Texas State’s Alumni Association makes changes inside and out to better serve all students after graduation.
The most major change will be the association no longer requiring membership fees to be recognized as an alumnus by the association. It has also relocated its space to the LBJ Student Center, inside the new Alumni and Future Student Welcome Center.
The Alumni Association opened its doors May of this year as the Alumni and New Student Welcome Center. The association stopped charging alumni fees, so when a student graduates they are automatically part of the association with the university.
When a student becomes a Texas State alumni they are able to make connections and build relationships with the university and donate to the Alumni Priority Fund. According to the association’s website, with the new membership being free, it will be able to come out with new services and programs for alumni.
The annual membership fees were previously $50. The lifetime memberships were $2,000, or $1,000 if an alumnus was in their first year post-graduation, which could be paid off in monthly installments of one year.
The association is currently in the process of a new life membership that is separate, requiring that alumni pay a due and show their school pride as current life members do.
Assistant Alumni Director Kathryn Arnold said further changes will be added to the life membership that will be announced in upcoming months.
“We do have a life membership program that’s being unveiled in the coming months that is talked a little bit about on our website. Basically you can demonstrate your commitment to the university and your pride for Texas State just like our current life members do. It’ll have special recognition and things along with it that are currently in development, which will be announced in the coming months,” Arnold said.
According to Arnold, the roughly 30-member alumni association board came together to discuss and compare their current program with peer institutions and how they engage with their alumni. They felt the program needed tweaking; the membership fees being the biggest change.
“We worked closely with members of the university community and university advancement to consider how this worked for Texas State and how to engage with our alumni the best. It’s been a year and a half in the making now. It’s been quite the endeavor, and there’s so much still to come,” Arnold said.
Before moving to the LBJ Student Center, the Alumni Association was located in the J. C. Kellam building. LBJ Student Center Director Jack Rahmann said the move makes the association more easily seen and accessible by passing students.
“The alumni center is much better (in LBJ,) in a high traffic area where students see it. It was in (JCK,) out of sight, out of mind. If you’ve been here a few semesters you’re more likely going to know where the alumni center is just by seeing it in passing,” Rahmann said.
Ashlyn Reynolds, recent alumna, said she feels as though having no fees makes the association more inclusive and makes everyone feel welcome.
“I think the change is nice, people can still feel they are welcome even if they couldn’t afford the fees,” Reynolds said.
Further changes are being worked on for the Alumni Association and are expected to be announced in 2020.