3 minute read
Letter to Alumni
A New Approach
Inflation and rising costs for materials have certainly impacted all of us over the last several months. Whether it was the price of a dozen eggs or the cost of a new computer, almost everything we use, or touch, has seen drastic increases in price. As a result, we’ve all been forced to make changes in our purchasing and spending habits.
Your alma mater has not been immune to these escalating costs, and, like you, we have been forced to make adjustments to many of our activities. Unfortunately, one of the places where we have seen t he greatest impact on our costs is MTSU magazine. W ith paper and ink costs rising dramatically, even doubling in some cases, and postage costs set to g o up again this summer, we were forced to make some d ecisions on our primary alumni communications piece.
Effective July 1, we are adopting a new circulation plan—one that we hope will allow us to continue to provide you with valuable stories on the activities and successes of your alma mater while reflecting prudent financial management to assure we remain good stewards of our University’s resources. Under our new distribution plan, all alumni households with a valid mailing address will receive one copy of MTSU magazine each summer. This robust issue will be a comprehensive review of major University programs and activities from the previous 12 months, keeping you informed of the people and events that make MTSU special.
Each winter, a second, abbreviated issue will be produced, again with stories and profiles of key highlights from the fall. This issue will be a bit timelier and spotlight events from the previous six months, like Homecoming, and our campus activities and traditions. Circulation for this issue will be limited to alumni and friends who are active donors; new graduates, who will receive a three-year subscription; members of M TSU Foundation and Alumni Association boards, various advisory boards, and the Blue Raider Athletic Association; and participants/attendees at our major events.
This is not a decision we made lightly, and we are looking to ways to assure we continue our communications with you. We will maintain online versions of both magazines that will be available to everyone and intend to supplement those with the Middle Minute, our e-newsletter, and a vibrant social media presence to keep our Blue Raider community informed and engaged in the life of the University.
If you want to be sure that you keep receiving your MTSU magazine, I encourage you to stay actively involved. All donors of $100 or more annually, as well as those who are active in our campus/alumni programming, will receive both issues. We are working to assure that everyone who wants to be engaged in our community will be provided the resources they need to stay informed and involved. Please know how much we appreciate your understanding and support as we transition to this new model of communications. We will be constantly monitoring the situation as we explore new or improved ways to stay connected.
Again, thank you for your continued support of MTSU!
