FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2011
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

Mississippi University for Women announces unification of alumni organizations

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Mississippi University for Women announced the merger of alumni organizations during Homecoming festivities on the 126-year-old campus this afternoon.

Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association, under the leadership of Mitzi Green of Columbus, and Mississippi’s First Alumnae Association, under the leadership of Lillian Wade of Columbus, announced today that the board of directors for each respective organization has voted to merge. The vote included the approval of a plan of merger agreement, bylaws for the new organization which will be the MUW Alumni Association and an affiliation agreement between the new organization and the university, which must be submitted to and approved by the Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning.

Wade said, “The crowning achievement for this Association was the vote taken today to approve the merger plan. We look forward to working together with you and all alums to lift The W to new heights of success. You can count on us.”

The new organization provides an avenue for enhancing alumni engagement with the university and helps serve as a resource to the university.

“We have been looking forward to reuniting our alumni. We are happy that the university can move forward with this reunited effort. We want MUW to be the strongest it can possibly be, and reuniting is a primary key to the university’s future,” said Green, who has worked diligently through the reunification efforts.

“I want to commend the leadership of both alumni organizations, along with the university staff, for their commitment and dedication to this reunification process and for their renewed focus on the long-term best interests of this university,” said Allegra Brigham, MUW’s interim president who is also an MUW alumna. “While there were many issues that served to divide us before, everyone worked very hard to find common ground and forge a path to the future. Working together, we can help the university reach new heights, which is something we all want.”

The officers of the new alumni organization will include representatives from both organizations and will take office on July 1, 2011. The charter of the original alumnae organization will serve as the surviving entity, keeping intact the 122-year organization history; the name of the current affiliated association – Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association, which was created in 2008, will serve as the name of the new organization.

Brigham held a conference call with all past presidents late Wednesday afternoon to update them on the reconciliation/merger of alumni organizations; they voiced their support for the consolidation.

“Any university needs a vibrant alumni organization to help it reach its goals,” said Brigham. “MUW graduates are certainly passionate about their university and are an integral part of its success.  I appreciate all the time and effort that members and leaders from both organizations gave to bring the two together. It’s time for us all to get back to the future of MUW and demonstrate our love by helping our university meet its needs and achieve its goals. This is a great day for The W.”

SGA President Brandon Newsome of Jackson, said, "I am so happy the alumni associations have been bridged and that we are moving toward reconciliation. This is the best gift that any student, especially a graduating senior can ask for. Soon, as I put on my alumni status, I'll be a part of the full family, the full legacy and the full Long Blue Line. I want to thank the leadership of both organizations along with Interim President Brigham. This will be a Homecoming to remember and rejoice for many years to come."