A pre-Inauguration city clean-up, the Alumni Awards Dinner, the Golden Reunion Weekend, a campus parking ramp and more in the September 2008 issue of HUSKY CONNECTION, the e-newsletter for St. Cloud State University alumni.

Volunteers needed for community clean-up

The Alumni Association is seeking volunteers for the Into the Streets pre-inauguration community clean-up Sept. 13. 

The day's worth of service projects is the kick-off for a week of events that culminates with the Sept. 19 inauguration of President Earl H. Potter III.

From 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., volunteers will paint homes near campus, clean up the Southside-University neighborhood and beautify campus. Into the Streets is coordinated by the Volunteer Connection.  

The day concludes with a 4:30 p.m. BBQ at Barden Park, featuring the music of the Husky Sports Band. President Potter will share remarks at 5:30 p.m.  SIGN UP TODAY.

Pictured: Amy Trombley ’00 ’04, Alumni Association president

A Common Goal: Inauguration Week Events

Saturday, Sept. 13
All-day service plunge to spruce up campus and community, followed by a 4:30 p.m. BBQ celebration for volunteers in Barden Park. President Earl H. Potter III will share remarks at 5:30 p.m. Music provided by the Husky Sports Band.

Sunday, Sept. 14
3 p.m. – Music in the Gardens at Munsinger Clemens Botanical Gardens featuring the Riverside Brass Quintet. Sponsored by the Munsinger Clemens Botancial Society and the City of St. Cloud.

Tuesday, Sept. 16
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Chamber of Commerce Reception at the offices of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, 110 Sixth Ave. S., St. Cloud, followed at 7:30 p.m. by a Minnesota Dance Ensemble performance at the Paramount Theatre, 913 West St. Germain. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, Sept. 18
10 a.m. to noon – Volunteer and Service-Learning Fair in the main lounge of Atwood Memorial Center.
5 p.m. – Southside Neighborhood Oktoberfest in historic Barden Park.
7 p.m. – St. Cloud Municipal Band concert in Barden Park.

Friday, Sept. 19
Noon to 1:30 p.m. – Luncheon in Atwood Memorial Center (RSVP required).
2 p.m. – Processional participants gather in designated rooms/locations in Halenbeck Hall. 

3 p.m. – Inauguration Ceremony in the gymnasium at Halenbeck Hall. Featured speaker is Constantine "Deno" Curris, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
6 p.m. – Dinner at Mi Famiglia Events Center, 912 West St. Germain, St. Cloud. Cost: $40 per person.

For more information, visit the Inauguration Web Site.

St. Cloud State Night at the River Bats

Alumni gathered Aug. 5 at Joe Faber Field in west St. Cloud to see the St. Cloud River Bats beat the Eau Claire Express 4-0 in a Northwoods League baseball game. In the announcer's booth were River Bats owner Joel Sutherland '82 (left) and Perry Finelli '82. Finelli is a news announcer with Minnesota Public Radio. Blizzard, the university mascot, works the crowd in the photo at right.

New officers and board members

Officers:
President Amy Trombley ’00 ’04, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
President-Elect Tiffany Elj ’95, St. Paul, Minn.
Secretary/Treasurer Sue McGrath ’81 ’94, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Past President Della Ludwig ’95, Royalton, Minn.

New Members:
Ray Hoover, current student, St. Cloud, Minn.
Carlo Lachmansingh ’76, Minneapolis, Minn.
Joel Goergen ’86, Maple Grove, Minn.
Paula Foley ’88, St. Cloud, Minn.
Ryan Langsev ’85, Edina, Minn.

Thank you Minnesota State Fair volunteers

For the eighth consecutive year University alumni and employees gave time, energy and sweat equity at the Alumni Association-sponsored State Fair booth.

Volunteers handed out fans, gathered HuskyGrams and applied tattoos to adults and kids alike. The 2008 fair drew 1,693,533 people to the fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Minn.

Alumni Association board member Sue McGrath '81 '94 (right) checks out a Husky hockey tattoo on Chad Palmquist '90. Joining McGrath are friends from their days together in Residential Life: Karol Schreifels (middle) and Diane Schellinger ’81 ‘91.

4th Avenue Parking Ramp opens

St. Cloud State's new $9 million ramp is a 24-hour, 500-stall, parking facility at 516 Fourth Ave. S., just north of the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center.

Fully-automated, the ramp accepts Campus Card, credit cards, debit cards and cash. It also offers an intercom for 24-hour access to the Public Safety Department’s dispatch center.

The ramp has 200 overnight, student-resident spaces at $300 per year. The remaining 300 spaces — for visitors, commuting students, special events and the like — are available at $1 an hour, with an $8-a-day maximum.  Student-resident parking permits are sold out and there is a waiting list, according to Georgian Gross, the university's parking coordinator.

Two glass-enclosed stairwells enhance security and afford patrons an elevated view of campus. A large clock on the southeast stairwell serves as a campus landmark. The ramp has 28 video cameras, eight specialized cameras at the entrances and exits, 13 blue-light emergency telephones and six call stations in the stairwells. The ramp’s main level features handicapped-accessible parking. An elevator, complete with an emergency telephone, is expected to go into service Sept. 4. Vehicle entrances and exits are on Fourth Avenue South, adjacent to the Public Safety Center. For more, visit our information page about the ramp.

Class of '58 reunites

The St. Cloud State University Alumni Association and the members of the 2008 Golden Reunion Committee cordially invite you to "come home" for Golden Reunion Weekend Oct. 17- 18, 2008. All classes from 50 years ago or before are invited to join us as we celebrate the Class of '58.

On Friday, participants will enjoy an evening social and the Alumni Awards banquet.  Saturday they’ll share a brunch, a guided campus tour, the Homecoming football game and a scrumptious dinner at Mi Famiglia in downtown St. Cloud.

Informational postcards are on their way, with full registration brochures to follow upon request.  E-mail Alumni@stcloudstate.edu or call the Alumni Relations office at (320) 308-3177 or (866) 464-8759 for registration information.  Registration deadline is Oct. 3.

Alumni Awards Dinner

Nine outstanding alumni will be honored at the St. Cloud State Alumni Awards Dinner & Ceremony Oct. 18 at Atwood Memorial Center. 

The awards spotlight alumni who demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and character. Recipients have had life and career accomplishments that reflect positively on our community, both in and outside the classroom.  Contact Alumni@stcloudstate.edu to request an invitation.

Mentor a student

The Alumni Mentoring Program matches alumni with interested students. Alumni share insights on the skills, personality, temperament and work ethic required in specific career fields.  For more information, visit the Alumni Association web site.

Profile of our students

Here’s the profile of today’s St. Cloud State students:

• Three of four are 18-24.
• 55 percent, are female.
• 35 percent are from the St. Cloud area, 28 percent are from the Twin Cities, 82 percent are Minnesotans.
• One in four attends part-time.
• One in eight has a scholarship.
• One in three has a grant, which does not have to be repaid.
• Half are receiving loans.
• One in five works on campus, earning $2,900 for the year.
• Most likely to be majoring in elementary education, mass communications, marketing, finance, community psychology or management.
• If an international student, the student comes from one of 80 countries, most likely Nepal, Japan, India or Malaysia.