Alumni meet, greet and rediscover UD

In recent months, UD alumni and friends around the country attended a series of special gatherings to socialize, network, reconnect with old friends and hear the University’s 26th president, Patrick Harker, talk about his vision for the institution’s future.

The “Rediscover UD” receptions began in the fall with get-togethers from Delaware to California and New York to Florida. More recently, events this spring were held in Phoenix, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, northern and central New Jersey, Boston and Washington, D.C.

In March, 45 Houston-area Blue Hens braved severe thunderstorms to welcome Harker in the Aventine Ballroom of the Hotel Icon. In addition to his address, those in attendance say they enjoyed the chance to mingle and reconnect.
Calling the evening “both informative and interesting,” Rebecca Bresnik, AS ’91, an attorney with NASA, says she also enjoyed learning about the new president’s vision and getting to know other Houstonians who had attended the University.
Former UD football player Frank Smith Jr., CHS ’68, CHEP ’71M, a senior vice president at Dune Energy, says he enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with two alums who had also played for the Blue Hens at different times. “It was fun to share our experiences,” he says. “It was also great to meet other alumni and learn about how their paths led them to Houston.”

Later in the spring, and considerably closer to campus, more than 225 guests met in Philadelphia in April at Top of the Tower, the 50th floor reception hall of the Bell Atlantic Tower in Center City.

As at the other gatherings, an assortment of UD-related books were on display and taken home by lucky winners of a raffle. A highlight in Philadelphia was a prize package that included Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, the autobiography of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden, AS ’65, along with an autographed photo and personalized cufflinks from Delaware’s senior senator. The items were brought to the reception by Biden’s state director, John Di Eleuterio, AS ’67.

Numerous University officials, including five deans and the directors of admissions and athletics, also attended the event, along with several members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Alumni continued to “Rediscover UD” in May, which kicked off with a reception in northern New Jersey, in the Skyland Suite of the castle-like Sheraton Parsippany Hotel. Joining alumni and friends were the University’s football and men’s basketball coaches and many other representatives from campus.

The event “was a great evening on every level,” says Brad Bofford, AS ’93, North Jersey Alumni Club coordinator.
“It was a nice turnout and a perfect opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni as well as meet alumni from the last several decades,” he says. “It was also an absolute privilege to meet President Harker. We were able to hear firsthand his passion for UD as well as many of the new initiatives that are happening.”

This initial series of receptions with Harker concluded in June, but for more information about alumni clubs and events in your area, see [www.UDconnection.com].