Alumni Association Blog

As Alumni Association President I had the recent pleasure of speaking at the College’s 143rd Commencement Ceremony. Below are my remarks as presented to the graduating class of 2013.

Good morning, and welcome to the graduating class of 2013! My name is David Gilliss, I am a member of the Class of 1980, and I am President of the Alumni Association.

I majored in Political Science while I was here on campus –

and I am passionate about Wooster.

I had the pleasure of following my brother Ed to Wooster. Ed was in the Class of 1977. I met my wife of now 28 years, Karen Wilson, Class of 1981, here at the College. My nephew, Tim– Class of 2010, is also a graduate of Wooster, and as you all know, my daughter, Lauren, and my nephew, Tom, are in this stellar class of some 400 graduates.

I am also President of the Alumni Board, which is the representative body of 25 members which constitutes the governing body of the Alumni Association.

Our mission is to develop and strengthen the Wooster network, among other duties of the Association, to the benefit of the alumni and of the College.

I arrived on campus this weekend on Friday – my prepared remarks were all ready to go. But, as always happens to me when I return to campus, and it will to you as well, I was newly inspired—mostly by you all, the graduating seniors.

I was inspired by the awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon. I was inspired by spending time with students on Saturday night, and I was inspired by the Baccalaureate on Sunday morning. So I tossed my planned remarks and now have just five points I want to make.

My first point is about you, the Wooster students. In typical Wooster fashion, the talent level of this class is amazing. The breadth and depth of experience and knowledge is remarkable. You see that in the incredible I.S. projects, and you see that in the awards ceremony of Saturday afternoon. Being a Political Science major, I loved hearing about the student studying the effects of gravity on straight lines – you will recall that Newton studied the effects of gravity on spherical objects. Apparently, this student’s research was much harder than that conducted by Newton (my being a Political Science major – I will just have to take their word for that!), and it just goes to show you that the level of undergraduate research being conducted on this campus is unparalleled.

The second point is the Wooster education you have received. You now have the educational base of knowledge and a world-class education to prepare you for a global economy. You have learned how to be a critical thinker and a problem-solver. You know how to write and how to communicate an idea.

You are ready! Take on the next challenge.

Third, is the Wooster network. What is the Wooster network? It is a group of some 25,000 alumni from all around the world. Those alums have been where you are sitting now and those alums are people who can now help you to get where you want to be. On a smaller scale, the Wooster network is the eight recent grads whom I met in Washington, D.C. I recently had dinner with them and talked with them about how they want to get the many alums in Washington organized to help new grads and recent grads network both socially and professionally. It is also the Wooster grad and now entrepreneur who looks to hire Wooster grads. He prefers them because they are smart, disciplined, hard-working, and good writers and communicators.

It is also the seven people – all classmates of mine from Wooster  — with whom I am in daily contact. They are spread out over four states and in three different countries. They look out for Wooster graduates. They do what they can to connect them with others.

It is also the countless other groups of Wooster grads out there – wanting to help the newest members of the graduating class.

And lastly, and importantly, it is the College – through APEX and through the alumni office — who will be looking out for you. For you parents out there, APEX is the College’s commitment to Wooster students for advising, planning, and experiential learning.

Ryan Ozar of APEX said this about the Wooster network: “The Tartan is currency, and it goes far.” I want you to remember that, the Tartan is currency.

Fourth, the networking generation. You are the Networking Generation. You have used Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other networks. You network intuitively. You already have the experience in networking. Join with your College and the Alumni Association and use the Wooster network to your advantage.

And fifth and finally, your success. All of us want you to succeed, and we want you to find that job, or school, or position that is right for you. You will receive e-mails and letters from the association. Choose to engage! Participate every year in The Wooster Fund. Know that participation is more important than the amount contributed. Join with us to make our Wooster network even stronger than it is today – to the benefit of all of us, and most especially, to the benefit of all of you, the newest graduates of The College of Wooster.

And this idea from a student on Saturday night – there was so much to do in Wooster that she did not get a chance to do as a student. She is planning to return for homecoming and reunion weekends. Do it. You will be welcomed back. Come home, to Wooster!

The hard work is over – for now. Let’s get the network kick-started. Let’s put those 25,000 to work. Congratulations to the Class of 2013!

