Fall 2014 Alumni Newsletter

Student Union Activities Fall 2014 Newsletter

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Fall Updates

BYE FOR NOW

At the end of last semester, the board decided the Spirit committee was no longer reaching is mission without the Williams Fund partnership. The Spirit committee began in 2009 as a partnership with the Williams Fund and with Athletics and last year they decided to go in a different direction. The board still made sure to include tailgates and tournaments in this semester’s events.

INTERNATIONAL NIGHTS

The cultural programming committee teamed up with the Global Awareness Program to bring in a new series of events called International Nights. Each night of this three-part series featured a different country; first night was India, second was Brazil and the last part of the series featured China. SUA and GAP enlisted help from cultural student organizations affiliated with each country to create each night. Each event had presentations about the countries and talked about their culture with food from their country and different performances and activities. Each part of the series had an attendance of more than 100 people.

MOONLIGHT MOVIES

After years of trying, weather permitted SUA to screen a movie outside! The Films and Media committee brought Moonlight Movies to the Hill where “Grease” and “Remember the Titans” played. Close to 200 students attended this double feature on the hill and enjoyed the free popcorn and cotton candy.

KICKING OFF THE YEAR

SUA and KJHK teamed up to do the annual Night on the Hill concert featuring The Knocks. The Knocks are a DJ duo that performed at numerous festivals over the summer. Lawrence was the first stop on their headlining tour for the Fall.

COLIN JOST

SUA and the Lied Center brought Saturday Night Live’s head writer and star of the Weekend Update, Colin Jost, on October 16. Jost started the show off by having the audience do the Rock Chalk Chant as he videotaped it for Jason Sudekis. He performed for an hour and the audience laughed the whole time. This event was part of the new partnership between SUA and the Lied Center. The pre-show consisted of a KU student and a local comedian.

Alumni Spotlight When did you start painting and what is your biggest accomplishment with your painting career?

I started painting in high school and never stopped! My most memorable accomplishment was the first time I had a painting shown at Kansas City’s own Nelson Atkins Museum and my mother was able to see my work hanging in the gallery. It is a memory I treasure even more now that she has passed away.

Name: Nancy Morrison Years in SUA: 1975-1976 Positions held: Fine Arts Chairperson Current job: Art teacher at Longview Community College How did SUA lead you to your current line of work?

It gave me the confidence and the ability to speak in front of groups of people, which is something necessary for teaching.

How have you applied the skills you learned from your experience in SUA to your current career?

Being in SUA taught me the importance of working within a given budget and working within a team environment. Working with others is a skill needed in most professions today, and in today’s economy budgets are tight. When I served on the Lee’s Summit Arts Council, both these skills were needed.

What do you do at Heritage Auctions?

My job is to bring in consignments to auction, but I focus on Photographs. I estimate pieces, manage agreements, catalog, organize and promote the Signature Photographs auctions and venue.

How did your experience in SUA impact your time here at KU? I met students outside of my major area that I would have never had the chance to meet.

I got the chance to know Katherine Giele, our advisor at the time. She was the kind of person you could go to for anything. She was so giving and so kind.

*Nancy’s art was featured in the Kansas Union Gallery for Homecoming.

How did you get involved with SUA? I joined as a volunteer my freshman year after Hawk Week. It just seemed like a fun group to belong to! I went to my first meeting and was hooked.

Name: Rachel Peart Years in SUA: 2002-2005 Positions held: Special Events Coordinator & President Current job: Director of Photographs at Heritage Auctions

What is your favorite SUA memory?

My gallery chairperson and I put together a show where we borrowed artworks from several Kansas City galleries and a couple of pieces from the Nelson Atkins Museum. My gallery chairperson decided that the gallery needed some green plants for the show and without consulting me decided to rent some.

He also ordered some fresh flowers for the reception. He spent nearly our entire yearly budget on one show! Katherine Giele helped us figure it all out and the near budget disaster was averted and the show turned out wonderful!

What was your biggest accomplishment as President?

