The Alumni Day event that was held on October 22, 2001 was a success. Three honors alumni; DJ Proctor (‘98), Mandy Maneval (’99), and Don Calcagni (’98), spent the day visiting the campus.

The day began with a luncheon held in Bentley’s executive lounge. The alumni, Dr. Knauer, Sharon Heverly, Dr. Nuttall, Dr. Kleinman, and four current honors students were present at the luncheon. Here, introductions were made and the alumni had a chance to catch up on the changes that have occurred at LHU since they graduated. After the luncheon, the alumni had the opportunity to speak in classes, visit professors, and speak with current honors students in the program.

At 4:00 refreshments were served in PUB meeting room 2 and a panel discussion followed. The alumni spoke about their professional endeavors and reflected on their experiences in the Honors Program. Although the turnout for the panel discussion was low, those who attended felt the experience was well worth their time. We also got some feedback on how to make the alumni event more successful. Some of those suggestions included:

-Inviting the community to attend alumni presentations

-Planning and advertising the event in advance in a more organized manner

-Putting alumni’s email addresses on the web (with the permission of the former student)

We also received some feedback on how to improve the Honors Program. Some suggestions included:

-Having students present their augmentation projects

-Engaging freshmen and upperclassmen in more discussion together

-Reviving activities like University in Your Life and Multicultural Studies

-Increasing faculty involvement

The day concluded with dinner at The Dutch Haven. Dr. Knauer, Dr. Kleinman, the alumni, and four honors program students attended the dinner. Overall the event was a successful and rewarding experience. The next alumni day event will definitely be improved with the suggestions given during this event.  -Kim Reese

From left: DJ Proctor, Mandy Maneval and Donald Calcagni