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The Best Way to Show Your Pride  Chuck Blumenfeld. '66, '69. Photo by Mary Levin.
Over the years, I came to know the UW very well, not just from those cherished times going to my dad’s office, but also during my years as a UW student—in the classroom, at Husky Stadium and at Hec Ed. And since then, attending dozens of events and meetings in my years as a UW Alumni Association volunteer. As you can tell, this place is in my blood.
But I have to tell you that this fall—my first as executive director of the UWAA—I am feeling the same spark of excitement I did when I came here as a young boy. It’s thrilling to see, firsthand, the University as its fall heartbeat gets going—excitement is in the air as the campus springs back to life.
There is nothing better than fall on the UW campus. There is the buzz of the students reestablishing old friendships and making new ones, the roar from a football game in Husky Stadium, and the cries of “Point Husky” coming from Hec Ed as the women’s volleyball team crushes another opponent.
Our job at the UWAA is to convey this excitement to you and the rest of our 350,000 alumni all over the world. We want you all to be passionate about staying connected to the University.
That is why I changed careers to come here—to the University that made such a difference in my life—and lead our association in engaging more alumni with the UW.
Here’s another thrill: Huskies are responding!
This past June, more than 2,000 graduating seniors purchased UWAA memberships as part of our Grad Pack promotion. This is part of our efforts to engage our younger alums—one of our top priorities.
Then there’s HuskyConnect, our new online community exclusively for Huskies. In the couple of months since we launched HuskyConnect, more than 3,000 UW graduates and UWAA members have signed up. And the word has just gotten out. What’s really taken off in HuskyConnect is the number of groups that have been started. At last count, approximately 450 groups were active, reaching out to alumni with a variety of enthusiasms and affinities—from those interested in diversity to those who are hardcore Husky sports fans to those who hold M.B.A. degrees. Alumni are using this tool to stay in touch with friends, to put together events and for career networking.
Our fall program is jam-packed. From Warm Ups at all six Husky football road games to the Provost’s Distinguished Lecture to Homecoming Week—we have opportunities for you to don your purple and gather with fellow Huskies to share that Husky pride and have a great time along the way.
I also want to welcome Norm Proctor, ’74, ’77, our UWAA board president for 2007–08. Norm, who heads up the Pacific Northwest region for the U.S. Small Business Administration, is a longtime UWAA volunteer with a deep passion for the University. He will bring a great sense of community and leadership to the organization.
I’m really looking forward to an exciting fall, and I hope I meet you at an upcoming event or through HuskyConnect. After all, we are all part of the Husky Family.
Chuck Blumenfeld, ’66, ‘69
Executive Director, UW Alumni Association
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