless advocate for the University and has helped solidify this institution's place in the community, the state, and the world. It has helped build and maintain pride in the University, and it's been instrumental in igniting and sustaining so many lifelong relationships among those of us in the University community, both past and present.

All this and more will be celebrated at the Birthday Party of the Century. The festivities are set for January 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the McNamara Alumni Center. As I write this, the party details are still being finalized, but I'll tell you what I know at this point. Cake, for example—there will be a lot of cake. We'll have games (anyone up for pin the tail on Goldy?) and giveaways (how does a pair of tickets to a University sporting or entertainment event sound?). And, if you're not already a card-carrying UMAA member, we'll be offering historic deals on UMAA memberships.

You'll also be among the first to learn the new Gopher musical cheer, which was selected from dozens of entries in the UMAA's 100th anniversary musical cheer contest. (Did you know the "Minnesota Rouser" was composed for a similar contest in 1909?) The Gopher pep band will turn in what promises to be a rousing debut performance of the new cheer, which we hope will emerge as a maroon-and-gold rallying cry at sporting events for decades to come.

As a matter of fact, I can't think of a better way to cap off our century-ending celebration than to start a new tradition. The way I see it, the UMAA Birthday Party of the Century will be as much about where we're going as where we've been. No doubt, the UMAA has been a key contributor to the growth, success, and prosperity of the University of Minnesota. But there's so much more do be done.

The good news is that momentum is most definitely on our side. In 2002 the University of Minnesota ranked fourth among all public universities for voluntary private support. Just a few months back, the UMAA pledged its financial commitment to new scholarships and a new on-campus football stadium. And the UMAA is on track to surpass 60,000 members, who collectively will have the might to drive advocacy efforts like never before.

So let's take some time to reflect and feel good about what the association has accomplished thus far. Then let's get back to work. Let's make sure our campus gets the magnificent football stadium it deserves to reinforce a sense of community on campus. Let's continue to help nudge the University higher up the list of voluntary private support. Let's create more and stronger connections with our alumni—encourage them to join in the important work the UMAA is doing on behalf of the U. And let's continue to help build a strong, diverse, dynamic University that attracts the best and brightest students from the across state—and throughout the world.

One hundred years from now, what will our successors celebrate about the UMAA? Our future is in our hands—and the time to start building it is now.

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