University of Wisconsin Madison - Badger Yearbook (Madison, WI)

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29 ALUMNI The Wisconsin Alumni Association . . . Those Who Have Gone but Have Not Forgotten IT was during or.c of the most critical periods in the history of the University, the war period, when handicapped by a leek of students without a chancellor, and suffering from neglect in a period of great popular excitement, that the Alumni Association of the Univer-sity of Wisconsin was organized on the evening of Com' ir.er.cement Day, June o6, 1861. Not much more than a “paper organization”, it was, however, significant in that it demonstrated a recognition on the part of those early graduates that they owed something to their university and desired to l e of service to it. Whether the Association at its beginning adopted a constitution and by-laws is unknown, no record of such is preserved, but in 1879 a formal constitution was adopted. It was not until within comparatively recent years, however, that a definite form of organization was created and the machinery necessary to a going concern provided. The Wisconsin Alumni Association of today is a voluntary, cooperative organization of graduates and former students of the University whose purpose is “to promote the welfare of the university and to encourage the interest of the alumni in the university and in each other.” It is a means to an end. The student who takes a genuine interest in the university and in campus affairs wishes to continue that interest after graduation. The Alumni Association is not only the medium through which this may best be done; it is also the instrumentality through which the desire to effectively serve the institution, its students and alumni will find larger opportunities. In the words of President Frank it is the medium through which a critical loyalty will be able to expose the weakness and promote the strength of the university.” Because Wisconsin is a state institution and its fortunes, therefore, closely tied with public opinion, the development of a greater “university consciousness” within the state must always be an important objective in the Association's program. With wholehearted cooperation on the part of the alumni it may I : achieved. Obviously, however, the first step in its accomplishment must be the development within the alumni body itself of a clearer conception of the present day university and the problems that face it, together with a better understanding of campus activities and conditions. One college president has stated the matter in these words: In such proportion as a university outgrows . . . the laissez-faire attitude which casts all responsibility for its support upon the state, and successfully awakens its alumni to a sense of their indebtedness and responsibility, that university is educationally maturing.” It is a function of the Alumni Association to further such interest and sense of responsibility. The Wisconsin Alumni Magazine, which is the official publication of the Association, was first published in 1899 by a committee of alumni, of which the late President Van Hise, then serving in the department of geology, was a member. The magazine is now issued monthly and goes to all members of the Association. Its major purpose is to present to former students a living record of the living realities of Wisconsin and to interpret the new and vital things that are happening on the campus. In addition, of course, it brings to alumni news of classmates and friends of college days, where they are and what they arc doing, also the activities of alumni groups throughout the world. Supplementing the magazine, the Association sends to its members from time to time various university bulletins and pamphlets which are not only interesting in themselves but also convey a clearer idea of the services the university is rendering. The production of a series of motion pictures has also been undertaken which will be available to alumni and through them to other interested groups. In addition to its work with alumni and in the field of university-alumni relations, the Association seeks to be of service to the student body. It cooperates in various ways with student organizations in promoting their activities, gives financial aid to student projects, makes suitable awards to students who achieve scholastic honors, and during the past year created a student loan fund of $10,000. It is significant that practically the entire amount of this fund was subscribed by the Association and its members, although every alumnus had an opportunity to contribute. The Alumni Association is recognized by the university as the official medium of contact between the university and its former students. The affairs of Commencement as they relate to alumni are arranged by the Association cooperating with representatives of the graduating class and the faculty. Class reunion programs are formulated and carried out with the cooperation of the Association, and its facilities are at the disposal of those in charge of such reunions. The result is a reduction in expenses to a minimum, the conservation of class reunion funds, and a correlation of the various class activities with the general program of Alumni Day. In order to better secure alumni opinion in university

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30 affairs, the Baird of Regents has authorized the Association to select four members to serve on the Baird of Visitors and two on the Athletic Baird. Many important changes and adjustments in administrative functions and courses of study have had their inception in the recommendations and reports of these bodies. The basic plan of the present advisory system and freshman oriental tion, for example, was advocated by the Visitors and later adopted and developed. At the present time the president of this board is one of the alumni appointees. The Association is supported entirely by annual dues and life memberships. The funds derived from life memberships are held intact in a special fund and only the earnings are used. Another fund known as the Association Investment Fund is made up from surpluses and gifts. The monies in these funds are invested by a special committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors, in securities legal for trust funds in Wisconsin. The governing body of the Association consists of twenty directors elected at large for a term of two years. The officers consist of a president, vice-president, and treasurer, none of which, with the exception of the treasurer, may succeed themselves in office more than once. They serve for a term of one year. In concluding this brief sketch of the Alumni Association, it should be pointed out that its possibilities for service to the university, to its student body, and to the alumni themselves are limited only by the support and cooperation it receives from Wisconsin men and women. Their active interest will make for a better and more useful university, lessen the opportunities for unfair and damaging criticism,and create greater opportunities for future student generations. Particularly dees the association desire the participation of the recent graduates. Their experiences in their chosen fields of endeavor should enable them to offer constructive suggestions concerning the foundation work offered by the university in preparation for a career in such fields. Also their ideas as to how student life may be made richer, more enjoyable, and more profitable should be valuable in meeting that problem. Students who enter our great privately endowed universities arc made to feel from the beginning that they are stockholders in those institutions. As alumni they are called upon frequently for various types of service, and the record shows that they respond generously. Why should not the alumni of a state university serve their university and each other in much the same way? The situation may be summed up in the words of the president of a prominent eastern college who said recently, “. . . the fact remains at the present time that it seems apparent . . . that a college desires to be of maximum influence; and that a college cannot be of maximum influence except with the support of its alumni, and consequently that a college needs and must have the support of its alumni if it is to be truly great.” H. Ecstad General Secretary Alumni Files