Graduates of the Last Decade, or GOLD, are using Oswego degrees to do great things in every corner of the country. An Oswego Alumni Association program will draw them together and keep young alumni well-connected with their collegiate home.

The GOLD initiative aims to strengthen communication, offer more events and tailor fundraising campaigns for former students who are navigating a transitional time in their lives.

The Leadership Council of about two dozen volunteers met for the first time April 26 to begin building the program. Representatives from each class year dating back to 1998 shared ideas about the GOLD mission and how leadership will help accomplish the task.

Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kerry Casey Dorsey '81 greeted the group assembled in a Campus Center meeting room. The GOLD network will establish a vital link between current students, college staff and the dozens of older alumni classes, she said.

"The alumni who went before you, the thousands and thousands alumni that we have, really set the stage for your Oswego experience," Dorsey said. "I think what I'm looking at here is really the future of the college."

In addition to engaging the college's youngest alumni, the GOLD program will eventually provide current students with a network for internships, employment and practical guidance from peers in their age group.

"I was very involved when I was in school here and this sounded like something I'd like to do," said Vanessa Vair '06, a member of the Leadership Council and GOLD Communications Committee. "I had such a wonderful time here ... and this is one way to give back."

Dan Hilton '99, a legislative assistant who traveled from the Washington, D.C., area to participate in the meeting, said popular perception suggests public colleges are completely government-funded. In truth, public higher education needs a vibrant base of support to enhance its programming and ultimately, each school's reputation, he said.

"With the expansion of government comes an increased competition for limited funding, so it is important that Oswego graduates, both young and old, realize that public institutions need our sustaining support," Hilton said. "Quite simply, improvements in SUNY Oswego equate to an increase in the value of our degrees."

The council drafted a mission statement that commits the program to boosting communication, fundraising, event attendance and volunteerism among Oswego graduates of the last 10 years. Fundraising, Communications, Event and By-Laws committees will work in their respective areas and prepare for the next face-to-face meeting of the GOLD Leadership Council this fall.

For more information on GOLD or to join a committee, contact Associate Director of Alumni Relations Michelle Tackett-Spinner '98 at 315-312-2258 or tackett@oswego.edu.

-- Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTION:
A volunteer steering committee for the Graduates of the Last Decade, or GOLD, program gathered in a Campus Center meeting room April 26. Clockwise, from front right are: Chris Thuman '06, LeAnne St. Gelais '07, Kelly Nickerson '04, Craig Little '98, Chris Hockey '02, Tim Barnhart '02, Kevin Sutherland '05 and staff member Jamie Stack Leszczynski '04.


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Oswego Alumni Association, Inc.
King Alumni Hall - SUNY Oswego - Oswego, NY 13126
315-312-2258 - 315-312-5570 (fax)
Email: alumni@oswego.edu
Web site: www.oswego.edu/alumni