May alumni gathering in NYC

More than 20 alumni and friends of Western renewed their ties with the university at a get-together held on May 9 at the Cornell Club Library in New York City. Attendees at the gathering included graduates of the university’s Ancell School of Business (ASB) who share the bond of membership in Sigma Chi fraternity and who currently work in New York in finance and other professions.    

President James W. Schmotter and ASB Dean Allen Morton were on hand to greet guests at the evening gathering and share recent developments at the university.  Schmotter offered welcoming remarks and presented a video about the new School of Visual and Performing Arts building under construction on the Westside campus. He then introduced Morton, who lauded the success of the graduates in the room and described how they could help as mentors for today’s students. The presentation concluded with showing of a video featuring WCSU’s pioneering efforts to improve high school student preparedness for college studies through the “Building a Bridge to Improve Student Success” program.

The rest of the evening was devoted to networking and conversation about the old days at Western. Alumna and WCSU Foundation Board member Terry Eberhard Asch ’64 shared college memories with Elaine Salem ’64 and Helen Curtin ’07 (Edward Jones), who earned an MBA from Ancell. Jack and Gail Armitage Heath ’59, of Philadelphia, made special plans to attend the gathering during their vacation in New York.

Reactions to the event were very positive, and a recommendation was made to hold similar events several times each year. A suggestion was offered to hold the next gathering in late September at a different location such as Stamford or Ridgefield to broaden the base of alumni participation. Other suggestions included inviting WCSU graduates who are members of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, with which Sigma Chi maintains a traditional relationship.

Above photo: Sigma Chi brothers were well represented at the NYC gathering.