June 2004

Introductory Message from the Office of Alumni Relations

Greetings from the Office of Alumni Relations and welcome to our new alumni e-newsletter. Keeping alumni up-to-date on Centenary life is a top priority; therefore, we hope that you enjoy the contents of this month's issue and that you will give us suggestions on topics of interest for future issues. A new issue of the e-newsletter will appear on the website each month with a link sent out to all alumni with current e-mail addresses in Centenary's system. If you know of any Centenary alumni who may not have received this e-mail please forward it to them and encourage them to go online to update their contact information. With your help we can broaden the Centenary Connection. Have a great Summer!

Alumni News

Spring was a productive and fun season in the Office of Alumni Relations. The staff was busy developing a number of new programs designed to appeal to the varying needs and interests of our alumni. The first major effort was the formation of a new National Alumni Leadership Board for 2004-05. A structure has been adopted which provides opportunities for alumni throughout the country to take on leadership roles within the Association. The Alumni Board consists of an Executive Committee that acts as the governing body, and several working committees that are headed up by team leaders focused on specific aspects of alumni relations. In addition to the officers, the Executive Committee includes Team Leaders in the areas of Networking and Communications, Campus Activities, Geographic Chapter Activities, Affinity Group Activities, Homecoming and Reunions, Community Outreach, Alumni Development and Student Relations. Committees are taking shape and a variety of special events have already taken place around the country. In recent months, groups of alumni have gathered socially in Dallas, Houston, Lafayette, Little Rock, Plano, Shreveport, and Washington, DC. Formal Alumni Chapter structures have been initiated in Dallas, Houston and Shreveport. Each Chapter has Executive Officers in place and has been holding regular Executive Committee meetings, recruiting committee chairs, and organizing alumni activities. During the Summer months, alumni chapter development will continue, starting in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

College News

US News & World Report's Top 10. Once again, Centenary is a “best value” among Southern universities, according to U.S. News and World Report's 16 th annual “America's Best Colleges” survey.

Chemistry Club among 29 in Nation named “Outstanding” by ACS. The American Chemistry Society has once again designated Centenary's Chemistry Club as an outstanding club. Only 29 clubs out of over 900 in the nation were placed in this highest category of recognition based on the number and diversity of the activities during the 2002-03 academic year. This is the third consecutive year the Centenary organization has received an outstanding distinction and the seventh consecutive year it has received a national award.

Choir Selected for National Performance. The Centenary Choir received a prestigious invitation to perform in April at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Center for Family-owned Business Begins. The Frost School of Business has launched a new center that is developing programs relevant to the continuity and health of the family business in this region. Education and training programs will focus on strategic planning, growth strategies, succession planning, and the legal, management, and financial issues that are unique to the family-owned enterprise.

Campaign for Scholarships. The College launched the Campaign for Scholarships this Spring in response to the impact the economy has had on students and their families. The goal is to build on the endowment for scholarships so that students can enroll in Centenary in good and bad economic times. It focuses on strengthening the General Annual Scholarship Fund, the General Endowed Scholarship Fund, Named Annual Scholarships and Named Endowed Scholarships.

Check out the new secure online information system for locating fellow alumni: By selecting the Online Alumni Community link on Centenary's alumni webpage, first time visitors are able to establish a user name and password. After that, alumni are able to visit the site as often as they like, enter their user name and password, and conduct searches for fellow alumni. It is a quick, easy, and secure way for Centenary to help its former students stay in touch with the College and with each other. Check out Centenary's Online Alumni Community today. It is just one of the benefits that Centenary College is pleased to offer its valued alumni.

An invitation to return to campus for the first Semi-Annual Alumni Board meeting

Save the date. The first Bi-Annual Meeting of the New National Alumni Leadership Board will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2004 at Centenary College. All alumni are invited to attend this special convocation being held during Centenary's Parents and Family Weekend and the opening weekend of the Red River Revel. Board President, Chat Reed '64 will hold a business session on Saturday and the occasion will be highlighted with an exciting schedule of events beginning on Friday evening, October 1 st and continuing throughout the day on Saturday.

Alumni Connections on Campus

The Alumni Association has been busy planning a series of special events to be held in conjunction with a wide variety of campus activities. The series, called “Alumni Connections on Campus,” offers exciting opportunities for alumni to come back to campus throughout the year for choir concerts, playhouse performances, art openings, and athletic events and to visit with fellow alumni, students, faculty, and staff. The first “Alumni Connections on Campus” event will take place on July 8th when the Alumni Association hosts a pre-performance reception during opening night of the Marjorie Lyons Playhouse musical production, “Gypsy.” Special alumni discounts are being offered on tickets that can be purchased by calling the box office at (318) 869-5242. RSVP for the reception by calling the Office of Alumni Relations at (318) 869-5028 or e-mailing: .

Shreveport's monthly alumni lunch bunch continues to grow in popularity

Come one, come all to the newly formed Centenary Lunch Bunch in Shreveport. The only criteria are that attendees be alumni of Centenary College of LA and have a desire to stay connected with their classmates and alma mater. The monthly lunch gathering takes place every third Tuesday of the month at 11:45 a.m. at Tacomania on Kings Highway. The Lunch Bunch program can be duplicated in any city where there are Centenary alumni. Start a Lunch Bunch in your area. It is fun and easy to do. If you are interested, contact the Office of Alumni Relations for assistance at (800) 259-6447 or (318) 869-5008 or e-mail: .

Volunteer opportunities abound for alumni participation

All alumni can find ways to get involved with their alma mater because of the wide variety of volunteer opportunities that exist. Start thinking about how you would like to become involved. Some of the current volunteer opportunities are:

  • Cluster Reunion planning for Classes of '44 -'46 (60 th Year), Classes of 64 -'66 (40 th Year), Classes of '74 -'76 (30 th Year), '79 -'81 (25 th Year), '84 -'86 (20 th Year), and '94 -'96 (10 th Year). Help get your classmates together during Homecoming Weekend, February 18-19, 2005 for your class reunion.
  • Alumni Chapter Leadership in cities where there is a concentration of Centenary alumni. Help form or strengthen Centenary alumni groups in your town by becoming a part of the volunteer leadership.
  • Become a float captain for Centenary's first year in the Krewe of Highland Mardi Gras Parade in Shreveport.
  • Help plan a fundraising gala.
  • Offer the use of your home or place of business for Centenary events/meetings.

Forward the Newsletter to Fellow Alumni

Share the Centenary Connections alumni e-newsletter with your fellow alums. Just forward this e-mail to classmates who may not be receiving it, and remind them to stay in touch with Centenary by e-mailing to be added to the mailing list. For more information on all alumni activities visit the website at http://www.centenary.edu/alumni. If you are interested in contributing material to the newsletter, please e-mail .