The Alumni Association Student Board (AASB) is revamping for the fall 2016 school year. Focusing on bringing alumni to Buena Vista University (BVU) and fostering connections between students and alum, the changes come with the selection of the new President of the AASB Rosie Russell.

In the past, AASB concentrated on upholding university traditions and increasing school spirit. Russell’s new plan for the direction and mission of AASB came from her own desire to be more involved with the board and with alumni.

“I found out that the AASB was going to go because it became a lot of extra work that wasn’t really benefitting the relationship with the alum,” Russell stated.

“The consensus was ‘okay it doesn’t really need to stay’ and I just thought what a great opportunity to change things and rather than get rid of it we can completely transition into a new set of goals.”

Members of the AASB will represent different schools and will be in charge of bringing alum from that school to BVU. Members will work with relevant student organizations to sponsor alumni events such as discussions, lunches or panels.

“Representatives would be responsible for making sure that everyone in the school is being accounted for and that alum who are coming are facilitating that relationship for students who want to go into careers that are in those fields,” Russell said.

Currently there are representatives from the School of Science, School of Business, School of Education, and the School of Exercise Science.

The AASB is still looking for representatives from the School of Communication and Arts and the School of Social Science, Philosophy and Religion.

Russell said the response to the changes have been largely positive:

“People have responded quite well, especially professors,” Russell said.

“Jeff Stocco and Peter Steinfeld, who are both helping with the whole process, just love the idea and all the faculty so far have been really supportive of it. I think they recognize the importance of bringing alum, especially fresh alum who really cannot contribute so much money but they would love to come and talk to the students and build those relationships and more involvement.”

There will only be four returning AASB members next fall, but Russell said she was excited for fresh faces and ideas:

“What I’ve realized from this is that once I came up with this idea and started telling people about it, there was interest and there was passion and there was motivation. Both the community itself and the individual is gaining, and I think that is what motivates people.”

Russell hopes that students at Buena Vista University realize the opportunities to network that will be provided to them through AASB, and that they take advantage and participate.

“Life is very much about connections and being able to maintain and build on those connections that we have, and having that similarity of graduating from Buena Vista University or being a part of Buena Vista University, it really helps them get their foot in the door. If there are connections out there, why not build them?”