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Lehighlights: Alumni Club News

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Director
Volunteer Survey Highlights
Save the Date
Alumni Event Spotlight

We’re Growing!
Alumni Career Solutions
Alumni Clubs Spotlights
Alumni Volunteer Spotlights

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Fall Greetings
from Lehigh University!

We've had another beautiful fall season here on South Mountain! As you may know, it's been a fantastic summer schedule filled with successful events, showcasing true Lehigh spirit. The months of July and August featured 26 Incoming Student Sendoffs with more than 900 members of Lehigh’s family joining in one of our greatest first-year traditions.

The summer months also brought us a new staff member. We are thrilled to introduce Ann Coy, our new Assistant Director of Alumni Clubs and Affinity Groups. Ann brings a great deal to our program, and she looks forward to interacting with Lehigh’s spirited alumni base in support of our outreach programs.

As the weather turned a little cooler in September, Lehigh alumni returned to campus for Alumni Weekend and other activities. Many of you hit the road this October to watch Lehigh’s exciting sports teams take on their competitors in events like the Head of the Charles Regatta and Lehigh vs. Harvard in Boston. The Lehigh/Lafayette Worldwide Telecast Party promises to be as big and as exciting as ever, bringing fans together in more than 65 locations to watch the 144th meeting of college football’s most played rivalry.

Last but not least, our sincerest thanks go out to those of you who responded to our Club Volunteer Survey. We’ve heard what you had to say, and we’re hard at work making sure that 2009 is our most exciting year to date, featuring web seminars, exciting new events, and more extensive support from your Alumni Clubs staff.

Warmest wishes,

Jill Anderson ’91
Director, Outreach and Traditional Programs

Volunteer Survey Highlights

You Spoke, We Listened!

Last semester, we sent out a survey to our club volunteers asking for feedback on how to improve our Alumni Clubs program. We received valuable information from many talented and dedicated alumni, who had a lot to say about their club events. Here are some of the responses that we received.

In your experience, what makes an event successful?

“I believe a club event is successful if all the attendees enjoy themselves, meet new people, and connect with familiar faces. Attending Lehigh, no matter what year you graduated, instantly bonds you to each other ... and you can feel it."

What are the difficult aspects of planning an event?

“Finding volunteers to plan the events. As a board, we try to set up the event schedule six to nine months out, but find that only board members are organizing/planning those events. It would be helpful if we had some other active alumni volunteer to organize, coordinate and plan events.”

How can we help you?

“I attended one club volunteer weekend several years ago. I felt it was helpful to be able to share experiences/issues with other clubs. It was helpful to be able to see what their experiences/frustrations are and how they deal with them.”


As mentioned in the Letter from the Director, we look forward to providing new web seminars on how to effectively organize a Lehigh Alumni Club, using the expertise of volunteers like you.

 

SAVE THE DATE

Mark Your Calendars!


-11/21: Lehigh vs. Michigan Wrestling Match and Social
-11/22: Lehigh at Lafayette, Lehigh/Lafayette Telecasts
-11/23: Lehigh vs. Princeton Wrestling Match
-12/5, 12/6: LU Philharmonic: On The Banks of the Danube
-12/7: LU Choral Arts: Christmas Vespers at Packer Chapel

SPOTLIGHTS

Alumni Events Spotlight

- Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions, The Raymond F. Kravitz Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Lehigh University’s very own music and dance commissions headed south to West Palm Beach for a performance Oct. 12 of the acclaimed ballet Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions. This collaborative work of art featured the talents of many of Lehigh’s finest creative minds, including music Professor Steven Sametz, theatre Associate Professor Drew Francis, and Zoellner Program Director Deborah Sacarakis.

-Annual Board Membership Dinner, Signature of Solon, Cleveland, Ohio

The Lehigh Club of Northern Ohio enjoyed a hugely successful membership dinner in September, adding seven new members to their board of directors.

New Lehigh Club of Northern Ohio Board Members
New Northern Ohio board members: Pam Beck ’91, Lance Bell ’79, Tom Blank ’06, Jim Eichorn ’65, Chuck Frankel ’62, Kristin Timpone ’93, and Brian Hamp ’85

-The Head of the Charles Regatta and Lehigh vs. Harvard Football Game, Boston, Mass.

The Lehigh Crew and Football teams headed up to Boston this October to compete just minutes from one another. The Head of the Charles Reunion Village was packed with more than 200 alumni, students, and families gathering to cheer on the Lehigh crew teams as they rowed in one of the nation’s most famous regattas. Later in the day, Harvard Stadium saw a gridiron showdown between Lehigh and Harvard.

Head of the Charles Reunion Village

Head of the Charles Reunion Village: The Lehigh Tent

 


We’re Growing!

In the past few years, the number of affinity organizations has really taken off! The Wall Street Council has stepped onto the scene in a big way, and our second annual Financial Services Forum on Oct. 25 saw a turnout of almost 200 students. The Forum gave students a great chance to network with alumni who have made their careers on Wall Street.

