alumninews national alumni association president’s message My Brothers, hank you for your conferral of collective trust this past spring when you elected me to serve as the new president of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. I am humbled by the honor you have so graciously bestowed upon me and the newly elected officers of the Association. The first order of business is the appointment of each of you, members of the alumni body, to the position of “presidential advisers.” You are charged with the responsibility of challenging all of the newly elected officers to develop this Association so that it is relevant to you, our alumni. A great deal of gratitude is in order for the past officers and leadership of the Association. President McCall has continued to zealously move this organization forward. With the revamping of the Association’s Web site, implementing programs such as the Pro Tiger Network Mentoring Program and the Grey Tiger Initiative, President McCall and his administration have kept the Association on the right track. I hope to continue to grow the Association and position it to make an even deeper impact within our alumni base. As we move forward, our success will depend upon our ability to take a good, hard look at our Association and its purpose. Will we be confident enough to celebrate our successes, yet humble enough to acknowledge our shortcomings? Are we willing to accept and embrace the growth that must occur within our organization if we are to remain relevant to a rapidly changing alumni demographic? All of these are questions that we must answer together. President Robert M. Franklin ’75 has done much to inspire the students at Morehouse to become “Renaissance men with social conscience.” Dr. Franklin has helped to define what we alumni have always exhibited and intrinsically known: our alma mater represents a very unique and prestigious “brand.” It is a brand that all alumni share an interest in protecting. If this Morehouse brand loses value, then our credentials lose value and, ultimately, a part of who we are is lost. We are all parts of a larger whole, and no matter how hard we attempt, we can never separate ourselves from or forget the experiences of Dear Old Morehouse—be those experiences good, bad or indifferent. It is these experiences that have helped to define us as men; and as men we must be bold as we address issues surrounding alumni participation within the Association, alumni giving at the College, and collaboration amongst all of our stakeholders. I have faith that we will squarely confront the issues that face the College, the Association and our alumni body. It will require that all of us become engaged and committed leaders in our communities as we embrace new strategies for growth. It will require us to re-engage our Association and challenge it to meet the needs of its members. It will require us to look in new directions and travel the path less trodden. It will require us to set our sights on a bolder vision for the Association. I extend an invitation and an open hand for you to be a part of what will be an unprecedented term of growth, inclusion and collaboration. I look forward to working with you to develop an Association that is strong, relevant and responsive to the needs of its members.
T
“Will we be confident enough to celebrate our successes, yet humble enough to acknowledge our shortcomings? Are we willing to accept and embrace the growth that must occur within our organization if we are to remain relevant to a rapidly changing alumni demographic?”
Sincerely,
Kevin R. McGee ’93 President MCNAA NOTE: MCNAA is an independent 501c3 organization.
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