Your Alma Mater / June 2020

By William L. Pierce

Fellow Alumni,

I trust this message finds you all doing well and in good health.

What a year 2020 has been! The events and happenings of the first five months feel as though they were pulled from a movie script. We have experienced wild fluctuations in the economy, dealt with a pandemic that has impacted how we live each day and interact with one another. Institutionally, we saw an Alumni Association icon in Dan Saevig retire in March after 27 years of service, the cancellation of all spring and summer in-person alumni events, and now we are in the midst of a presidential leadership transition.

All of these things would have been noteworthy on their own. But through it all, my sense of pride in our alumni has grown tremendously. Alumni have stepped up to provide financial support to current students impacted by the closing of campus due to COVID-19, collectively written 2,000 postcards to students admitted to UToledo this fall in support of enrollment, been more engaged in virtual engagements offered by the Alumni Association than ever before, and through membership dues, helped us to award over $63,000 in scholarships to UToledo students returning to classes this fall.  So, thank you!  Thank you for supporting our alma mater, our students, and your Alumni Association.

As we look ahead to the remaining months of the year, I welcome your feedback on how your Alumni Association can best support you and the alumni in your area.  While we may not be able to host in-person events right now, engaging with you remains very important to us.  Please share your thoughts and ideas by sending them to UTAlumni@utoledo.edu.  My team and I look forward to hearing from you.

Go Rockets!

William L. Pierce ’99, ’09

Associate Vice President of Alumni Engagement

Executive Director of The University of Toledo Alumni Association