With that in mind, I am asking for your support in the upcoming election for The Citadel Alumni Association’s District 4 Director position. As a native of Charleston and a graduate of The Citadel who has put two sons through and influenced two cousins into matriculating and graduating, I can navigate the uniqueness of the Old Corps alumni and the more recent grads of our beloved institution. I fee
l I would be able to bridge the gap between the Old Corps of yesteryear with the corps of today. Strong clubs and members are the target. I would work for strong Citadel clubs within the organization, helping the clubs by reaching out to alumni not participating, with a focused drive to increase membership. We, as an association, need to incorporate ALL alumni. We are no longer the old Association of Citadel Men. Our institution now has upwards of 500 female grads from the SCCC as well as thousands of graduate and day school alums. Engaging the young alumni is very important as well. We must get them while they are young. They need to have a “seat at the table” and be involved, not just remain in the shadows. To do this, we need to meet them where they want to be met with interesting programs with a degree of youthfulness. They need to feel the connection not only with other recent grads but us Old Corps guys and the institution as well. Early in the process (matriculation), they must be inundated with the positives of the Association, the importance of philanthropy and the benefits of membership. Many are newlyweds with small children. We could use family days to entice participation, complete with cookout, bouncy houses, games, etc. My goal would be to bring value to alumni throughout The Citadel community by firmly establishing the benefits of the CAA in their lives and in their local area. The benefits of wearing the Ring are clear to all of us and we need to translate this into one of the benefits of Alumni Association involvement as well by working with and helping the administration and faculty, The Citadel Foundation, and others to enhance the relationship between the Alumni Association and the school. Our association and clubs have to be relevant. Alumni expect more than a sticker and magazine three times a year. Networking, career counseling and the like should be a part. This role of leadership is more about building relationships than anything else. Building long term trust and friendships should be the goal in developing alumni clubs and increased membership. The alumni and clubs reached should feel good about their relationship and their support of our Alumni Association. Cultivating the rapport with club presidents is key. Todd Davis
[email protected]
864-940-9387
