We Remember Our Connection to Place

As I write, I am planning my first visit to St. Mike’s in four years. During my last visit, The Dodig Family COOP (the COOP) and Brennan Hall were under construction. As I plan my stroll around campus, I look forward to the grand reveal of something new and something familiar. As I take on the role as President and Chair of the Alumni Board, I envisage the St. Mike’s 180 Strategic Plan will be our compass. This will set our direction as a Board and for alumni at St. Mike’s through the lens of the plan’s three key strategic priorities — community, education, and sustainability. This is an incredible opportunity for remembering and renewal.

We remember our connection to place. Our St. Mike’s nostalgia allows us to look back at the transformation we experienced starting as a student, throughout our studies, as a graduate and then taking that imprint of our experience out in the ‘real world.’ St. Mike’s remains a welcoming place for alumni. In our renewal process, we hope to offer even more opportunities for alumni to rekindle their relationship with the community, including with fellow alumni and students.

We remember Andy Lubinsky, the longest-serving past President and Chair of the Alumni Board. Andy was a dedicated alumni volunteer who passed away suddenly earlier this spring. We are proud to continue the process of renewal Andy started to thread alumni across the St. Mike’s community, including supporting students and recent graduates as they navigate the world.

We remember that our fellow alumni represent St. Mike’s in the work and service they do every day. Sometimes this service is known to the University. More often, it’s hidden but crucial: recommending St. Mike’s to a neighbour, forwarding an alumni event, informally mentoring a student. As part of this renewal, we hope to unearth many of the hidden alumni acts of service and highlight extraordinary ordinary stories of St. Mike’s alumni as inspiration.

We remember the education we received throughout our St. Mike’s experience. We are grateful for the support, guidance, and care we received during this journey. We also remember when perhaps we didn’t get the support we needed, feeling lost in our career aspirations, unsure of our next steps. We looked for direction to live a life of purpose. In our renewal, I hope alumni can play an increasingly important role in inspiring current students, new graduates, and fellow alumni. As alumni we can connect — or reconnect — with faculty, staff, residence life, and University governance to advance to the St. Mike’s holistic education.

We remember that institutions like St. Mike’s have a responsibility to take a leadership role in social justice and sustainability. The University has prioritized sustainability and social responsibility in the St. Mike’s 180 plan. There is a key place for alumni to advance and support these efforts. The renewal challenge for alumni is to raise the awareness across the St. Mike’s community — including among alumni themselves — on their potential for alumni to contribute, to lend their expertise to support these ambitious sustainability goals.

Alumni are not an add-on to the St. Mike’s community. Alumni are essential. Our challenge as the St. Mike’s Alumni Board is to lead this alumni renewal across the community, education, and sustainability for the institution. As crucial members of the St. Mike’s community, alumni will also benefit in this renewal. We will continue to strive and enhance the lives of St. Mike’s alumni throughout their lives. St. Mike’s needs to mobilize its entire community — including all alumni — to find their place to support and be supported to achieve a healthy balance in this marvellous ecosystem.

The committee aims to have the new structure functioning for the 2022 – 2023 academic year, although full implementation will take longer.