Blog posts archive

“Road trip!”

In my mind, these two words are synonymous with a carload of teenagers spending the summer after graduation travelling the open road, heading in whatever direction the wind takes them. But I’m sure I’ve seen this happen in the movies one too many times.

Working in Alumni Affairs means that we are all relatively well-versed with the proper usage of what, as it turns out, is a pretty confusing word.  I wanted to write this blog entry to address the proper use of this mysterious noun and at the same time, perhaps save some innocent souls from the scourge of incorrect usage. 

First things first, we’ll get the obvious out of the way. 

I must admit that my attempts to be humorous have stalled my progress in writing this blog post. As much as I enjoy witty banter as the next person, it just didn’t seem to fit with the topic of convocation. To be honest, the ceremonial regalia, the academic history, the successes of graduates destined to change the world, and the overall pomp and circumstance of the day all don’t fit with the usual repartee I aim for in my posts. But I digress… 

Reunion 2012 happened on Saturday, September 29 and what a success! This year we welcomed over 7000 alumni, staff, faculty, students, and community members on campus for a wide variety of events. I’ll go into more detail but would like to start with some background first.