Colorado Mesa University

The Maverick : Fall 2018

The Maverick magazine is a great way to stay in touch with current events at your alma mater, old classmates and the bright future of Colorado Mesa University.

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23 FALL 2018 • VOLUME 8.1 COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY Denver Chapter President Dennis Ferris (far left) serving burgers and brats and Scott Schulmann (left) greeting alumni at the Denver New Student Send Off Barbecue. The group has also developed a mantra that describes three ways people can benefit from being involved in the Alumni Association — they become FANs, which stands for fellowship, ambassadorship and networking. Affinity-based chapters thrive on the same passion for building a strong network of alumni who support CMU and the community. CMU's four programmatic- based chapters are ambassador, football, MBA and, the newest, art & design. Emmi Farris, '15, co-chairs the months-old art & design chapter, which brings together artists and designers to collaborate on projects, elevate the local art community and provide support to each other as well as current students. "One of the things we love about the way the Alumni Association bylaws are set up is that it's open to all community members," said Farris. "There are no restrictions at all. We just want to include as many artists, designers and people who want to support the chapter and the community to cultivate that type of culture in town." Despite having only a handful of meetings under its belt, Farris is impressed with the interest in the group. "We've had a really great turnout since we made our official announcement at the annual alumni barbecue this summer," Farris said. "We've been excited to get it off the ground." The group is already discussing activities for the long term, including art shows, panels, workshops, drink and draws, field trips to local businesses and partnerships with other arts organizations. Farris said members have discussed at length ways to include alumni from all over the country via live streaming or out-of-town field trips. They also want to include current students. "We're definitely going to try to incorporate things that work with students because a part of that is making sure they're not just thrown out into the ocean once they graduate. We want to be able to wade them into a community of people who can share resources," Farris said. Meier said the association is always looking for more people to join its chapters and subcommittees in an effort to build a healthy alumni base and support a thriving educational institution for students. The Alumni Association even has the Chapter Support Committee, led by Alumni Association President Elect Tamara Krizman. This committee offers support to all alumni chapters. Alumni Association members are currently working on creating chapters in Hawaii and Fort Collins. • Bridget Rader and Jake Johnson, both of the Denver Alumni Chapter, at the Denver New Student Send Off Barbecue. AFFINITY-BASED ALUMNI CHAPTERS • Ambassador • Football • MBA • Art & Design

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