FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island College has launched a Student Alumni Association (SAA), a sister organization of the RIC Alumni Association, with the mission of strengthening alumni engagement with the college by connecting future alumni with established RIC graduates. RIC currently has more than 56,000 alumni.
RIC President Nancy Carriuolo has high hopes for SAA. She said, “RIC’s alumni have assumed leadership positions in a wide variety of careers in Rhode Island. Sharing their professional experiences with the next generation is quite a legacy.”
Co-founded by the President of RIC’s Student Community Government, Inc., Hillary Costa; Smithfield Town Councilwoman and RIC Adjunct Professor Suzy Alba ’05; and Senior Vice President Philanthropy & Governance for the Care New England Health System Karen Davie ’76, the SAA is actively recruiting students to join the organization and participate in future social, leadership and networking events.
SAA members not only benefit from networking with, and learning from, alumni, they take part in valuable leadership and professional development experiences that prepare them for careers in alumni affairs. Working with the RIC Alumni Association, SAA members assist in event planning; they serve as hosts and hostesses at events, such as invitation-only presidential receptions, meetings, reunions and college recruitment gatherings; they build relationships with faculty, staff and administrators; and represent fellow students on various planning committees. “SAA members are dedicated to strengthening the college at all levels,” said Costa.
“The hope,” Alba said, “is that members of SAA will build lifelong relationships with their alma mater.”
“What excites me,” said Davie who serves on the 17-member RIC Alumni Association board and the RIC Foundation, “is the idea of sharing the alumni’s passion for the college with current students. I believe there will be tremendous synergy when graduates and current students come together that will benefit all parties and most especially the college.”
Any full or part-time graduate or undergraduate student enrolled at RIC is eligible for SAA membership. There is no specific GPA requirement, but students are expected to be in good academic standing.
Prospective SAA members complete an application available at the Kauffman Center, the Student Union or the Office of Student Community Government, Inc. The application may also be downloaded online at http://www.ric.edu/alumniaffairs/saa.php. The deadline for applications is Monday, March 3.
