Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAlumni | Californian to lead alumni for next two years
By Matt Reilly
Posted: 9/24/07, 11:12 PM EST Section: News
|
Bobkiewicz was on campus last Wednesday for the dedication of Newhouse III and the Board of Trustees induction Thursday. By day, he is the city manager of Santa Paula, Calif. - ironically, "the citrus capital of the world" - but his other job is president of SU's Alumni Association.
He is the first Alumni Association president to have only attended SU for graduate school. Bobkiewicz received his master's degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1989.
He began his term on July 1 and will serve a two-year term. On Friday, he was inducted into the Board of Trustees - a de facto honor for the sitting Alumni Association president.
Bobkiewicz is exuberantly excited about everything Orange. He summarized the position of president as "the official cheerleader for alumni and alumni issues."
His agenda for the association extends far beyond just cheerleading. Bobkiewicz took the task of setting priorities for himself and the Alumni Association: To celebrate Orange, create and maintain life-long connections and ensure the stewardship of the future.
Andrea Latchem, assistant vice president of alumni relations, said Bobkiewicz will be taking the leadership at a time when the Office of Alumni Relations is being "somewhat reorganized."
For Bobkiewicz, it is all about keeping alumni in the loop.
"We have literally hundreds of thousands of alums all around the United States and around the world who don't get back to Syracuse very often and don't understand all the very exciting things that are happening," he said. "I think it's also important that we celebrate the individual achievements of our alumni."
That would involve a lot of individual celebrations, as SU currently estimates an alumni base of more than 225,000. This massive body is represented by a 44-member board, chaired by Bobkiewicz, with a range of alumni from those who graduated in the 1950s to students from the class of 2000 and beyond.
Be the first to comment on this story