The Auburn University Alumni Association promotes the spirit of pride and tradition of
involvement long after the cap and gown are put away.
"Auburn is very clearly a multi-generational school," said Mike Watson, vice president of the association's board of directors and a member of the class of 1969.
According to its 2008-2009 annual report, the association boasts more than 45,000 members, most of whom fall under the category of life members, and more than 3,500 new graduates.
Graduates from the class of 2010, as well as members of graduating classes from the past decades, are unified by this common link, illustrating Watson's point.
The association offers a long list of benefits ranging from services and accommodations to discounts and insurance.
Kate Hancock, a membership specialist for the association and 2007 graduate, said members are able to get discounts at local restaurants, hotels and stores. They are also able to utilize Auburn facilities like the library, and new graduates can even receive help getting discounted insurance.
Not only do members experience this wide variety of tangible perks, but the association also offers an open link for graduates to stay connected with their alma mater no matter where they are.
"Really, it's most important to join the association because once you leave Auburn everything changes, and you know that Auburn is always your home and it will always be that special place to come back to," Hancock said. "What the alumni association does, essentially, is keep you in touch with your home."
Watson said the number of opportunities the association offers to not only stay connected on an informational level, but also highly involved in the community is what makes Auburn unique.
Auburn clubs are a big part of keeping people connected and there are 98 located all over the U.S.
Hancock, a native of Chicago, spoke fondly of the club in her hometown and the connection it allowed for her parents with events like game-watching parties.
"I swear my dad has more stuff than I do for Auburn now," Hancock said.
Auburn Magazine, a publication available for all dues-paying members, is another benefit of joining the association.
According to the Alumni Association's website, "Auburn Magazine's mission is to 'serve its readers--the dues-paying members of the Auburn Alumni Association--and Auburn University by acting as a comprehensive communications vehicle to provide alumni and friends with balanced and objective coverage of issues pertaining to the association and university, a means of staying in touch with their alma mater as well as one another, and a forum for the open exchange and discussion of relevant viewpoints and ideas.'"
Hancock said she believes another benefit that is an essential part of the Auburn legacy is being able to give back to the University either directly or through scholarships.
"Just to give back to the place that you love so much is really one of the best things," Hancock said.
Whether for the functional individual benefits or the lasting effects of being a member of the Auburn community, alumni want to stay involved in the place they once called home.
"Once you leave and the longer its been since you graduated, the more in touch you want to be," Watson said.
For more information on the Auburn Alumni Association, its benefits and how to get connected visit its website at http://www.aualum.org/membership/.
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