University Alumni Associations

[tld221]

Are you on yours? Do you pay dues of any sort? What does it cover? Are you active?

Details. Now.

ETA: I suppose what I'm getting at is this: Is it valuable to you? Do you recommend it?

[Benzgirl]

Yes.

Annually $65 Single, $70 Joint Membership
Lifetime dues - $1300 Single, $1400 Joint.
President's Club - Something like $2500 per year minimum. There are different levels. A President's Club member is guaranteed 2 season tickets to football games, but those will cost extra
Any Alumni Club member is eligible to 2 tickets to one football game (Ohio State Football is big business)

Dues include an Alum magazine, discounts, admissions, travel, insurance discounts, etc., but not much else

[SWTXBelle]

I didn't for a couple of years because I was really torqued about the name change. Now I've gotten over myself, and I pay my alumni dues. I'm not active, but that's because I'm in TN now. With my daughter going to my alma mater, I imagine I will become more active.

Basic membership is $50 - they'll then take as much money as you'll give them. The basic gives you Hillviews, the alumni magazine.

Is it valuable to me? Well, personally it doesn't do all that much. The point is, I feel an obligation to support the school I love to the best of my ability. I wish I could do more.

[indygphib]

I just sent in my dues check today. Here goes:

Annual Membership
Individual: $40
Joint: $45

Life Membership
Individual: $600
Joint: $650
Individual Life Payment Plan — $140/year for five years
Joint Life Payment Plan — $150/year for five years

Benefits
Purdue Alumnus Magazine, Discounts, Career Networking, Local Alumni Clubs, Travel

[tld221]

you speak of this "joint" membership, is this if, say, your spouse/parent/child attended your university as well?

[PeppyGPhiB]

Membership in my alumni association is FREE, and everyone's a member upon graduation. Of course, I expect this from a private university.

I've found mine to be a great place to network, since we have local alumni chapters in big cities. It's fun socially, too.

[OleMissGlitter]

I am a member and have been since I graduated. I worked in the Alumni Office for 2 years before moving to Athletics, so I cannot stress to everyone how important it is to join your AA and pay your dues! I think it's totally worth it! They have great events and if I have children and they attend Ole Miss they are elgible for an alumni scholarship. Plus the networking is really great and they also have the Ole Miss InCircle too.

Here are Ole Miss' Alumni Association Fees:
Membership Plan Rates
Annual Single $40
Annual Joint $50
3 Year Single $110
3 Year Joint $140
Single Life $800 (payment in full)
Single Paying on Life $850 (5 annual payments of $170)
Joint Life $995 (payment in full)
Joint Paying on Life $1,050 (5 annual payments of $210)
Annual Parent Individual $50 (Must have a child enrolled)
Annual Parent Joint $50 (Must have a child enrolled)
4 Year Individual Parent $150 (Must have a child enrolled)
4 Year Joint Parent $150 (Must have a child enrolled)
Lyceum Life Single $400 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)
Lyceum Life Joint $500 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)
M-Club Annual Single $20 (M-Club plans pay in full ONLY)
M-Club Life $300 (M-Club plans pay in full ONLY)
M-Club Golden Life $200 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)

You can see the benefits here.
http://www.olemissalumni.com/membership/benefits.asp

The Ole Miss AA has really grown and improved in the past 10 years I would say. I know my fiance who is an alumnus of Mississippi State said they don't have a dues paying Alumni Association. I think they can just "make a gift."

[nittanyalum]

I've never gotten overly involved with a local Alumni Association although I am on the email lists and (almost every year) pay the local dues. I do want to volunteer to do the college fairs in the high schools if my schedule ever eases up some day.

I am currently finishing up the payments for Lifetime Membership in the Penn State Alumni Association, I think I have 2 left. I'm too lazy too look up all the specifics like others have (sorry), but I think year-to-year AA dues are around $60 or $70 and Lifetime Membership dues are $600. The benefits are similar to what Benzgirl listed for OSU and indygphib for Purdue, the Alumni magazine, discounts, trips, etc etc etc.

It's just really important to me to stay "part" of Penn State because I love it so much. My husband? Couldn't care less about his undergraduate or graduate school. Eh, different strokes.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by OleMissGlitter

I am a member and have been since I graduated. I worked in the Alumni Office for 2 years before moving to Athletics, so I cannot stress to everyone how important it is to join your AA and pay your dues! I think it's totally worth it! They have great events and if I have children and they attend Ole Miss they are elgible for an alumni scholarship. Plus the networking is really great and they also have the Ole Miss InCircle too.

Here are Ole Miss' Alumni Association Fees:
Membership Plan Rates
Annual Single $40
Annual Joint $50
3 Year Single $110
3 Year Joint $140
Single Life $800 (payment in full)
Single Paying on Life $850 (5 annual payments of $170)
Joint Life $995 (payment in full)
Joint Paying on Life $1,050 (5 annual payments of $210)
Annual Parent Individual $50 (Must have a child enrolled)
Annual Parent Joint $50 (Must have a child enrolled)
4 Year Individual Parent $150 (Must have a child enrolled)
4 Year Joint Parent $150 (Must have a child enrolled)
Lyceum Life Single $400 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)
Lyceum Life Joint $500 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)
M-Club Annual Single $20 (M-Club plans pay in full ONLY)
M-Club Life $300 (M-Club plans pay in full ONLY)
M-Club Golden Life $200 (after 50-year reunion ONLY)

You can see the benefits here.
http://www.olemissalumni.com/membership/benefits.asp

The Ole Miss AA has really grown and improved in the past 10 years I would say. I know my fiance who is an alumnus of Mississippi State said they don't have a dues paying Alumni Association. I think they can just "make a gift."

Yep. In fact, I believe it is time to re-up my alumni membership. I've stopped getting the mag!

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Membership in my alumni association is FREE, and everyone's a member upon graduation. Of course, I expect this from a private university.

I've found mine to be a great place to network, since we have local alumni chapters in big cities. It's fun socially, too.

WORD - I was so surprised when I found out that some schools made you pay. Speaking of which, we just ponied up $150 to Wisconsin for a joint alumni association membership so we can get football tickets.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

WORD - I was so surprised when I found out that some schools made you pay.

Ditto.....

To answer the question, I don't participate with ours because I am active with some smaller affinity groups (gay alumni, black alumni, APO alumni). My local chapter is too broad for their activities to be interesting to me.

[ISUKappa]

Iowa State's:
Annual Member ($55 per year)
New Grad Annual Member ($30 per year)
Iowa State University Faculty and Staff Member ($40 per year for annual membership)
Lifetime Single Member ($750 paid in full/$800 paid in installments)
Lifetime Joint Member ($1,000 paid in full/$1,050 paid in installments)

You get the magazine, discounts on various local stores and national chains, automatic membership into area alumni clubs, access to an online alum site, window decals (woo hoo!), and access to the Rec and Library at Iowa State.

I was an annual member for a few years; I've just gotten lax at remembering to renew it. At some point I'd really like to become a lifetime member, just can't afford it right now.

And holy crap I just noticed I'm quoted in a sig. I don't think that's ever happened to me before.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by ISUKappa

And holy crap I just noticed I'm quoted in a sig. I don't think that's ever happened to me before.

every GCer gets their day.

[APhi Sailorgirl]

Originally I supported my alma mater by paying dues to the Alumni Association.

Now because of so much turnover in the office and the lack of any programming or the alumni mag being printed anymore, at this time I am not paying dues.

Additionally the actions of the current university president make my blood curl, so that is a big factor as well.

I do; however, give a small donation each year to my particular department, because I know exactly where that money goes.

[ForeverRoses]

I don't know if we have dues or not- I get the magazine (Ohio Today) and am part of Ohio Univeristy In Circle and I get invited to the Indianapolis Alumni Events, but I don't think I have ever paid dues to anyone. I do give a donation every year when they call, so maybe it's part of that? I'm sure DeltAlum will know...