Passing the bill with Student Senate to add the $5 fee to allow SUA the ability to have a few bigger headliners perform during the year. I was always impressed with the amount and diversity of programming SUA did with the budget by being creative and co-sponsoring. However, fees for bringing in talent had risen and the additional money was needed.

What is your favorite SUA memory?

As great as all the events were, my favorite memories are with the people I worked with.

Everyone at the Union and in SUA. A lot of those memories are inside jokes . I just remember a lot of laughter.

What was your absolute favorite event from your entire time in SUA? So many to pick from! Bill Cosby, Mo Rocca,

Anderson Cooper... My favorite was Patti Jenkins, who came to show her film, “Monster.” Pauline Pechin, the Films Coordinator, said Jenkins was bringing a special guest... Steve Perry from Journey! When the film aired Perry sat a few seats down from us and he was called to the stage for the Q & A. He talked about why the song, “Don’t Stop Believin’” was perfect for the movie. He even started to speak the lyrics, which was awesome!

How did SUA lead you to your current job?

The pace and excitement of having different events all the time is somewhat similar to auctions. We have previews and sales in our venues all the time.

I love the energy just like I did in SUA! How have you applied the skills you learned from SUA to your current job?

Learning how to manage a venue, make proposals and execute events from beginning to end was great practice on a smaller level of projects I do now.

What advice do you have for current members?

Enjoy your time! Don’t subscribe to what people think you “should do” after college. Follow what you are passionate about and work hard.

New Developments Meet B eth Little THE NEW ADVISOR

Housing and Dining Services and was involved with their Office of Greek Affairs, Union Program Council and LGBT Resource Center. I also held four conference-based internships, three Greek-based and one LGBTcentered.

What is your Student Affairs background?

As an undergrad, at the University of Central Missouri, I was involved with housing, Greek life, Union building operations, the Alumni Association and the Admissions Office. I held various roles within each, but think that my time in the Union with Greek life and housing are the areas that best prepared me for my time at KU! At K-State, I held an assistantship with

What is your favorite thing about KU so far?

I really appreciate the acceptance of the community that is KU and Lawrence. KU is an awesome institution that has an amazing amount of pride in itself and its students. It is so cool to be a part of a forward-thinking institutional community that makes me feel supported and accepted.

What is your favorite part about advising for SUA? My favorite part so far has been working with the students. The students are so amazing here at KU. Getting to see the pride, effort and genuine care they put into everything is so incredible! The events that are produced

and the comradery they form amongst one another is second to none. They are what make the job.

How are you adjusting to Lawrence after coming form K-State? (BOO!) K-State and KU are definitely like night and day in some regards. There are aspects of both that I enjoy, but overall I enjoy KU and Lawrence the most! I have adjusted well so far to being in a new town and a new institution. Sometimes the adjustment that seems to be the hardest is that I’m a real, live adult now!

What are some goals you have for this position?

A major goal that I have for myself is to ensure that I am continually challenged!

Getting complacent in a position is never fun nor is it helping me grow. If I am not growing as a human, I don’t feel as though I would be serving the students to the best of my ability and helping them grow.

You’re Invited !

Nick Offerman is coming to KU! Offerman is most known for his role on the hit NBC comedy, “Parks and Recreation.” He will be performing at the Lied Center on Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. As alumni you can purchase tickets at the student saver price of $10 saving you $20 per ticket!

There will also be a small reception at 6:30 p.m. before the show for alumni only with refreshments.

Buy your tickets today by contacting Rebecca Swearingen at 785-864-2425.

New Lied Center Partnership York City. My family is ecstatic to be living in Lawrence, which we believe to be one of the best college towns in the country.

What is your background in performing arts planning?

My career in the arts started about 15 years ago when I was hired in the Education department at Jazz at Lincoln Center. My position evolved over the next five years to the point where I was the Associate Director of Programming and Concert Operations. From 2007-2012, I was the Executive Director of Interlochen Presents in Michigan, where I programmed a 4,000-seat covered amphitheater, 1,000-seat theater and multiple 200-300seat venues.

