Happy New Year, Greyhound Family! For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I am Thomas E. Wales, Ph.D., Class of ’98, and I will be serving as chair of the Alumni Ambassador program leadership team. I am joined by Chris (Ayers) ’86 and Bob Martin ’86, Kevin Peterssen ’08, Artie Rogan ’04, and Christina Graziano ’10, who will each lead one of four focused ambassador groups: Admissions, Flagship/Campus Events, Alumni Networks, and Career Networking, respectively.
I am beyond excited that this new program engages alumni in a unique and meaningful way to support our Assumption family with our collective time, energy, and enthusiasm. Since the official launch of the program in August 2019, over 125 alumni have signed up to be Ambassadors. We range in class years from 1952 to 2019, and we hail from all over New England to California to the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico.
During Homecoming on October 26, the Ambassadors held our inaugural on-campus gathering before the Alumni Tailgate and football game. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat not only with each other, but also with the deans of the newly restructured schools and President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D.
To those alumni who have already signed up to be Alumni Ambassadors, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you would like to join us on this new adventure, please visit assumption.edu/alumni. We would love for you to participate at whatever level you can. I hope that you all have a great start to 2020, and I look forward to seeing you at an alumni event on campus or otherwise very soon.
-Thomas E. Wales, Ph.D. ’98
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL DINNER
On Saturday, October 19, members of Assumption’s leadership giving society, the President’s Council, gathered for the annual dinner celebration in the ballroom of the Tsotsis Family Academic Center.
HOMECOMING
On Saturday, October 26, more than 500 alumni returned to campus for a day of reconnecting with old friends. Attendees gathered at the annual Alumni Tailgate under a tent in the end zone before watching the Hounds beat undefeated division rival Stonehill College in double overtime. Earlier in the day, members of the new Alumni Ambassador program met with President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., and the deans of the College’s five new schools (see photo below).
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST COED CLASS
On Sunday, October 27, 85 alumni, students, faculty, and staff commemorated the 50th anniversary of Assumption’s first coed class. Guests enjoyed a luncheon and panel discussion, “Sharing Memories of the Fall of ’69,” which featured panelists from the Class of 1973 – Bob and Mary (Connors) Bourque, Maureen (Ryan) Doyle, and John Laracy – and was moderated by Charlene (Longhi) Martin ’78. In honor of the first coeducational class, the female members of the Board of Trustees – Laure Aubuchon, Suzanne Besnia, Esq. ’79, Carolyn Clancy ’82, Alison Kenary, Christine Cannon Marcks ’77, Lilliam Alonso Miller ’89, and Candace McGovern Race ’78– sponsored the event.
