Dear fellow alumni,
 
Late last month, I presided over my final Alumni Board meeting as president, and it couldn’t have been more appropriate for that meeting to coincide with some of my favorite AU traditions, the Multicultural Alumni Reunion and AU’s Family Weekend. Alumni helped in hosting hundreds of alumni and even more families who visited American University for a series of truly remarkable events.
 
The Alumni Board visited the newly renovated Terrace Dining Room for lunch, and it was super impressive! It’s the first full renovation of TDR in 40 years, and I encourage you to check it out if you are in the area.
 
During MCAR, we enjoyed the traditional Celebrate! event, two brunch events, the festival celebrating Change Can’t Wait, and the always amazing Mosaic Gala. If you couldn’t be with us, I sincerely hope you’ll consider attending next year. I promise you won’t regret it!
 
Even through sometimes dreary weather, I noted an energy on campus. As you know, we have a new president, renovations both underway and already completed in MGC (not just TDR!), and lots of exciting news. If you haven’t heard, AU rose 14 spots in this year’s US News rankings for national universities, and we have notable achievements in several key areas.
 
With President Alger and Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Edwina Simms (see a formal announcement of her new position in this month’s issue!), we’re planning for an exciting and even more transformative future. And alumni will be a part of it all. I believe the good that’s happening at AU benefits all of us, and I hope you’ll join in supporting and sustaining it. As alumni, we are donors, volunteers, and ambassadors, and we can all make a difference in the lives of current students. Visit www.american.edu/alumni to get involved.
 
With Eagle Pride,
LaTanya Sothern, SOC/BA ’92