The University of Central Arkansas Alumni Association broke new ground as it hosted a meeting at one of the biggest venues in St. Louis: Busch Stadium. With over 40 alumni attending the June 4th event, UCA Alumni Director Jesse Thill said it was “the biggest meeting we’ve ever held.” Members of the association plan to set their sights for the future just as high.
Unlike previous meetings, which consisted of small dinner parties in various cities across the country, such as Washington D.C. and Memphis, this meeting was held on the first base line during a weekend series between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. Much like how the Cardinals came back from losing 5-0 in the sixth inning to eventually winning the game, the alumni want to turn their approach around and attempt to hit it out of the park.
According to Aaron Knight, the Alumni Association has been aimed more toward graduates who were over the age of 35. In the past, meetings consisted of dinner and chatting, and were occasionally free.
“The attendance could be improved,” Knight said. Members of the Alumni Association decided to try something new. They wanted to make the meetings have more value.
“People didn’t start showing up until we started charging alumni to come, which adds more value to the events,” Knight said. “Now we have record attendance.” Charging alumni to come to events allowed them to spend the money on bigger and better meetings.
Now members of the Alumni Association want to make events aimed more toward the current senior class at UCA. “[They] will be laying the groundwork for the younger alumni in November,” Thill said.
image via dynastyleaguebaseball.mlblogs.com
