The Alumni Association may evoke images of wealthy, older graduates giving money to have buildings named after them, but in actuality, the organization can benefit a lot of students and alumni alike.

Jeff Johnson, president and CEO of the alumni association, said when he did his master’s survey, he found people had preconceived notions about what types of people alumni were.

“People thought that they were old, mainly male, all wealthy, that they all like athletics and that they’re all white,” Johnson said.

He said the Alumni Assocation decided that their “largest pocket of future alumni” were the students, and the first contact students have with the association should not be at commencement.

He said in order for students to have the opportunity to create a lifetime connection with Iowa State, they need to understand the role that the Alumni Association fulfills.

Within the association there is also a Student Alumni Assocation that interacts directly with future alumni.

The SAA is part of the larger Student Alumni Leadership Council.

“So what we call the SALC used to be the SAA and it was completely focused on student leadership,” Johnson said. “Now SALC is focused on not just student leadership but also educating students on a lifetime connection with the university.”

Carol Gieseke, chief communications manager of the Alumni Association, said the student programs are something that a lot of people don’t know about.

Gieseke said students have to pay a $20 fee to join the SAA.

“You pay a fee and you get a T-shirt and a bag of goodies and a discount card that will pay for itself time and time again,” Gieseke said.

She said the SAA is popular with art majors because of the discounts from the bookstore that allow them to get their art supplies cheaply.

“Most of the time people find out that they get all of these discounts and they’ll join,” Gieseke said. “And we like it because it raises awareness of our organization.”

She said if a student has been involved in the SAA, he or she is more likely to join the Alumni Association after graduation.

The Alumni Association is also a membership based organization and alumni can choose to join when they graduate, Gieseke said. For the first three years after graduation, students can join for $30 per year, with the yearly cost bumping to $55 after that.

“You can also join as a life member. If you are a single person it costs $750 to join or if you have a spouse it’s $1,000,” Gieseke said.

She also said they have a lot of members who aren’t graduates.

“We have a lot of faculty and staff that join because it’s a good deal,” she said. “We call them friends because they aren’t grads.”

Some of the services for alumni and friends listed in the brochure are the official Iowa State University credit card, group insurance plans, a partnership with Nationwide Advantage Mortgage to help with buying or refinancing a home, and an awards program.

Johnson said they operate a large honors and awards program.

“There’s a young alumni award that goes to three of the top graduates who are under the age of 40,” he said. “When we recognize people with these awards it tends to help them in their careers.”

He said that it’s impressive that a university is recognizing an alumni for professional achievement.

The association also publishes Visions magazine for its members and puts out a free ISU events calendar.

Gieseke said there is also an ISU Newsflash e-mail newsletter that is e-mailed to association members every two weeks that helps keep them up with current events on campus.

Johnson said the Alumni Association also has a new program called CySpace that is basically a large online directory allowing students and graduates to network with other alumni.

He said what students need to understand is that the value of the degree is not what it’s worth at graduation – rather, the real value is what the degree is worth in the future.

The value of the degree is dependant on the worth of the school – which is why the alumni give so much, Johnson said.

“We want to keep faculty here, keep enrollment up, and keep buildings renovated with the latest technology,” Johnson said.

He said the Alumni Association is a “very solid advocate” for alumni giving back, and a lot of that money goes to help with scholarships to lower student costs.

“Students need to understand why alumni give,” Johnson said. “It’s like having a whole other set of people who have experienced your frustrations and want to make things easier for you.”

Gieseke said one of the lesser-known programs the Alumni Association sponsors is the Legacy program.

It involves current alumni contacting the association when they have children.

“The minute the child is born and we know about it, we send them a book,” Johnson said.

Subsequent presents are sent out on their fifth, 10th and 16th birthdays that help encourage them to save for college and also come to Iowa State.

The Alumni Association will be moving to a new building located in the Iowa State Center that Johnson said will be the permanent home for association and for alumni to visit.

There will be a section set aside specifically for students and student activities that was built entirely on the donations of one couple.