UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Over the past year the Penn State Alumni Association has upheld and expanded its mission of service to members, alumni and the University, Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford reported to Penn State’s Board of Trustees during its meeting today (Sept. 8).
“With 775,338 alumni, Penn State has the most powerful alumni network in the world,and with 174,200 members, the Penn State Alumni Association remains unrivaled as the world’s largest dues-paying alumni relations organization,” Clifford told the board.
The Alumni Association cultivates and sustains lifelong relationships with alumni through programs and engagement events including Homecoming, We Are Weekend, Roar Tour pep rallies and others.
“In 2022–23, the association facilitated 186,000 connections through our programming, in addition to hundreds of local chapter events held in communities across the country and the world,” Clifford said.
The Alumni Association’s student programs connect students to Penn State from their first days on campus. At the start of the fall 2023 semester, the Lion Ambassadors welcomed more than 5,000 first-year students at the annual Be A Part From the Start event, and the Blue & White Society “BASH” event welcomed the entire University Park student body to celebrate the first week of classes.
“Participants see how they can develop leadership skills and connect with the alumni network even before they graduate, and it has helped make the Blue & White Society one of Penn State’s largest student organizations,” Clifford said.
The association’s award programs, including Alumni Fellows, Young Alumni Achievement Awards and Volunteer Awards, recognize alumni from across the academic spectrum who are achieving great things in their careers and communities, and whose positive impacts reflect the University’s commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, equity and belonging.
The Penn State Alumni Association and its affiliate groups also work with University partners to engage the Penn State network and leverage local connections to support University priorities. In the past year those efforts included promoting the Board of Trustees election and working with Advocate Penn State to motivate alumni to take key actions in support of Capital Day.
The association has 245 affiliate groups — more than any other higher education institution in the country — run by more than 3,000 volunteer leaders who are instrumental in engaging alumni and friends. The association recently launched a learning community dedicated to providing ongoing training to these volunteers.
The association also restructured its membership approach in 2022 to give members easier access to local chapters and affiliates, with no additional fees or dues.
“By eliminating local dues for chapter membership, all association members now have access to the network of affiliate groups, while volunteers are freed up to focus on engagement and volunteer recruitment and retention,” Clifford reported.
To support this new approach, an integrated technological infrastructure is being implemented, including a discount platform for members, a digital asset management tool and new solutions for chapter emails, websites and event registrations.
The Alumni Association upholds traditions through events like Guard the Lion Shrine and the S zone at all home football games and away game pep rallies, among many other events and activities. The association also uses technology to include as many Penn Staters as possible.
“For example, the Rose Bowl pep rally was livestreamed, so in addition to the 6,000 Penn Staters who attended in person, another 10,000 alumni and fans joined us virtually,” Clifford said.
Clifford’s report highlighted several examples of the association’s philanthropic support of the University, including $200,000 in support of Intercollegiate Athletics, $300,000 in support to college and campus alumni societies, and $50,000 in support of THON, plus more than $500,000 that local alumni groups raise for Four Diamonds annually. In addition, each year 451 scholarships are awarded from Penn State Alumni Association affiliate group endowments with a book value of more than $13 million.
The association keeps members informed with communications like the Penn Stater magazine, which reaches 135,000 households six times a year and recently expanded its digital presence to let members access content in additional ways. The monthly newsletter, AlumnInsider, and the Football Letter, sent to members after every football game during the season, reach more than 116,000 members via email.
The Alumni Association also communicates with all alumni, regardless of membership status, through a monthly news update and a Football Letter Gameday email sent on the morning of every Nittany Lion football game, which each reach approximately 350,000 alumni. The association’s podcast, The People of Penn State, has almost 10,000 downloads and listeners in 65 countries. The association also has more than 125,000 followers across its social media channels and brings more than 300,000 unique visitors to its web site annually.
The association’s full impact across the University is detailed in its annual scorecard found on alumni.psu.edu.