Hands waved energetically and voices shouted above the clamor as old friends reunited with one another and happened upon their former professors. 父母, some who are alumni themselves, chatted excitedly with new acquaintances. 在周六, 4月8日, 2017, nearly 100 people gathered at the Marriott Marquis Houston for the inaugural National Conference for 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 校友 and 父母. Seven decades of 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 alumni were represented in the attendees.
澳门金沙线上赌博官网总统 丹尼J. 安德森 greeted participants over breakfast with opening remarks about higher education today and his personal experiences since being inaugurated in February 2016. 安德森 picked up on the room’s atmosphere, describing an excitement for lifelong learning pervasive amongst the 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 community.
Conference attendees then broke into sessions taught by 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 faculty. 牧师. Raymond Judd ’56, chaplain emeritus, and R. 道格拉斯·布莱肯瑞吉, 荣誉退休教授, led a joint session reflecting on the 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 experience and the institution’s development. Diane Persellin, professor of music, taught a session about how music affects the brain. 大卫Lesch, the Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of History, covered Bashar Al-Assad and the disintegration of Syria in his timely session about the current Syrian civil war. 第四届会议, 由保罗·麦克金莱领导, 男子足球总教练, 还有1986年的格雷琴·拉什, 女子网球总教练, addressed the role of athletics at a liberal arts university.
苔丝·库迪·安德斯，93年, CEO of Resolute Health in New Braunfels, 德州, attended the conference because she “loved the idea of bringing alumni and parents together to engage directly with professors and staff.” She particularly enjoyed the breakout session with Lesch.
“及时, 现在有先见之明了, session with 大卫Lesch was an intellectual treat,库迪-安德斯说. “It was great to sit in the front row again – this time as an adult learner.”
休斯顿人凯文·福伊尔92年, vice president for development at the University of 德州 Health Science Center, says he didn’t think twice about attending the conference. Foyle especially liked the breakout session with Judd and Brackenridge because it “immediately transported him back to campus” and the “wonderful times” he had at 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 as an undergraduate. He also appreciated the chance to hear President 安德森 speak about his vision for 澳门金沙线上赌博官网.
“The conference provided my first opportunity to hear from President 安德森 and learn about today’s 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 experience,福伊尔说。. “I left feeling confident that the University will continue to excel and advance its academic standing amongst its peers and aspirants.”
Following the breakout sessions, participants enjoyed an ARAMARK-sponsored luncheon that featured Dr. 马克·W. 克莱恩 1979年，J.S. Abercrombie Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. 克莱恩 spoke to an enthralled room about his work to combat HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe.
短暂的休息之后, participants visited the Houston Museum of Fine Arts with private tours by Elizabeth Ward, professor and chair of the 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 Department of Art and Art History, 和凯特·瑞特森, a sculpture professor in the same department. 回到马奎斯万豪酒店, the 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 Chamber Singers captivated conference attendees at a President’s Reception with President 安德森. 用于晚间娱乐, participants decided between dinners at area Houston restaurants or a Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park.
The 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 校友 Relations and Development office is already planning on a second annual conference sometime in 2018. Foyle called the conference a “wonderful opportunity to invest in his own degree” and Coody-Anders says she “left feeling smarter than when I arrived. It was like dusting off the intellectual cobwebs!”
For more information about future 澳门金沙线上赌博官网 alumni events, contact 210-999-8404 or visit the alumni events webpage.
你可能会感兴趣
