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July 8, 2005
Marshall Alumni Association Chief Targeting Younger Graduates
by Adam Brown
Huntington News Network Writer
Huntington, WV (HNN) – When one thinks of the Marshall University Alumni Association, staunch donors sitting in ornate rooms chomping cigars and writing six–figure checks usually comes to mind. New association president Sharon Porter wants to change that perception.
"We're helping Marshall target alumni who have been out of school for 15 years or less," Porter said. "We don't see most alumni after football season. They think we just want their money and that's not true."
Porter said the alumni association is trying to increase membership in cities with schools in Conference USA.
"We're trying to increase the number of alumni clubs across the country," Porter said. "This is especially true in cities that have schools in C–USA. We're virtually unknown in Texas and we want to advertise Marshall."
She said other schools have successfully incorporated young alumni into their organizations.
"My daughter went to Wake Forest and they're one of the best in the country," Porter said. "They specifically target young alumni and tell people what they're doing. We've never done mailings but we're looking into that and we also want to do advertising on the Marshall Webpage."
Kimberly Hudson, an accountant for the alumni relations office said the association held a fundraiser at The Greenbrier in June.
"We just had a golf tournament at The Greenbrier and we're still assessing its success," Hudson said. "A lot of people don't realize the alumni association is open to friends of alumni and we have a lot of support from people who aren't alumni."
Porter said that even though it takes a while, improvements are being made.
"We're changing homecoming because the Friday night event is a flop," Porter said. "Instead we are going to do a pep rally on Buskirk field to try to get alumni on campus interacting with students."
Porter said she is excited about the new executive board.
"We're getting new alumni on the board. In the past we've been perceived as old but now we have a good mix of ages."
In addition to attracting new members and promoting Marshall, Porter said the association's main goal is focusing on raising money for the new Erickson Alumni Center.
"Our biggest goal is to get ground broken and start building the new alumni center," Porter said. "If we wait too much longer, the price is going to go up. We want to be building within the next two years."
