Historic meeting of minds

Alumni group leaders meet for first time in Western history

On Monday, December 15, 2014, presidents and past-presidents of Western’s alumni association met with leaders of affiliate university colleges’ alumni associations, faculty and special alumni organizations.

The Council of Presidents, as this peer-to-peer round-table discussion is called, was the first meeting of its kind at Western since the establishment of the Alumni Association in 1949. According to Western Alumni Association Board President, John Eberhard, BA'66, LLB'69, the gathering was informative, collegial and well-received by all attendees.

“This meeting is a wonderful opportunity to share information and best practices and to learn about the history and priorities of each organization,” says Eberhard. “We got a really good sense of what each organization is doing to engage their alumni and opened the door for future collaboration and cooperation.”

Going forward, the group plans to meet regularly, with the next meeting set for June 2015 to coincide with convocation and the Association’s annual general meeting.

With a growing membership base of 270,000 alumni living in approximately 150 countries worldwide, Western Alumni offers benefits that include networking and learning opportunities to alumni through its global branches and chapters.

Branches exist across Canada, the U.S. and internationally in locations such as Hong Kong, London, U.K. and Auckland, New Zealand. Chapters recognize the common affiliations that develop through the shared Western Experience – such as athletics, professional programs or involvement on a club. For more information, or to get involved, visit http://www.alumni.westernu.ca/get-involved/chapters/.