As 2018 comes to a close and we reflect on the year the Alumni Association has had, we remain grateful for the tireless support, advocacy, and participation our most trusted alumni, volunteers and friends have had on this organization.

It is through your commitment to student success that we celebrate over $260,000 in scholarship support for current and incoming IU students on all 8 campuses. More than 140 students received funding from an IU Alumni Association scholarship that allow them to pursue their academic interests.

This year, our Chartered Alumni Communities activated three scholarship campaigns across the nation – setting their sights on elevating the impact of student scholarship support, and continuing the legacy of the important work of our Chartered Communities in the state of Indiana and across the nation. More importantly, the commitment our volunteers have as our most trusted ambassadors is seen through the robust activity happening in support of IU across the nation. On IU Day alone, over 2,500 alumni came together to celebrate Indiana University!

In its 3rd year, we came together as one alumni body to celebrate Indiana University on IU Day. A day dedicated to celebrating the impact IU has on our students, alumni, faculty, and friends, the IU Alumni Association participated in IU Day activities and fundraising initiatives across the nation.  The IUAA celebrated over 435 total donors on IU Day, the most of any unit or school! These efforts impacted our student scholarships, the IUAA Fund, and membership – increasing the awareness and the impact of our Alumni Association. Your work is far-reaching and impacts individuals on the most personal levels. And, this work is not just about hosting events, raising money for scholarships, and creating awareness around Indiana University – it is about connection – it is meeting our alumni where they are in life, and creating life-long friendships with one another.

We saw the power of this connection – the connection to one another – come to fruition in one of the most unique and generous gifts to the Association. The IU Alumni Association became the beneficiary of a $1.3 million bequest upon the death of Shannon Wampler Fiscus. The only stipulation? The money would be endowed for the general needs of the IU Alumni Association. Shannon’s only connection to Indiana University was through her mother, Virginia Wampler, a lifetime member of IUAA, active in the Bloomington community and the life of Indiana University. Shannon’s incredibly generous gift highlights the power of connection, and more importantly, the power of the work we do every day. While we celebrate her generosity, the real story we have to share is that the impact the Alumni Association has on individuals is far-reaching – sometimes where we least expect it – and the reason this impact is so strong is because of the work each of you do. So, thank you.

Thank you for your commitment to create connections, even where we least expect them. It is because of your work that we celebrate milestones like most participation on IU Day, scholarship support for our students across the nation, and gifts – of any size – that reflect the passion and commitment in which we serve our alumni, every day.

Interested in learning more about the IU Alumni Association’s impact? Contact me at 812.856.7501 or ndmeador@iu.edu