Name: Derek Kwan Current job: Executive Director of the Lied Center Tell us a little about yourself and your job.

In mid-January 2014, I started my job as the Executive Director of the Lied Center. I’m responsible for a staff of 15 full time employees and direct the overall artistic vision, partnerships, operations and fundraising efforts.

Prior to moving to Lawrence, I was the Vice President of Concerts & Touring for Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New

Tell us a little about your time at the University of Wisconsin.

While I was pursuing my MBA, I was fortunate to have a project assistantship with the Wisconsin Union Theater (the Lied Center’s counterpart). The Theater was actually housed within the Memorial Union and we worked very closely with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Student Performing Arts Committee to program each season. I was able to experience the amazingly positive impact that this partnership had on both the Wisconsin Union Theater and the Wisconsin Union Directorate students.

How did the SUA/Lied Center partnership come about?

The beginnings of the partnership originated from a great meeting I had during my on-campus interview with David Mucci, JJ O’Toole-Curran and Tom Johnson. After describing the situation at the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union, I was ecstatic about the positive reception regarding a potential partnership between SUA and the Lied Center.

What are you the most excited about with this partnership?

A challenge for the Lied Center is our location and not necessarily being part of the walking DNA of campus.

Partnering with SUA has exposed students to the Lied Center at events when they otherwise might not ever come to West Campus. The most exciting aspect of the partnership is the Lied Center’s opportunity to learn from SUA leaders. No one knows what is relevant to the current student body more than students themselves.

As a performing arts center on a University campus, it is imperative for the Lied Center to stay relevant among the student body and it also makes complete sense for us to partner and assist students in SUA who are producing entertainment events. We sincerely hope our partnership with SUA continues to evolve and grow!

Support SUA Leaders Dear Alumni and Friends of SUA, SUA and its campus programming run on student volunteers. Donations to our scholarship funds are our sole source of support for student leadership opportunities.

Your donation is an investment that will help shape tomorrow’s officers and coordinators, and will help keep those students in school. Your gift will provide SUA’s future student leaders the opportunity to develop and thrive, and will allow them to carry the lessons they learn with them long after they leave KU. Support our students and their programming efforts for the KU community by donating today! Along with the newsletter, there are pledge cards and prepaid envelopes for you to attach any donation. There are suggested amounts listed, along with a spot for other, where you can write in your own amount. Remember no donation is ever too little! You can visit suaevents.com/giveback for more information about our scholarship campaign.

There are two types of scholarships available to our dedicated students:

• SUA Academic Scholarship Endowment: This is a general endowed fund that provides modest, but essential, scholarship assistance to SUA leaders.

•Private Endowments: Additional scholarship funds are secured and are named in honor of past campus leaders or SUA leaders, or can be named in honor of the donor.

Thank you for supporting a mainstay of the KU campus experience.

Current scholarships include the Frank Burge Scholarship, the Katherine Giele Scholarship and the Warner Ferguson Scholarship.

Talk to us: Connect with fellow SUA alums online with our SUA Alumni Facebook group (search “SUA Alumni” and request to join) and on LinkedIn (we’re at “KU Student Union Activities Alumni”).

In the past several years, we have built on the success of our rich 75-year history to more than double our ranks. Donor support is essential to SUA’s continued growth.

Our scholarship campaign began in July 2014. We hope to reach $10,000 at the end of this campaign in June of 2015.

Current efforts have raised $1850.

We appreciate all the support our alumni have given; you can give back to SUA at anytime! No donation is too little. We appreciate all donations to the scholarship campaign!

This scholarship fundraising effort is part of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. For information on the campaign, please visit www.farabove.org.

Stay in touch with SUA

Keep up with the latest SUA news: Visit us at suaevents.com/alumni for event updates and opportunities to stay up-to-date with all things SUA. Visiting campus? Stop by and see us at the Union Programs Office, on level 4 of the Kansas Union.

Student Union Activities 1301 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 472 Lawrence, KS 66045 www.suaevents.com (785) 864-SHOW

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