David Gilliss (’80)
President
College of Wooster Alumni Association

Greetings fellow alumni,

As the president of the Alumni Association, I had the recent pleasure of attending and participating in the Board of Trustee meetings, which were held in early March. The three days during which I was on campus were jam packed with presentations and updates by College officers and Board Committee Chairs. As I learned more about the latest developments with our favorite college, I was reminded of how diligently our board works to ensure that the College continues to grow and thrive as one of the nation’s premier liberal arts institutions. One highlight (one of many) was the opportunity to hear from Hilary Masell Oswald, the author of the most recent edition of the now famous book, Colleges That Change Lives. Ms. Oswald spoke passionately about the value of a liberal arts education and about the many virtues of Wooster. Of course, her talk was a big hit with all of us.

Here’s an update on some of what was covered during the weekend:

Admissions Results

For the third straight year enrollment has surpassed their previous record, with more than 5,500 applications received for the 560 spots in next fall’s entering class. The applicant pool is strong in all respects, from ethnic and geographic diversity to academic strength. The good results the College is now experiencing are the result of the good efforts of the administration, faculty and staff at the College of Wooster – and of course the efforts of all of you, as you continue to carry the word about Wooster to your own communities.

Gault Family Center Donation

The board has accepted a generous gift from the trustees of the Gault Family Learning Center. This donation presents the College with some amazing opportunities. The property features a beautiful brick building suitable for use as much needed student housing, as well as many other potential uses that support the College’s educational mission, such as administrative, academic and student organization office space. The college will be exploring those possibilities in the coming months. For more information, you can read about the donation here: http://wooster.edu/news/releases/2013/march/gault-center

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team had great success again this season. Timken Gym was filled to the rafters with students, faculty, staff, and fans of all kinds displaying Wooster spirit. It was great fun for the Board of Trustees to root along with the crowd. All can be proud of their outstanding season marked by the fourth-straight year of reaching at least the “Sweet 16,” which very few Div. III teams can boast. Unfortunately, Wooster’s season came to an end with a 24-6 record and a North Coast Athletic Conference championship. Cabrini College advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Div. III Men’s Basketball Championship with a 70-63 decision over the Fighting Scots in Timken Gymnasium on March 16^th.

Indoor Track Meet

The College of Wooster hosted the NCAC Track and Field Championships during the March 1^st weekend at the Scot Center. The women placed fifth in the team standings with 54 points. Highlighting the Scots’ efforts was Abena Boamah-Acheampong winning the women’s high jump, while both the men and women had relay teams set new school records. The men nearly had themselves a championship in the distance medley event, as the team of Kevin DeGroot, John Lanz, Gus Fuguitt, and Luke Hutchings-Goetz came up one-hundredth of a second shy of Allegheny College when they crossed in 10:32.63. The Scots did break a school record in the event, though, as they bested last year’s time by almost five seconds (10:37.20) while picking up all-conference honors. You can read more about the track meet here: http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/track/2012-13/releases/20130302tgsnnw

View results of the track meet: http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/track/2012-13/ncac/index

Dining Services Study

You may have heard about the study of Wooster’s dining services that is currently underway, whether you saw it online or mentioned in The Wooster Voice. The purpose of this study is to assess what the College does well, and what can be improved. The assessment group includes faculty, staff and students. The goal of this group is to conduct a thorough study of the dining services operation, using a variety of methodologies and metrics beyond the purely financial, including quality and variety of food, accommodation of special diets and needs, quality of service, and the particular ethos and culture of this campus. When it is complete, the study group will report to Financial Advisory Committee, which will offer their recommendations on how to make dining services the best it can be.

My Goal as President

A theme of my term as president of the Alumni Association has been to strengthen the Wooster network. Wooster is blessed with not only a strong and talented student body, but an alumni body that is large, diverse, engaged, and committed to helping our newest Wooster graduates. I want to make that network even stronger and more vital as our newest alums enter the working world. Your Alumni Board will focus over the next year and more on what our alumni body can do to make this goal a reality. The College is doing its part to prepare its students for success. Through an innovative approach to student advising, called APEX, an integrated team of experienced advisors encourage students to become passionately engaged in their education and empowered to make informed, intentional choices about academic, personal, and professional opportunities. Wooster’s students are now participating more actively in their educational planning through the work of the offices within APEX. Read about this exciting reality here: http://www.wooster.edu/academics/apex

Please contact me with your ideas about how we can all more fully participate in the Wooster Network. Your Board will continue to keep you informed as we focus on this meaningful project.

