ku alumni association
Business Administration, ‘99
MBA, ‘05
STRENGTHS
The KU Alumni Association exists to strengthen the
University of Kansas by informing, engaging and mobilizing
the KU community worldwide. Since 1883, the Association
has been recognized nationally by its peers as one of the
leading associations of its kind in terms of depth and breadth
of alumni programs. With more than 45,000 members, the
Association represents the “human capital” to influence
positive change for the university. For nearly 130 years, the
power of KU graduates joining together, through the KU
Alumni Association, for the common good of their alma
mater has built one of America’s great public universities.
In recent years, the Association’s communications and
programs have exploded to meet KU’s growing needs as our
university competes in today’s higher education marketplace.
We have created, coordinated and delivered more than 1,000
The Kansas City Chapter’s career workshop is one of
many events in which alumni share career advice and
expand their professional networks.
broadcast email messages annually for our organization
and more than 60 campus units, managing a 400 percent
increase in email addresses on the alumni database. We also
have more than quadrupled our outreach to host more than
500 events and programs and engage 50,000 graduates and
friends each year.
The Association’s comprehensive programs aim to
increase the value of the KU degree. By partnering with
academic disciplines and key KU centers, such as the Dole
Institute of Politics, the Hall Center for Humanities, KU
Athletics, the Spencer Museum of Art and many others, the
Association offers events tailored to varied areas of interest.
In fact, 80 percent of these activities highlight academic
programs and students.
With programs from Liberal to London, the Association
connects graduates and friends near and far to the university
they love so dearly. With more than 200,000 KU graduates,
the KU Alumni Association serves as the single most
effective organization to harness their insight and talent.
Much in the same way that 16,300 Jayhawk faithful gather in
Allen Fieldhouse and, by their actions, fundamentally change
the outcome of games, graduates and friends unite to lift KU
to greater prominence.
VISION
The KU Alumni Association seeks to be the nation’s leading
alumni association in print and online communications,
programs and events — and the impact these programs
make on KU. We will expand the Jayhawk network even
farther by developing a stronger online and mobile digital
presence, establishing new geographic alumni chapters,
opening new offices in western Kansas and outside the
state, and dramatically increasing marketing efforts to
important KU stakeholders.
An even stronger, more visible KU Alumni Association
will be an extraordinary, unified force to strengthen the
value of the KU degree — helping new graduates who walk
down the Hill and ensuring that the KU experience benefits
Jayhawk generations to come.
CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES
As a people-driven organization, the KU Alumni Association
seeks to raise unrestricted funds and permanent endowments
to fuel the growth that will result from expanded
communications, outreach and programs. These gifts will
help hire additional Association professionals in the areas of:
• student recruitment
• alumni chapter leadership
• communications, technology and marketing
• student programs
• the advancement of KU academic programs
• social and career initiatives
• support of Jayhawk athletic teams
Bringing KU to the many communities where graduates
and friends live is no simple task. The demand is naturally
extraordinary — Jayhawks love to flock together. The
challenge is to become a permanent presence in these
communities while offering diverse opportunities to engage
alumni and friends.
Communicate creatively in all media
Award-winning communications have long been a
standard at the KU Alumni Association. The opportunity
to expand these communications using online and mobile
technologies will create a highly personalized experience
with KU, whether you are a prospective student, current
student, parent or graduate. Gifts to support Association
communications and marketing represent the venture capital
to create a call to action for the greater good of KU.
Paint the state, nation and world
Crimson and Blue
Wear a Jayhawk anywhere in the world, and you are bound
to hear someone say, “Rock Chalk!” As one of the most
recognizable college mascots in the world, the Jayhawk
symbolizes our pride in KU. Harnessing that pride to do great
things for KU means expanding KU’s footprint in the higher
education marketplace. Alumni are vital advocates for KU’s
goals, and your support to expand these networks is akin to
expanding the campus to communities all over the globe.
Prepare students for life after KU
Students are the heart of KU. With more than 1,300
students who are members of the KU Alumni Association,
we seek to expand programs and services to prospective
and current KU students. There is no more powerful
Alumni reunions offer treasured opportunities for Jayhawks
to rekindle friendships and reminisce on the Hill that will
always remain home.
effect on a university than the aggressive recruitment of
accomplished students — and helpful programs during
their time on campus to ensure they are ready for the world.
Gifts in support of engaging students will result in higher
reputational rankings for KU.
IMPACT
An investment in the KU Alumni Association is the single
most powerful way to influence all of KU. As the official
keeper of alumni records and KU traditions, the Alumni
Association is poised to become the most active and effective
association of its kind.
Through their voices and actions, KU graduates have helped
recruit the best students, built facilities to advance academic
programs that serve the citizens of Kansas and the nation, and
served as advisers to KU administrators, faculty and students.
The future of the University of Kansas depends on
the KU Alumni Association’s success in engaging and
mobilizing greater numbers of loyal, informed graduates to
advance all of KU.
Everything we do strengthens KU.
Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas
seeks support to educate future leaders,
advance medicine, accelerate discovery
and drive economic growth to seize the
opportunities of the future.
Help us rise. Help us soar.
www.farabove.org
Photography: Courtesy of Alumni Association; Steve Puppe; Mark McDonald
The Student Alumni Association celebrates KU’s Sept. 12 birthday each year on Wescoe Beach. Birthday cake, balloons
and a giant card signed by students help commemorate KU’s first day of classes in 1866.