A Message from Stephanie Cooper '65, MFA '76, Your Alumnae/i Board President

The Board of Directors of the Alumnae/i Association is in the process of redefining and strengthening itself so that we can be an increasingly vital resource for the College at this transitional moment. The College has a new, exciting president and an inspiring interim dean, and will soon have a new vice president for advancement. We occupy a liminal state—a little unsure but ripe with possibilities—and I have taken it as my personal mission to bring the Alumnae/i Board to a new, high level of professionalism and productivity so that we can serve the needs of all alumnae/i and the College as never before.

We began the process this past June with an on-campus retreat facilitated by one of our own, Emily Neustadt ’85. We debated and defined our mission, and with the help of members of the administration and the faculty we are now focused. We have taken the Board of Trustees as a model of how to structure our committees so that we can better support the College and its alumnae/i, and ensure that our committees’ work will be in concert with the priorities of the College.

Attracting new members to the Alumnae/i Board is a major goal. We are constantly looking for enthusiastic, energetic volunteers who will represent the varied interests of the Sarah Lawrence community, including the faculty, administration, student body (graduate as well as undergraduate), Center for Continuing Education, and alumnae/i from regions across the country.

We have established closer relationships with the College administration to ensure a greater exchange of information and more frequent opportunities to collaborate. This has resulted in the expansion of events and activities (such as Faculty on the Road, Writers Night, Genetics Symposiums) that will help connect alumnae/i across the country with the College and the faculty, and will play an important role in building the financial health of the College.

I hope you will join me in this important work, and I welcome your efforts, ideas, and good will. Here’s to a new era, in which the College continues to grow and innovate and to serve as an inspiring model of the ideal in liberal arts education!

Stephanie Cooper can be reached at scooper@stephaniercooper.com

The Alumnae/i Board has articulated the following goals:

To continue to connect alumnae/i with the College, to raise the visibility of the SLC community, and to enhance the national reputation of SLC in the inaugural year of our new president; To develop new ways we can aid in increasing donations to the College, especially in the $25 to $2,500 range; To help introduce our new president and dean to the alumnae/i community; To strengthen the national reputation of Sarah Lawrence as a pioneering, progressive center for higher learning; To increase the College’s access to funds to support its mission and vitality.

As we continue to develop the Board and the Alumnae/i Association as a whole, we will:

Review our by-laws to ensure that they serve us well as the foundation of how we operate; Engage alumnae/i in developing genuine reciprocity in which alumnae/i can turn to the College for personal and professional support, and vice versa; Collaborate with the SLC administration to ensure consistency, continuity, and focus in the achievement of College goals; Support the work of President Lawrence as she takes the College to the next level and builds its reputation, influence, and financial security.