As fall weather sets in, Drury University welcomes friends, family and alumni to participate in special events and opportunities this weekend. The Martin Alumni Center and Drury Ambassadors are hosting the annual Alumni Weekend from Sept. 27 through Sept. 30.

Drury Ambassadors

Over the course of four days, alumni will have the chance to tour the campus, listen to panels on what student life is like today and reconnect with their Greek chapters. Reunion dinners will also take place. Members of Drury Ambassadors assist with the events by acting as tour guides, answering questions, signing the guests in for dinners and more. Stone Chapel will also host a service on Sunday morning for guests. This year also marks the 66^th Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner.

“We’re the face of Drury when it comes to alumni. We’re the first pillar,” explained Angela Shyaka, elaborating on the impact of Drury Ambassadors.

Shyaka is a fifth-year architecture major and the secretary for the organization. Ambassadors like Shyaka act as the link between alumni and the university; its members volunteering at any and all events to help that bond grow stronger.

Drury Ambassadors also focuses on current students as well. The organization encourages attendance at Drury functions and fosters a connection between students and alumni through events like homecoming, convocation and commencement.

(Martin Alumni Center. Photo via Maclen Johnson)

“It’s a good way for us to network and a good way to learn what’s out there because you get to see what Drury used to be like through their eyes,” stated Shyaka.

She has seen the impact the event has firsthand. “After alumni weekend, they would share their stories of how much it meant to them to remain connected to Drury,” she said, recounting her experience working at the O’Reilly Family Event Center banquet room. “It helps them to remember the good times but also see what’s happening today.”

A trip down memory lane

National chapters of sororities and fraternities often provide communication and information for alumni, but this weekend at Drury lets them walk into their old houses and suites once more.

“[Drury] is where some of them met their wives or husbands,” Shyaka describes. “It’s where they have the best memories of Greek life.”

During the weekend, Kappa Delta will host a brunch while all fraternity houses and sorority suites will be open for tours. Alums of the Alpha Phi sorority chapter on campus from 1951 to 1983 also have the chance to gather and reminisce over tea in the Hoblit Suite of Freeman Hall.

The Martin Alumni Center works year-round to reach out to Drury graduates interested in continuing support of their alma mater. Ambassadors are selected through invitation and host monthly meetings. Second-semester freshmen, sophomores and juniors with a 3.2 GPA or above are eligible for membership. Current members are expected to serve 12 hours of community service annually.

Drury continues to combine progress and tradition to shape its mission and impact. Helping alumni remain connected to Drury emphasizes the unique, close-knit community that the university prides itself in. Far from being centered around donations, events like this give former students the chance to see how the campus is changing but also how it remains the same.

Written by Maclen Johnson.