UWG News Item
Contact: UWG Public Relations Office
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Alumni needed for centennial celebration planning
March 2, 2006
CARROLLTON, GA - The University of West Georgia National Alumni Association is looking for local alumni to assist with centennial celebration planning, according to association president, Christy Sammon of Carrollton.
A planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. at the Alumni House and all interested alumni are encouraged to attend.
“The NAA’s board of directors is involved in the process and its homecoming committee is hard at work, but we really would like to broaden the scope and involve as many local alumni as possible,” said the former UWG Student Government Association president. “The centennial celebration won’t be a one-event show; it’s planned to be a continuous series of events that run from August 2006 through August 2007.”
One alumni-related event is being planned for the Bowdon community as UWG shifts focus on the area’s first institution of higher learning – Bowdon College. A reunion event is planned for Friday, Aug. 5, at the Tisinger farmhouse in the Farmers High community.
A community-wide Centennial Gala is being planned for Aug. 18, the actual date for the founding of West Georgia’s predecessor – the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School.
“West Georgia is in high gear planning a wide variety of events for everyone,” says Sammon. “The National Alumni Association wants to be just as active by providing experiences for its primary constituents – the university’s 41,000 alumni and its current student body.”
Beyond Homecoming, which will be staged on Saturday, Nov. 4, Sammon says the NAA is already planning Dinner with 12 Strangers, a unique program that brings six students, four alumni and two faculty members together for dinner. Purpose of the program is to make the transition easier for new residential freshmen as they enter the college ranks. Long-term, the NAA hopes it helps improve retention by creating a true “home away from home” for UWG students.
This event was held for the first time last fall and it was a great success, according to Sammon. The dinners are hosted by local alumni board members and other alumni in the community.
Alumni and friends interested in helping the UWG National Alumni Association with Centennial planning efforts, can contact Frank Pritchett, director of alumni relations, at 678-839-6582 or email him at frankp@westga.edu.
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