USD Magazine Spring 2013

The USD Alumni Association’s inaugural annual report high- lights the story of the Alumni Association over the past year, including a look back at Home- coming and Family Weekend, Alumni Honors and the USD Wine Classic. Participation in these and other activities really made a difference; donations to Alumni Endowed Scholarships topped the $1 million fundraising goal and supported nearly 40 USD students this year. Learn more at alumni.sandiego.edu. Save the date for the 5 th Annual USD Wine Classic on Sunday, July 14, 2013 when the USD Alumni Association will host Torero-owned wineries, alumni and friends at the beautiful Garden of the Sea. Prescient types can already feel the warm San Diego sun and the cool Pacific breeze. For more information, go to usdwineclassic.com. April 27, 2013. A wonderful tribute to remarkable USD alumni, the on-campus event is also a fantastic party with great food and fun. Go to www.sandiego.edu/alumnihonors to learn more. Thank you! More than 700 alumni volunteers were vital to the success of the Alumni Asso- ciation in 2012, giving their time and talents in service to USD. Alumni volunteers speak at events, network with current students and help at signature campus events. Sharing your passion for USD by volunteering helps to build and strengthen the global USD network. Find out more at alumni.sandiego.edu. ALUMNI B R I E F S Alumni Honors salutes out- standing Toreros on Saturday,

“The people who are in front of others at games are well known; they have a higher profile and tend to be campus leaders,” Willett explains. “So, if former spirit team members get involved with USD again and reach out to their class- mates, it will help the university attract more alumni and more support, financially and other- wise. And the people who come back will be reconnected to friends, so everybody wins.” Willett, who chairs the Alumni Recognition Committee, found an enthusiastic planning partner in Amy Bodnar ’06, herself a dance team alum who returned to Alcalá Park last July as the spirit team’s new head coach. Bodnar saw advantages for the university and spirit alumni, as well as current team members. “Dance team for me was the biggest part of my life at USD,” she says. “I want today’s members to know this isn’t just a team they participate in now, but they’re part of a network of alumni who have done this before.” Willett and Bodnar worked with the USD Alumni Association to compile a partial list of spirit grads and invite them back to campus during Homecoming 2012. About a dozen alumni — plus family members — attend- ed the first annual spirit team reunion breakfast held last October. More have since re- engaged through social media. By next year, Willett and Bodnar plan to comb through stacks of old yearbooks to identi- fy and invite all former cheer- leaders and dancers to re-engage with their alma mater. “The main reason is the power of our social network,” Willett says. ”The people in the cheering business have the capacity to bring back people to campus, and we need to mobilize and use that power to help the university.”

WHEN WE CONDUCTED OUR ALUMNI ATTITUDE SURVEY in the spring of 2012, we were eager to find out a number of things about University of San Diego alumni, but in truth, the main piece of information we were looking for was simple: How engaged are USD’s alumni? Given the wealth of data —more than 2,300 alumni responded, with a good representation across class years — we will likely be analyzing and dissecting the data for months to come, but there are some definite highlights to share:

Demographics of Respondents

USD Rules! How would you rate your decision to attend USD?

Student Experience Which of the following best describes your experiences as a student?

HowWe’re Doing Which of the following best describes your overall current opinion of USD?

Connected? How strong is your connection to USD?

ThesurveywasdevelopedandconductedbythePerformanceEnhancementGroup(PEG), whichconductsalumnisurveys forthehighereducationmarket.Thefirmhassurveyed nearlyhalfamillionalumniat160universitiesandcollegesoverthepastnineyears.

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