Wall Street Council Financial Services Forum presenters The panel of presenters for the Wall Street Council Financial Services Forum.


We had more than 20 alumni groups meet on this year’s Alumni Day in a pregame tailgate under the Big Top tent. It was an exciting way for Lehigh alumni to reconnect and to remember their alma mater.

 

Alumni Career Solutions

Alumni Career Solutions is a valuable resource that helps Lehigh alumni find jobs and to develop their careers and professional network. The Career Solutions Website features tools like Experience Alumni, a new job posting system designed to create interaction between Lehigh alumni and employers seeking advance-level candidates. Experience Alumni is a great platform for resumes, career portfolios, job postings, and networking.

 

Alumni Clubs Spotlights


- Alumni Club Spotlight: The Lehigh Club of Washington, D.C.

The Lehigh Club of Washington, D.C., has been very active this year, planning lots of events to appeal to the wide Lehigh alumni base in the D.C. metro area. President Alix Echelmeyer ’04 stepped into her role in 2007, having formerly served as the Club’s social events coordinator. She attributes the Club’s recent successes to the dedication and caring of its board members. They have been instrumental in planning events like a boat cruise on the Potomac River, held in July, and the Club’s third annual trip to the Virginia Gold Cup horse races.

The Club is looking forward to many events in November, including the Lehigh/Lafayette telecast, which promises to be a great time. This year’s D.C. telecast will be held at the Grand Slam Sports Bar at the Grand Hyatt, 10th and H streets.

The Lehigh Club of Washington, D.C., is unique, Echelmeyer says, because the town is always seeing new faces. “It’s a government town,” she says. “Everyone seems to be involved in some way.” A big thank you goes out to the members of the Lehigh Club of Washington, D.C., for all of their time and effort on behalf of Lehigh!

- Alumni Club Spotlight: The Lehigh Club of the Susquehanna Valley

The Lehigh Club of the Susquehanna Valley has joined together the areas of Central Pennsylvania, York and Hershey for great events held in the Lehigh spirit. Co-presidents Randy Blasdell ’82, Ross Santangelo ’84 and Susan Kotek Sprague ’86 have collaborated to maintain traditional events and create new ones.

This year’s Incoming Student Sendoff was held in the home of gracious Lehigh alumnus Glen Sponaugle ’84. The event featured a crowd of more than 20 alumni, friends and family, who gathered to welcome the newest Lehigh students from the Susquehanna region. The Club also organized a popular outing to watch the York Revolution, the local minor league baseball team.

President Randy Blasdell looks forward to this year’s telecast party, held at The Brickyard in Lancaster on the day of the big game, Nov. 22. He notes the dedication of the Club’s many volunteers and board members, who have donated years of extraordinary service on behalf of Lehigh. Many thanks to the Lehigh Club of the Susquehanna Valley for their time and energy!

 

Alumni Volunteer Spotlights


Alumni Volunteer Spotlight: Howard Dingle ’04

Howard Dingle ’04 graduated from Lehigh with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a minor in political science. During his time on South Mountain, Howie was very involved on campus. He won both the Spiegel Merit Award and the Contribution to Student Life Award in 2004, served as treasurer of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, and was an appointed Peer Mentor from 2001 to 2004. He fondly remembers his experience as manager of Taylor Gym, a position that he credits for teaching him a great deal about management experience. Upon graduation, Howie worked with Deloitte and Touche as an audit assistant, then advancing to an audit senior. He is now working toward an MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Howie has been an instrumental part of the formation and success of the Wall Street Council. He cites the Financial Services Forum, held in Rauch Business School in 2007, as one of his fondest memories as a Lehigh alumnus. “The conference marked the finish line of a long planning process that stated almost 18 months prior to the event,” he says. “It was, for me, our most satisfying accomplishment during my time on the Wall Street Council.” His dedication to the Wall Street Council has allowed the group to become one of the most visible Lehigh University affinity groups to date. Thank you for all of your hard work, Howie!


Alumni Volunteer Spotlight: Charles Blades ’03, ’04G

Charles Blades has served as the treasurer for the Wall Street Council for two years. He has been instrumental in planning networking events both at Lehigh and in New York City to allow the council to connect with Lehigh students and alumni. Charlie graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, and went on to receive his master’s degree in accounting in 2004. He notes how the accounting department in Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics played a major part in his success on Wall Street and beyond. “The accounting department has cultivated an undergraduate program that is well known and highly respected,” he says. “The presence of the Lehigh brand on my resume has helped to provide me with unique and challenging career opportunities that will benefit me for years to come.”

In 2006, Charlie was offered the position of CFO with an equity broker dealer in New York. The offer had the impact of changing his professional career. It was an opportunity that he attributes in large part to his Lehigh experience. He is currently working with Liquidnet Holdings, LLC, in the finance division. Charlie has given back to Lehigh in tremendous ways by seeking to offer the kinds of networking opportunities that helped jump-start his career to fellow members of the Lehigh family. His input has helped make the Wall Street Council an active and thriving group, and we thank Charlie for his dedication!