25
years of
AROUND CAMPUS
Written by: Rob Peace, ’00
What prompts a leader to lead? When considering the past 25 years of Mohawk College’s esteemed Alumni Association, one cannot possibly collapse on a singular answer. In truth, there are 11 distinct and varied responses to that query. The past presidents and chairs of the Alumni Board and Council have all breathed different and storied enthusiasm into their roles – enthusiasm borne out of passion and out of dedication. All with contrasting yet equally admirable spirit, these leaders helped to write the history book – thus far – of an association that keeps the ardent school spirit still enkindled long after the liripipe has been removed from the shoulder. The first chapter of the story begins with Jim Miller, a Nursing grad and Medal winner at his convocation. Jim was a student member of the Nursing program Advisory committee to the college and was appointed fairly soon after his graduation to the Board of Governors as an Alumni rep. He brought the Alumni concerns and issues to the attention of the college and the Board of Governors and, being a board member, Jim was influential in the establishment of one of the first formal Alumni Associations in the College system and ultimately was elected president of Mohawk’s Alumni Association. Jim contributed to obtaining more recognition to the Alumni of the colleges at the provincial level with the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Ontario (ACAATO). He gave much volunteer service to the Alumni Association even after his term as board governor ended. Looking back, his contributions to the founding of the Alumni Association of Mohawk College in the early 1980s were important for gaining much needed recognition by the community and by business and industry for the relatively new college graduates and College alumni both in Ontario and across the country.
in touch | fall 2010
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Sandy Stevenson President - 1986 - 1987 “The graduates of Mohawk College could provide an untapped resource.” Stevenson will go down in the Mohawk College volumes as the first elected president of the Alumni Association. “I was involved with the original formation of the first board of the Alumni Association,” he remembers. “I was originally approached by Ted Iwanek and was asked if I would consider joining the newly created association. Jim Miller was the interim president and I was a member of the board. Our first task was to form a constitution and to elect a Board of Directors. I was then elected as the first president.” Stevenson felt the enormity of his new position and regarded it as significant because “the graduates of Mohawk College were a great resource that could benefit both other alumni as well as provide an untapped resource for the current students.” Compiling and creating the first formal alumni contact list and the initial fundraising in the Association’s infancy are some of the standout experiences that Stevenson recalls fondly. He says that John Bruce, the first officer of the Alumni Association, did a fantastic job of recruiting and training volunteers for a telemarketing campaign to accumulate funds, and he remembers that some of the initial proceeds went to refurbishing Alumni Hall. Stevenson currently markets corporate promotional products to corporations and independent business owners, and has worked in this capacity since 2006 in Concord, Ontario. He believes that it is important to stay involved with other alumni, and views it as a way to maintain contacts. “I still keep in touch with about two dozen people from my program,” he says. “I look forward to attending the annual events such as the golf tournament to re-connect with folks and keep up to date on what they are doing.”