October 2007

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni Board President Briane Keane '89 and AU President Neil Kerwin '71  photo by Jeff Watts

President Kerwin to Hit the Road and Meet with Alumni

This fall, alumni in major U.S. cities interested in meeting or chatting with AU President Neil Kerwin now that he’s AU’s 14th permanent president will get that very opportunity. The 1971 SPA alumnus, professor, and former provost will meet with alumni in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C., this fall, and visit Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, and Hartford, Conn., in winter 2008. Trips to additional cities are being planned for the spring and beyond as well.  

“The Kerwin Administration has clearly hit the ground running,” says Alumni Board President Brian F. Keane, SPA/BA ’89. “There’s perhaps nothing more gratifying than to see AU’s first alumni president travel to meet with alumni all over the country. Dr. Kerwin has talked passionately about his commitment to improving alumni participation across the nation. And now as one of the first tasks of the new president, that talk is being put to action. It’s incredibly exciting.”

On the job without the “interim” preceding his title since September 1, Kerwin hopes to use the upcoming trips as a way to reconnect with alumni, hear concerns and ideas for the university, and provide updates about campus news, the AnewAU campaign, and other topics of interest.  

“I think I need to be a very visible leader both on campus and in the larger communities that we’re part of,” says Kerwin. “This is an institution that does extraordinary things, and the better we can communicate those strengths to the broader community the better off we’ll be.”

In July, Kerwin told reporters at the press conference following his unanimous selection that one of the parts of his job he has enjoyed since the moment he began is the opportunity to go out and tell AU’s story. “It’s wonderful to be able to travel... around the country, and even around the region and surprise people with a little piece of news about what the campus and what the university community has accomplished,” he said.

To learn more about President Kerwin, visit his Web page, or read the cover story from the Fall issue of American magazine.

-Melissa Reichley

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