ALUMNI CONNECTION
photo by Jeff Clarke
Building a bigger, better Reunion
Classes that return to UVM in late May for Reunion 2008—that would be you 2003, 1998, 1993, 1988, 1983, 1978, 1973, 1968, 1958, 1953, 1948, 1943, 1938, and all of the Green & Gold folks—are in for a weekend that, even in the early planning stages, promises to rise to a new level. This year’s Reunion classes have past Reunion classes to thank for that. Eileen Dudley, coordinator of Reunion planning in Alumni & Parent Programs, says surveying alumni who attended past Reunions—and those who opted to stay home—played a key role in shaping what Reunion 2008 will be.
Planning an event for a guest list that ranges in age from twenty-seven to ninety-two has its challenges. Consider that many alumni bring their children along for the weekend, and that age range spans nearly a century. One improvement alums suggested was creating more events and services that cater to different age groups—those who are in the thick of parenthood, for instance.
Hence, the creation of Catamount Kids Camp for Reunion 2008. Dudley is working with UVM staff who plan the University’s usual array of summer camps to create a program for alumni offspring ages four to thirteen. Dudley says the camp, which will give kids the chance to use a wide range of UVM’s educational and recreational facilities, will be very low cost. Childcare options for younger children are in the works, as well.
Past Reunions have indicated that lots of senior alumni rise early, eager for activity or, in some cases, just a cup of coffee and a muffin. Expect sunrise walks, yoga classes, and other activities for the early birds next spring.
After a successful start to offering on-campus residential options for Reunion visitors last year, Dudley says efforts will be stepped up to make a return to dorm life more comfortable, more affordable, and more fun. This will mean special rates for families, a Catamount concierge service of sorts to provide anything from a reading lamp to the soap you forgot, and era-appropriate decorating on the floors where visitors are grouped by class. (Class of 1978, you can almost see the Farrah Fawcett posters now.) The entire new University Heights South complex will be devoted to Reunion guests, and, yes, it’s air-conditioned.
If the old University Heights with its funky ranch houses felt like an outpost in your day, that’s no longer the case. It’s now the site of two beautiful new residential complexes, and the just-opened Davis Student Center is about a three-minute walk away.
So, Reunion classes, your excuses are dwindling. Get on the phone, call your friends, and make plans now to be back in Burlington in seven months. Keep an eye on alumni.uvm.edu for Reunion class web pages, which will be up shortly. They’ll let you know the events being planned and, most importantly, the names of those who are planning a Reunion return.
photo by Sally McCay
Advocate for education
Marcus Diamond, new vice president for development and alumni relations, joined the University in early September. A higher education fundraising veteran with more than thirty years experience in the field, Diamond comes to UVM from Bryn Mawr College, where he oversaw development and public affairs. The Bronx native returns to the northeast after a career that has included advancement work for Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago, and Indiana University. His wife, Nancy Diamond, a scholar of higher education, also joins the University on the faculty of the College of Education and Social Services. Diamond jokes that with “two kayaks, two bikes, two Subarus, and a golden retriever—we were made to be here.” VQ sat down with the new VP just one week into his job.
On the attractions of UVM:
“This is a chance to continue working for an institution with an important and powerful mission that goes beyond the classroom and faculty research. UVM’s place in the state is distinctive. Indiana University may be the state’s flagship, but Purdue also makes some claims to that crown, and IU’s economic impact on Indiana doesn’t begin to be what UVM’s is and can be on the state of Vermont. Also, I was attracted by the current momentum and excitement. This is a moment of great opportunity for UVM in which DAR has to play a large part if we’re going to be successful.”
On a shift during his graduate school years from pursuing an academic career to fundraising work:
“I discovered that what I really loved was the university. I loved being part of it; I loved its values; I loved everything that went on, all the things you can imagine happening. And I found that I was good at being an advocate. I could talk straight about the university, and could translate my understanding and excitement into persuasive proposals. Quite simply, I enjoyed it. At some point, I confronted and accepted the fact that I wasn't going to finish the dissertation that I hadn't even started.”
On inspiring support:
“Anyone who is generous is going to have all kinds of options for where to place their support. Make one gift today of five dollars to any organization and they’ll be in constant contact. So, UVM is competing on its own terms and against all these other very worthy and increasingly aggressive charities. How do we get people to understand that when you support UVM you’re not only supporting the classroom, but you’re supporting research and action that may be in line with other things you support, from child welfare to the arts to human rights to drought relief and so on? We have to make UVM’s contributions real and compelling. That’s why when we consider the impact of philanthropy, the story you remember is not about the dollars but about what those dollars allow our students and faculty to do.”
The Chairman's rules
It’s not everyday that you see a graduate of Harvard Law and chair of a university’s board of trustees wearing a beanie. But when Carl Lisman ’67, chair of UVM’s board, stepped to the podium at Convocation 2007, he popped on his old freshman beanie as a reminder to the Class of 2011 that he knows from experience what it is to be a first-year student at UVM. First, he warned the students to avoid the fundamental mistake of his freshman year—thinking he knew it all. “I was cool beyond belief,” Lisman said. “Too cool to take it in. Too cool to be surprised. Too cool to notice, let alone stop and smell the roses.”
In addition to avoiding the perils of cool, Lisman offered up his Ten Rules for Being a UVM Freshman.
10. Go to class.
9. Get to know your professors.
8. Get to know your classmates.
7. Explore the campus.
6. Get involved as a volunteer.
5. Study.
4. Think.
3. Make good choices.
2. Appreciate what your parents and others have done to get you here.
1. Enjoy your time at the University of the Green Mountains.
Artful activism
Artist David Jamieson, among the founders of UVM’s Black Student Union, was a key figure during the University’s student diversity protests of the late eighties and early nineties. When students occupied the President’s Wing of the Waterman Building in 1991, Jamieson’s drawings captured the events and individuals of that critical passage in UVM history. One of Jamieson’s works from that era, “Self Portrait at the University of Black Vermont,” is currently on display in the Davis Center’s atrium. The exhibition revisits a milestone era for Vermont and honors the work of one of the most notable artists to study at the University. Jamieson, who entered UVM as a non-traditional student, died in 1992 at age twenty-nine before completing his degree. “He drew rhythmically and very clear…lyrical,” says Professor Emeritus Ed Owre of the Art Department.
(for UVM staff)