Mission
The University of Connecticut Alumni Association strengthens lifelong bonds between all members of the UConn family by inspiring pride and providing quality programs and services which enhance the diverse university community.
Approved by The University of Connecticut Alumni Association Board of Directors, September 15, 1999
Alumni Presidents and Secretaries
History
1888
On June 15, 1888, a meeting was held at the Storrs Agricultural School for the purpose of forming an Alumni Association. Isacc B. Wakeman, Class of 1885, was elected as the first president. Dues for the new association were set at $1.
1890s
The Constitution and Bylaws of 1888 were put into print in 1892.
On June 15, 1894, Association members voted to change the Association name to the Alumni Association of the Storrs Agricultural School and College. The name was changed once again in 1895 to the Alumni Association of Storrs Agricultural College.
The Association appointed a committee to encourage the appointment of an alumnus on the Board of Trustees. At the Annual Meeting in 1895, Dr. Andrew L. Hyde was appointed as the first Alumni Trustee.
1920s
In 1921, the Association voted for its first Alumni Secretary, A.J. Brundage, Class of 1910, who served until 1922. Robert H. Mathewson, who developed an alumni newspaper, The Connecticut Alumnus, served as Secretary from 1922 to 1924. During the early ’20s, the ByLaws were re-written, and dues increased to $2 annually, or $34 for life membership.
1930s
In 1933, the Association became the Connecticut State College Alumni Association, and, in 1939, the University of Connecticut Alumni Association.
1960s
The Constitution and Bylaws were revised in 1961, and dues increased to $5. By 1962, the alumni body numbered 24,000 when Reuben B. Johnson became the first director of alumni relations. Also in 1962, University President Jorgensen retired, and Homer Babbidge was inaugurated as President on Homecoming Day.
The first alumni tour was scheduled for the fall of 1965, with Donald Jacobs serving as tour chairperson.
President Babbidge, in a letter to Alumni President Carl Nielsen, proposed the creation of the University of Connecticut Foundation and suggested that the Alumni Association earmark $5,000 toward the establishment of a Foundation.
1970s
The Alumni Association continued to increase its fund-raising and, in 1971-72, passed the $100,000 mark for the first time. Also, the insurance program paid a first-time major dividend of $18,389. The Board allocated the funds to ongoing programs such as the choir, faculty awards, public service interns, lecturers, fine arts, president’s contingency, representation allowances, and a new basketball floor.
The Board of Directors announced a new Honorary Alumnus Award in the spring of 1972 and named former University President Albert Jorgensen as the first recipient. With the retirement of President Homer Babbidge, the Board of Directors honored Babbidge by naming him the second Honorary Alumnus.
With 50,000 alumni on the records, great progress was made in expanding programs and developing new areas of activity under the leadership of Alumni Presidents Joseph Crisco, Elizabeth Bradlau and Julio Leandri, the Association’s Board of Directors and its network of committees. Major gift clubs were expanded, alumni career days instituted, the travel and insurance programs developed into the largest in the United States, phonathons were instituted, and the Investment Committee and other new alumni committees were added.
1980s
Louis Mooradian and George Whitham provided the leadership in the development of a full Governmental Awareness Network and plans for the construction of an Alumni House.
During 1988, our 100th year, Alumni Presidents continued to build upon the successful programs developed during the life of the Association. They launched the Association’s 100th Birthday Party, and initiated three new services and programs to commemorate this important milestone: ground breaking for the Centennial Alumni House, the Credit Card Program and Life Membership into the Alumni Association.\
1990s
In 1994, the Alumni Association increased participation in regional and chapter activities, the Credit Card Program expanded to 14,000 card holders, and a grassroots lobbying effort in support of UConn 2000 was implemented. UConn 2000 was a $1 billion-dollar plan to renovate, repair and enhance the University over a 10-year period.
During Kenneth Parzych and Andrea Dennis-LaVigne’s presidencies and under Bill Colburn’s leadership, the Alumni Association initiated a number of significant programs and services for alumni:
- Alumni education programming was recreated;
- The Alumni Admissions Program expanded, involving alumni recruiting the best and brightest students to the University;
- A more unified Alumni Society Constituency program was created, providing alumni the opportunity to participate in School and College programming;
- The number of out-of-state Alumni Clubs – offering alumni around the country an opportunity to reconnect with UConn within their geographic area – increased;
- An Alumni Directory and CD-ROM were published;
- The Alumni Travel program was re-engineered;
- A Women’s Leadership Council was created to provide a systematic networking and mentoring program for current female students and alumnae;
- A liaison position was established within the Association to communicate with the Cultural Centers on campus;
- An alumni web page was created; and
- Alumni were provided with easier access to the Alumni Association with the addition of a toll-free telephone line and a credit card payment option.
Under the guidance of Bryan K. Pollard, Association President from 1999-2000, the Association also developed its first strategic plan, called UConntinuity. Programs were enhanced, membership grew and the extension of outreach to affinity groups helped engage more alumni than ever before.
2000s
Timothy J. Riordan became the first President of the new millennium. It was during his term that the foundation was laid – literally – for a new addition to the Alumni House.
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