Your Alumni Board will next convene in late April, when we will have the pleasure of participating in the Senior Research Symposium – a time when the College cancels classes to celebrate the accomplishments of the senior class. This is when Wooster takes off the bushel basket and lets its light shine for all to see. Read more about the Symposium here:  http://www.wooster.edu/research/symposium

It is a pleasure to work for you as the president of the Alumni Association. Please remember to contact me with your ideas and comments.

Enjoy the spring!

David Gilliss (’80)

Students walking to Kauke in the fall.

The Alumni Board kicked off a beautiful Fall weekend on campus with a discussion of a topic of interest to all Wooster alumni: our desire to assist students as they consider further education or career choices. By having a strong Wooster alumni network, we can help students as they enter the professional world. The Alumni Board also discussed ways to increase both alumni engagement with the college and consistent participation in giving to The Wooster Fund. This past year 5,500 out of 19,000 alumni made a gift to The Wooster Fund, and that matters to us; it’s a place to start, but not where we want to be, as this one indicator likely falls short of the passion for and commitment to the College that many more than 5,500 alumni have for their alma mater.

The mission of APEX is to empower students to make informed, intentional choices about academic, personal, and professional opportunities.

The Board heard from Alison Schmidt, Associate Dean of Academic Advising, about APEX, a distinctive program that integrates academic and post-graduate advising, planning, and experiential learning. APEX is housed newly renovated space in Gault Library and was created to foster collaboration among academic advising, career planning, experiential learning and the learning center. To learn more about what APEX is all about and how it is benefitting today’s students, please visit this web page: http://www.wooster.edu/academics/apex

The Board also heard about our great strides in Admissions. With the increase in applications, Wooster can be more selective than ever. As a result, the incoming class is one of the strongest classes academically that we have had in years. Almost half were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class and one in four is either a U.S. multiethnic or international student.

Board members next did what we love to do – and that is to meet with and engage with students at the College. We had several opportunities to meet with students and discuss with them their experiences on campus and off. We met with the student leaders of the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) and learned about the important role that Wooster’s Greek system plays on campus, as well as the work of the council itself. Leaders of the IGC stressed to us that they and their members are service-driven. Did you know all Greek students are required to participate in at least one organization or sport other than their Greek group? In addition, each active charter must perform community service every semester.

Defensive back Girard Ogletree-Crawford ’13

During the course of our meetings, we had the opportunity to meet with faculty. In addition to Kent Kille and John Gabrielle who are faculty representatives to the Alumni Board, we honored newly tenured faculty at a special dinner. We learned about some cutting-edge and vital research and teaching being done by the faculty at our College. Our alma mater distinguishes itself in its commitment to faculty teaching and research and in the quality of the professors we hire. The newly tenured faculty reflects that tradition. They are core to our mission, and are crucial to our striving for excellence at the College.

We closed out our work at Wooster with a bit of fun: a nail-biter of a football game against the Kenyon Lords…and a heart-breaking loss in the final seconds of the game. But we relished our time with Fighting Scots spirit and not only remain undeterred about the season, but most certainly enthusiastic about the direction and future of the College.

Before I close, I want to return to the ideas presented in the first paragraph of this blog. I want us to work together to strengthen our Alumni Network. I ask that you continue to engage with the College and its students. Think about ways we all can help current Wooster students and recent grads connect with the world outside of college. Send me your ideas – your Alumni Board wants to hear from you. Also, as we head into the holiday season and toward the start of another year, please make a contribution to the Wooster Fund. You can do it on-line through Wooster’s secure site. It is important – yet easy. Please visit: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1090/NoRtCol.aspx?sid=1090&gid=1&pgid=2521&cid=3459

I wish for all of you a wonderful holiday and a joyous New Year ahead!

David Gilliss (’80)

GO SCOTS!