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2:06 p.m., March 7, 2008--California alumni were given the celebrity treatment as they joined University of Delaware President Patrick Harker in San Francisco on Feb. 20 and Los Angeles on Feb. 21 to reconnect with UD and discuss their thoughts on future and present plans for the university.

For most of the alumni in attendance, it was their first chance to meet Harker and learn in detail about plans for the University and about the strategic planning initiative.

The San Francisco event, which was held in the Crown Room at the Fairmont San Francisco, provided an engaging setting for 40 guests, who viewed the lunar eclipse from the top floor. Andrew Duszak, AS '04, who came to the event with his sister Lisa Duszak-Novak, AS '98, chose to move to California after graduation, but has kept his roots in Delaware by attending one previous alumni event in addition to the one at Fairmont. He said the event allowed for easy flow of conversation and nostalgia.

“The latest UD event at the Fairmont Hotel was classy, ritzy and left you yearning for your college days,” Duszak said. “My friends and I spent a good amount of time talking one-on-one with Harker. It was light conversation asking him about his transition to Newark. We quizzed him on his favorite restaurants and coffee shops and talked about our experiences at UD. Harker was very receptive and gave me a good feeling about the future of UD.”

The Los Angeles event brought the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to more than 70 alumni under a tent on Main Street at the Sony Picture Studios, where upon entrance, guests had their photos taken behind a UD step and repeat logo wall. James White, AS '73, said the event was special and conducive to mingling because of the uniqueness of the venue. At the Los Angeles event, Harker surprised the host, Steve Mosko, AS '78, a former UD men's lacrosse captain, with a jersey courtesy of Head Coach Bob Shillinglaw.

Both events included hors d'oeuvres, beverages and a raffle including books by University authors (for a complete list of books raffled, see below), providing a sophisticated atmosphere conducive to meeting area Blue Hens.

In San Francisco and Los Angeles, Harker brought light to recent key accomplishments at the University, from the football team's run to the national championship game to a continuing improvement in academics, along with goals he would like to accomplish within the near future, including national and international ties with other universities.

White said he wanted to attend the event to meet Harker and listen to his plans for the University. He said he liked listening and felt Harker was prepared and excited to push the University in a new direction.

“I was very impressed by Harker and his plans for UD,” White said. “His plans seem to be exactly what an institute of UD's stature needs. I was also impressed by the excitement he exuded as he was speaking.”

Kevin Falini, BE '89, said he has enjoyed attending San Francisco-area alumni events regularly over the past 17 years. He said since his time at UD, he has seen the University grow in national prestige and hopes Harker can continue that tradition. “The quality of the student body and programs has grown across the board,” Falini said. “I am impressed with how many times I see a UD student, professor or graduate cited in the national press, along with the breadth of topics cited. I want to see good things coming from UD in the press even more so that the rest of the world knows, too.”

Falini said he was especially looking forward to this event to meet Harker and other people who share a common interest in UD. “We have over 1,000 UD alumni in the Bay Area,” Falini said. “Each time I meet someone who has just moved to the area and I share this fact with them, they are amazed there are other Blue Hens here. These events are important because they should know there are other UD graduates in California who share common experiences and have their best interests at heart.”

Books raffled off at the alumni event included:
- University of Delaware: A Celebration, photographed by Richard Dunoff;
- Taste of Class: Recipes from Vita Nova;
- Reunion, by Fleda Brown;
- The Art of the American Musical: Conversations with the Creators, by Jackson R. Bryer and Richard A. Davison;
- Women of the Vine Cellars: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine, by Deborah Brenner;
- Delaware During the Civil War: A Political History, by Harold Bell Hancock;
- The Best Life Diet, by Bob Greene

Article by Sarah Lipman, AS '08