Letter from the Alumni Dean

The SMAA is looking for a few good men and women to serve as class representatives, a very important role that maintains the crucial connection between the SMAA membership and the medical school. However, there seems to be some misunderstanding about the actual amount of work involved so I would like to clarify the situation.

A class representative primarily serves as a contact, someone to let us know of important events in the lives of classmates, someone to call on in special circumstances (i.e. the death of a classmate or a spouse) and someone for the alumni office to work with when planning the class reunions.

Every five years, the representative is asked to compose a series of three letters to be sent to classmates, personally encouraging and promoting attendance at their five-year class reunion. Once the letters have been developed, the alumni office takes care of the all the administrative details, including the mailing.

So that each class member also receives a personal call, representatives are encouraged to form a reunion telephone tree. A list of classmates with their contact information is provided, facilitating the creation of this phone tree.

The representatives can also act as conduits in suggesting classmates for the SMAA board of governors or nominees for the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award.

The role of the class representative, which is integral to the ongoing success and efficiency of the SMAA and the Alumni Relations Office, can be carried out with a minimum of time and effort. I encourage all of you to consider serving.

Sincerely,
Ross Bright, MD, '58
Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs

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