Making and maintaining connections with Cougs is what the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA) is all about. Doing that successfully during a pandemic is challenging. The WSUAA staff took the challenge head on. With equal measures of creativity and hard work, they pulled it off.
Communication is at the heart of linking Cougs with WSU and with one another. We produce CougNews—a compilation of stories from across the WSU system—delivered electronically each month. The WSUAA also prepares members only emails about benefits, services, and programs members can enjoy. Event announcements are another mainstay. Four times each year, we send all members copies of Crimson Quarterly, an old-fashioned, hands-on, printed newsletter that includes news of upcoming activities, WSUAA highlights, and alumni and volunteer features.
This issue of Washington State Magazine is an example of our innovative communications efforts. We partnered with the WSM staff to share this issue exclusively with WSUAA members—all 40,000+ of us. We are huge fans of the magazine and thank our WSM partners for helping us get this issue into your hands.
The WSUAA is likely best known for our events. In a “normal” year, the WSUAA conducts 1,000+ in-person events nationwide. Those stopped in March 2020 when we shifted to virtual programming. The positive response from our members has been overwhelming. Events range from our virtual book club (Well Read Cougs) to a live tour of Bolivia to our innovative Feast@Home food-wine-fun virtual gatherings to career nights. Our programming focuses on learning, networking, and fun, three areas important to our members.
Truth be told, we miss gathering with Cougs in person. When we can, we will restart our in-person events while continuing our communications and virtual programming. Cougs are social by nature.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
In the meantime, thanks for being a WSUAA member and for helping us support WSU.
Go Cougs!
Tim Pavish ’80
Executive Director and Platinum Life Member