By SAVANNAH TILLMAN, Feature Editor
The Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association changed up two areas within its program, effecting membership and fees.
The re-structuring of the alumni program now corresponds with the needs of Northwestern.
All students, attending Northwestern, are now part of the alumni association and the lifetime membership fees are now considered donations.
Director of Alumni Relations, John Allen, believes this initiative will support the goals of graduates to stay connected to Northwestern. “Lifetime memberships are being considered donations, and are providing many of the alumni association benefits to our students while they are at Northwestern,” Allen said. “We know how important it is for our office to connect with the students while they are here on campuses, and we want to keep that connection through their academic journey and beyond commencement.”
The membership fees are being donated to RISE (Rangers Investing in Students and Education) scholarship endowment or they will be donated to an organization of members the choice. The membership cost for a single lifetime membership is $300 and a family lifetime membership cost is $400.
Also, the Northwestern Alumni Association provides a free monthly e-newsletter, Annual Report, roundUp and Northwestern’s annual alumni magazine to alumni, to help them stay connected and know what is going on, at Northwestern. “Alumni are often champions for higher education and they are valuable recruiters for our school,” Allen said. “When there’s an opportunity to help with student’s education, the alumni step forward and give.”
By changing the lifetime membership fees to donations and scholarships, the association is furthering to reinforce the goal to increase the number of student support recipients from five out of nine, to seven out of 10. “This is a new chapter in the Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association, one that we see better serving our alumni and our students,” Allen said.
For more information about becoming a member of the Northwestern Alumni Association, visit my.nwfoundation.com/membership or call John Allen at (580) 327-8594.