Thirty-five years ago, the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Alumni Association was founded on the premise to foster and perpetuate lifelong relationships between the global alumni community to the university. Even though its name may have changed, the mission has endured - to support, enhance and promote UMGC and its community of students, faculty, staff and alumni worldwide. Take a journey back in time to see how this community of dedicated volunteers have forever made their mark on UMGC’s rich history.
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The Beginning
In 1989, Brigadier General Edward A. Parnell, USMC (ret.) ‘75, was appointed by UMUC President T. Benjamin Massey to serve as the chairperson of a steering committee to explore founding an alumni association. From there, General Parnell dedicated countless hours conducting surveys gathering feedback from members of the nearly 40,000 alumni community, at the time, to determine the needs of such an association.
After establishing the structure and foundational roadmap, the UMUC Alumni Association was established in 1990 with Barry M. Chasen ‘76 serving as the first president from 1990-1992 conducting the first recorded Alumni Association meeting. In 1991, the mission, purpose, and volunteer leadership structure were established, and a year later it was decided to adopt a lifetime no-dues membership policy for all UMUC alumni worldwide.
To help keep the global alumni community connected, a telephone hotline was created for alumni to receive information on events, volunteering, benefits, scholarship applications, donations, and membership. Additionally, the Alumni Resource Network launched connecting alumni with mentoring opportunities, and board members attended multiple student open houses to increase awareness of the association to share testimonials and to support student success. The amazing work of what the founding members accomplished in the first decade established a powerful foundation that continues to thrive today.
A Path Forward
Over the next decade, technology played a large role in setting the course for the UMUC Alumni Association. With the introduction of the internet and with the alumni community expanding globally with more than 75,000 alumni reported in 1999 and growing to 100,000 by 2004, the need for adopting and leveraging communications to stay connected with both the university and each other another was eminent.
The UMUC alumni association founded its first website in 2001 to serve as a communications tool for alumni to learn more about their benefits, resources, events, university news, mentorship and networking, and so much more. In 2005, a monthly newsletter was distributed to further help alumni engage with the information hosted on the website. With the creation of yet another communication tool – social media, in 2009 the UMUC Alumni Association Facebook, Twitter, and the LinkedIn Group were created to serve as dedicated communication channels to support the growing alumni community.
Lastly, the UMUC Alumni Association launched UMUCStart.com, a shopping mall with discounts, benefits and services. To connect alumni with their lifelong university career benefits, the UMUC Alumni Association partnered with the Office of Career Services for the first virtual Cyber Career Fair with 1,050 alumni and student attendees.
A Time for Change and Engagement
Between the years of 2012 to today, many changes occurred to include the introduction of new benefits and programs designed to engage and connect the ever-growing alumni community. Under the leadership and direction of the UMUC Alumni Association, many programs were introduced including the My Volunteer Program (MVP) in 2016, allowing alumni to sign up to volunteer through six categories from events to sharing industry expertise. In 2018, the Alumni Winter Term Scholarship launched with 150 alumni earning a $2,000 scholarship to start a master's at their alma mater, and the Alumni Discount Program launched with over 2,000 alumni accessing savings in its first year with this program growing to over 9,000 members today.
To further engage the alumni community, the alumni association hosted the first Homecoming engaging the global community through virtual livestream and in-person activities in Maryland, Europe and Asia – a tradition that has continued to grow each year connecting and engaging the entire community of alumni, students, faculty and staff worldwide each fall.
One of the most formidable changes occurred in 2019 when the university changed its name to the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), thus changing the name of the alumni association to the UMGC Alumni Association. Under the direction of the UMGC Alumni Association, the Virtual Book Club and the Alumni Student Business Directory were launched as a way for the alumni community to further connect during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Path Ahead
The first 35-year history of the UMGC Alumni Association represents a strong testament to the dedication and perseverance of the university’s global alumni community. Visit the UMGC alumni website throughout the year for opportunities to participate and join the celebrations as we pay tribute to the contributions and sacrifices of these dedicated alumni volunteers. See how they have and continue to make their mark finding new ways to connect and enhance a relationship for alumni that fosters a lifetime journey of learning.
