Reaching Out to Those MBU Has Reached

The MBU Alumni Board is out and about to serve former and current students while being very active with campus activities.

Photo by John Hough

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Did you know that once you graduate from Missouri Baptist University there will be a group of people looking out for you?

Alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae.

When you graduate you will become one of these.

That means you won’t be forgotten as long as the MBU Alumni Board is around.

“The Alumni Board is first and foremost a representative for our alumni body,” Alumni Relations Manager Brian Knapp said. “The Alumni Board exists to represent them and to serve on their behalf, to be the voice of the alumni.”

Not only does the board exist to serve the alumni, but current students as well.

“Our big push this next coming year is to engage students,” Knapp said. “We feel that our biggest mission is not only connecting alumni with each other, but taking alumni and connecting them with students to serve them whether it be career, professional or personal development.”

The Alumni Board consists of 13 members and Knapp hopes to grow that number to as high as 21.

The members meet four times a year, which are called quarterly meetings, and there are five committees that meet in between those four meetings.

According to Mobap.edu, there are four functions of the Alumni Board.

The first is serve, which is to function as an advisory council to the alumni office staff on how the staff can better understand and meet the needs of the alumni community.

Next is to engage or to actively strengthen ties between former students, faculty and staff of the university.

The third function is to advocate by publicly supporting the university and its community of alumni and friends.

Lastly, there is support, which is to contribute time, talent and treasure to further association and university goals.

“As any alum at the university, we ask, specifically from our board members, that they help in that goal of the university,” Knapp said.

Although the Alumni Board is not charged or responsible for raising funds because those come from the Development Office, “As Alumni Board members we asked for 100 percent participation and whatever giving campaign or anything the university is doing to help raise money.”

A significant project for the board is the new Homecoming football game and like a lot of schools throughout America, it is a chance for any alumni boards to connect with the alumni at their school.

MBU is new to the game, but is catching on quickly.

“One of the biggest things for us is that’s an opportune time to get alumni back on campus,” Knapp said. “Traditionally speaking, Homecoming is for alumni and to put more emphasis on Homecoming, instead of all of the home football games.”

The board wants to improve in getting the word about Homecoming out sooner, specifically in the summer, and the branding that goes with it across the university.

Another goal is to increase the marketing strategy by partnering more with the MBU Communications Office to use social media to advertise.

“The board is excited and ready to get to work on engaging current students and helping alumni connect with one another in a meaningful way,” Knapp said. “The big things that I have found meeting with alumni is that they’re looking for ways to give back to the university, specifically by getting involved with current students and networking with one another. Our Alumni Board is excited and eager to help make those initiatives.”