Capacity & Commitment

The Iowa State University Alumni Association provides quality programs and services to fulfill its mission of engaging the talents and resources of alumni, students, and friends in the life, work, and aspiration of Iowa State.

Services and programs include print and electronic communications, events and activities, career resources, student leadership programs, and a host of member benefits. The following outlines some of the key functions of the ISU Alumni Association that support planning, provide resources, and promote connection.

Alliance for ISU: The Alliance for ISU is a nonpartisan coalition of alumni, parents, students, and other friends of the University who value higher education and want to keep public higher education strong in the state of Iowa, especially at Iowa State University. Members serve as advocates of ISU as they interact personally with their legislators and University administrators. Members of the Alliance meet occasionally with the University president and other key leaders to share their concerns and recommendations for a program of ongoing support of higher education by the state of Iowa.

Alumni Directory: The Association provides resources to its alumni members to help them connect with one another. The organization recently compiled a 125th anniversary edition of its printed Alumni Directory. The directory is also available online to members of the Association.

Career Resources: The Alumni Association provides the technological resources for online networking and organizes mentoring programs and a career fair for students and alumni.

Clubs: A 2002 market research project conducted with 1,700 alumni showed the need for increased connections through an expanded structure of alumni clubs. Research showed alumni in metropolitan areas expect a viable local club with a variety of programs and events, a strong Alumni Association presence, and frequent communication.

Today, the Association keeps alumni across the country connected to ISU through 30 ISU Alumni Association clubs. At their core, clubs carry out the vision and mission of the ISUAA. Members host events and organize activities for alumni in their areas, including Celebrate/Network Iowa State events, game watch locations, community service, student recruitment, new graduate support, and much more. Events for clubs are listed on the alumni Web site.

Communications: To meet alumni expectations for quality, frequent communication, the Association provides an award-winning quarterly magazine (VISIONS), an electronic newsletter, comprehensive Web site, and other targeted print and electronic communications.

A 2003 VISIONS magazine readership survey showed that nearly all of the alumni who responded to the survey considered VISIONS magazine to be one of their “main” sources of information about Iowa State, and over half viewed the magazine as a “very important” source compared with other sources of information, including television and newspapers. The electronic newsletter, ISU News Flash, was shown in a more recent survey conducted by the ISU Foundation to be the top source of University news among major donors. ISU News Flash, sent every other Friday to members of the Alumni Association, contains timely news and features about the University, sports, and alumni events, with feedback opportunities and links to key university Web sites.

Legacy Program: Children of alumni are a valuable pool of prospective students for the university. Available to members only, the Legacy Program engages the children of alumni from birth through high school, culminating in a daylong visitation program co-sponsored by the Office of Admissions.

Membership: Members of the ISU Alumni Association receive a variety of valuable member benefits and services, including the ISU wall calendar; VISIONS magazine and ISU News Flash; access to the online alumni directory; permanent e-mail forwarding; and discounts from local merchants and on other merchandise, hotels, car rentals, and Iowa State Center tickets. Alumni who connect to the University through membership in the Alumni Association have shown to be more engaged with the University in other ways and to give private gifts at a higher percentage.

Traditions: University traditions are an important part of connecting current students and alumni to Iowa State. Our strategic plan ensures that the Alumni Association will keep and promote these special Iowa State traditions. A brochure on Iowa State traditions has been created, as well as Web sites outlining the history of each tradition and class gift. Included in the plans for the ISU Alumni Center, to be completed in 2007, is an area to house information on University traditions and historical memorabilia.

Travel: One of the key functions of the Alumni Association is to provide educational travel tours to our alumni. More than 25 tours are scheduled each year, both international and domestic, plus opportunities for alumni who wish to travel to pre-season, special-location, and post-season sporting events.

Awards: The Alumni Association honors alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends with awards for outstanding service and academic and professional achievements. The highest awards (Distinguished Achievement and Honorary Alumna/Alumnus) are presented at the Distinguished Awards Celebration each spring, connecting outstanding alumni and friends with the university through public and private ceremonies, involving them in college activities, and providing opportunities for them to showcase their achievements. Other key awards are presented each fall during Homecoming weekend at an all-university honors and awards ceremony that includes each of the college deans, families and friends of the honorees, students, and alumni.

Events: More than 200 events are held each year for alumni, students, and friends, both on campus and across the country. Events include the annual Alumni Days reunion to engage members of the golden anniversary class and beyond, club events to connect alumni to the university and to each other in their communities, Homecoming activities to encourage alumni to return to campus and provide students with valuable learning opportunities, community visits to enhance Iowa State’s visibility in Iowa, spirit rallies during the Big 12 tournament and other athletic-related activities to help support Cyclone Athletics, and many events for students such as barbeques, leadership and training workshops, and an annual chili cook-off.

Official Ring Program: The Alumni Association and University Book Store jointly sponsor the Official Iowa State University Ring. This ring is only available to Iowa State alumni or current students who have achieved junior or senior status. Rings are presented at an annual presentation ceremony and are considered a re-emerging tradition at Iowa State.

Student Programs: Programs for students fall into two general categories: 1) opportunities for leadership and participation in the events planned by the ISU Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC), and 2) membership opportunities in the Student Alumni Association (SAA).

Students involved in SALC organize and promote Homecoming activities, SAA events and membership, Career Preview Days, “Life 490” educational seminars, an annual chili cook-off, student recruitment activities, campus tours for alumni, and senior class events. Cyclone Alley, a spirit group for men’s and women’s basketball games co-sponsored by the Department of Athletics, has grown from this group.

Members of the Student Alumni Association receive local business discounts, a SAA T-shirt, ISU wall calendar, and free and discounted admission to campus events. The ISU Alumni Association’s SAA program is the largest student alumni membership program in the nation, with more than 5,000 students participating annually.

In all that it does, the Iowa State University Alumni Association is committed to providing programs and services to satisfy the needs of its alumni, students, and friends and to fully engage them in the life and work of the university.