In 1967, the Weber State University Alumni Association was established at Weber, with Dean W. Hearst serving as its first executive director. With a mission statement being “fostering spirited and lasting ties among alumni and friends,” said Rebecca Gibson, the engagement coordinator for the association. The association is located on the Ogden campus in the John A. and Telitha E. Lindquist Weber State Alumni Center. The building was dedicated on May 1, 1992.
“We help connect people back to Weber State through programs, community events, giving and meaningful leadership and service opportunities,” Gibson said. Their goals are also based on the four pillars, volunteerism, experiential, philanthropy and communication. “I work with the student alumni team, and our goals focus on those things as well.”
As far as whether or not you have to be a Weber State alumnus to join the Alumni Association, the association is open to any community member. “We’re a community-based organization, although mostly students and alumni participate with us,” Gibson said.
For the community, there are many things that they have to offer. A pre-scheduled Bees baseball game at $25 for a ticket and dinner, a Fall Fest event at Black Island Farms, Alumni Night at Mystic Pizza and the Purple Paw Parade are some of the events the Alumni Association holds throughout the year.
One of the bigger events that they hold at the end of the year is Salutes, where they recognize distinguished alumni all across the country to give to 10 awards. One of the awardees in 2020 was Pete Sands, who founded a nonprofit to help transport firewood to Navajo reservations and individuals who were without heat and wood for cooking.
The association does more than just plan events for the community; they also do volunteer work. With a team of about 70 workers who participated in 5,000 hours of service work last year. “We love working with our board of directors and our councils to serve different community constituents,” Gibson said.
The Alumni Association isn’t a small Ogden-run association, it also has a Regional Alumni Network all over America. Lisa Jensen, the alumni coordinator, travels and plans for these events. Jensen also collaborates with the Ogden Musical Theatre and Peery’s Egyptian Theater every summer, with this summer show being “Annie.”
All alumni were offered 50% off their tickets if they went to the pre-event ice cream social. Jensen is also the advisor for the new alumni council with students who have graduated within the last 10 years. They helped Jensen with the planning of four events: a service, career networking, an alumni engagement and a family programming.
Last year, they partnered with the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership to do the Circles program. “It’s important to us and my responsibility to help the alumni feel engaged with the university; we want a strong sense of community with Weber State,” Jensen said.
Gibson also advises the Student Alumni Association, which focuses specifically on students. Taylee Green, the Student Alumni Association president, and the leadership council help plan and engage the whole campus. “Our main goal is to just engage with the students and get them involved on campus … We want to build that Weber State community,” Green said. The student alumni advocate for the Cat-to-Cat scholarship, host mentoring events, student appreciation events and Grad Finale.
Grad Finale is where they have a leadership legacy event helping students connect with alumni mentors in the direct field they want to start networking and get a better understanding of what they want to do in the future.
Another major event put on is Forever a Wildcat. A first-time event to recognize any student who has been involved on campus. “We didn’t want to only recognize leaders on campus, we wanted to recognize even the smallest engagement, like being in a club or being a part of Weber State’s community,” Green said.
For students, there is one thing to take away from the Student Association: “Take all the resources, do all the events you can, get the most out of what we’re offering, “ Green said.
Both the Student Alumni and the events team prioritize getting everyone involved, with discounted tickets for the Black Island Farms for families, setting events for Wildcats all over the states, helping students find the steps for their dream career and showing students they care.
The Alumni Center is a place for the students and community to further their connection with Weber and stay connected.
For students interested in getting involved with the Student Alumni Association or its council, contact Gibson at [email protected].
