Auburn Alumni Association

The Auburn Alumni Association is a member-based 501(c)3 organization funded by membership dues, individual donations and corporate sponsorships/affinity program partners. Its membership base is one of the largest in the Southeastern Conference at about 45,000 members. The Auburn Alumni Association has an affiliated student organization, the Student Alumni Association, established in 1999. Originally envisioned as a means to bridge the gap between students and alumni, the SAA is now Auburn's largest campus organization with 3,173 active members.
Mission statement
History
Although the Auburn Alumni Association was formally incorporated as a nonprofit organization on April 19, 1945, its history traces as far back as the late 1860s. During that time, the group was called the Society of the Alumni.
Nearly 20 years went by before a group of former Auburn students decided to establish a fund to help disadvantaged young men earn an education. These are the early beginnings of the association. The association was incorporated in 1894, but, after enduring severe financial distress, the association folded in 1941. It was not until the end of World War II before interest in alumni efforts began to resurface. The Auburn Alumni Association was reincorporated in 1945 as the Association of Former Auburn Students.
Publications
The first recorded publication sent to alumni, called The Alumni Quarterly, was launched in 1912 and circulated to about 3,000 subscribers. Shortly thereafter in 1914, the title of the quarterly publication was changed to The Alumnus. After the association’s reincorporation in 1945, a new alumni newsletter, The Alumnews, was circulated as the alumni publication of record. Nearly 50 years passed before that quarterly publication ceased. A glossy magazine, named Auburn Magazine, was introduced in its place. Auburn Magazine debuted in 1994 and still circulates to all dues-paying members of the alumni association.
Auburn Magazine
Auburn Magazine's mission is to "serve its readers—the dues-paying members of the Auburn Alumni Association—and Auburn University by acting as a comprehensive communications vehicle to provide alumni and friends with balanced and objective coverage of issues pertaining to the association and university, a means of staying in touch with their alma mater as well as one another, and a forum for the open exchange and discussion of relevant viewpoints and ideas."
Since its debut in 1994, Auburn Magazine has won more than two dozen regional and national awards for writing, design and printing excellence.
Past and Current Directors
The first full-time director of the Auburn Alumni Association was Harry M. “Happy” Davis. After serving six years, Davis stepped aside, and Joseph B. Sarver took charge in 1951. Sarver is credited with creating numerous alumni chapters across Alabama and the United States of America. Increased support of academics, along with the creation of several scholarship opportunities, fueled alumni giving during Sarver’s tenure. The Auburn Development Program was established in 1959, the Auburn Annual Giving Fund in 1965 and the Alumni Professorship Program in 1966. Sarver retired after 25 years of service; he was succeeded by former Auburn University assistant football coach George L. “Buck” Bradberry as executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association in 1976. Bradberry is credited with implementing the Auburn Generations Fund and bringing the organization’s record-keeping into the computer age. He retired in 1985, and Jerry F. Smith took over the reins as executive director. Smith spearheaded funding efforts to build the Auburn Alumni Center, among other fundraising accomplishments. The building opened its doors on May 6, 1989, and still houses staff members of both the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Office of Development.
Today, Deborah L. Shaw ’84 serves as vice president for alumni affairs and executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association, replacing former vice president of alumni affairs Betty M. DeMent ’71 in March 2004.
The Auburn Alumni Association board of directors has 26 members (19 voting). The board meets three times a year to discuss matters and issues relative to the association. The Office of Alumni Affairs at Auburn University, which works to support the association as well as Auburn University, has a fulltime staff of 25.
Programs, Membership Benefits and Academic Support
The Auburn Alumni Association offers programming for all alumni and financial support for deserving students and faculty members, plus a number of membership perks. Programs include group travel, reunions, a game-day hospitality tent, awards recognizing outstanding alumni and professors, and minority and young alumni events. It also supports a network of alumni clubs throughout the nation that sponsor networking events and work to raise scholarship dollars. In 2007-08, its clubs raised and awarded more than $353,000 and assisted more than 100 Auburn University students in need of financial aid.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu