All dressed up for the Grand Opening, June 4, 2010

Nearly 300 alumni  gathered at the corner of Main Street and Marlboro Street in Keene on Friday night, June 4, to celebrate the grand opening of the new Alumni Center. Sincerely appreciatve people spoke about the family that is the KSC alumni body, the welcome and generous support of the USNH system, and the many people and organizations that contributed to the campaign that made the Alumni Center possible. When the formal part of the dedication was over, everyone headed inside to tour the building and have a really really good party!

To encourage the guests to see everything, we handed out raffle tickets at several locations throughout the Center. Raffle prizes included books by alumni authors, gift certificates, wines, a copy of the Jonathan Daniels film, gift baskets of NH products, beautiful Vera Bradley items, and two exquisite turned wooden bowls – all prizes handcrafted by alumni or donated by alumni-owned businesses. And perhaps best of all was just talking to and mingling with the other guests in the magnificent Centennial Hall, enjoying good food and drink, and listening to the music of the Scott Mullett Quartet.

Alumni visited the Center throughout the weekend and seemed delighted with this impressive new building. If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by – we would love to visit with you too!

With $535,000 in pledges, we’re half way towards our $1 million goal for the Alumni Center. Hooray!  The lion’s share of this critical support has come from our faithful KSC  alumni, but many of our generous friends and corporate partners have also pitched in. We are profoundly grateful to everyone who has responded to our need, and to our University System trustees and the College for so much of the project funds.

We are naming parts of the building in honor of those who have given naming gifts. The Class of 1958 came up with the brilliant idea of pooling their individual donations into one hefty gift to the campaign. Hence, you’ll be able to bask in the friendly warmth of the Class of 1958 Alumni Gallery Fireplace. Several generous individuals will also have their names attached to spaces in the new building. Make sure you’re here for the big dedication ceremony on June 4 during Reunion Weekend.

We’re still striving to complete this campaign this year, and wed love to include tons of alums. If you make a gift of $100 or more, we’ll put your name on our donor wall. You can make a secure pledge online, or please call now: 603 358 2375. Thanks a million!

Finally – after years of planning, construction, and campaigning, the KSC Advancement Division is moving to its new home in the Alumni Center on Main Street across from the Hale Building. Who’s in the Advancement Division? The Offices of the Vice President for Advancement, Alumni & Parent Relations, Advancement Services, Marketing and Communications (formerly College and Media Relations and Online Communications), and Development.

We’re packing our boxes and should be hauling stuff to our new offices the week of March 15th. Want to know more about this project? Maybe you’d even like to see photos of the progress. It’s all on the Alumni Center page.

Oh, and even though our entire division is moving, our individual phone numbers and mailstop numbers will stay the same.

Construction on the Alumni Center, just across Main St. from Hale, is almost finished. Alumni from all over the country have pitched in to help raise funds for the project, and we truly appreciate everyone’s support!

The entire Advancement Division (Advancement Services, Alumni & Parent Relations, Development, and Marketing & Communications) are sorting files and packing boxes, getting ready to move into their new offices on March 16th!

For more information about the project or to help support the Alumni “All in” fundraising effort, please visit the Alumni Center page. There you will find architectural renderings, floor plans, and information about the new programs for alumni. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home!

Your name could be here.

Were you here for Reunion 2009 in June? Were you one of the 700+ people who signed the beam for the Alumni Center? If so, your name is enshrined forever (forever=the life of the building) in the new construction. In spite of this summer’s heavy rains, we expect to move into the Center early next May. Make plans to be on campus for Reunion 2010 for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

If you’d like to see more pictures of the beam, and the construction on the Alumni Center, check out the photo journal.

Homecoming celebrations brought Owls, alums, and 2,000 pumpkins from Gardiner, Maine, to campus for the weekend of October 24–26. Forty student organizations converged on Fiske Quad for the great Pumpkin Lobotomy on Friday, and Director of Student Life Paul Striffolino reported that 2,000 students carved pumpkins: “At the height of the event there wasn’t a square inch of Quad grass to be seen!”

Besides the usual fun and reconnection, two other important events took place on Saturday. Artist Michael Dooling, the creator of the 100th Owl, was at the Children’s Literature Gallery for the unveiling of his illustration. And President Helen Giles-Gee, along with alumni, faculty, and staff, gathered at the corner of Main and Winchester streets for the dedication of the Alumni Center that will be built there, beginning next spring.

(Above photo by Annie Card.)

Click here for more photos and information.