ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HISTORY

The Auburn Community College Alumni Association was founded in 1959 to work actively and effectively to advance the interest of the College, its students, and alumni. A constitution and bylaws were drafted in 1970. Following the College’s transition to county sponsorship in 1976, the association was reorganized; in 1980 it was incorporated and renamed the Auburn/Cayuga County Community College Alumni Association, Inc. Activity, however, was sporadic.

In 1987 the College signaled a renewed commitment to alumni affairs with the appointment of an alumni director. Today, the association’s activities, annual fund drive, and overall function are supported within the administrative structure of the Cayuga County Community College Foundation. The ACC/CCC Alumni Association is registered as a not-for-profit, 501(c) organization.

The Alumni Association is governed by a board of directors who serve for three-year terms on a rotating basis; the director of alumni affairs is an ex officio member of the board. The board meets monthly, September through May. New directors are elected at the annual meeting. Association officers serve for a one-year term, and two alumni board members serve as liaisons with the Foundation.

Projects and activities during the year include a semiannual alumni newsletter, dedicated alumni events, and participation in College and community events such as the College’s Holiday Craft Show, student orientation luncheons, chartered trips, an alumni awards program, and the annual meeting.

As its first undertaking in 1987, the newly organized Alumni Association accepted a challenge from the Foundation and raised $50,000 in matched gifts toward the College’s capital construction project. Three local private foundations matched each dollar raised by alumni with an additional $2.50. With matches added, the association raised over $176,000 for renovation and expansion of campus facilities.

In addition, the ACC/CCC Alumni Association has traditionally donated funds raised from its activities to the Scholarship Incentive Fund and the General Scholarship Fund administered by the Foundation. In the fall of 1993, the association launched the Foundation’s new multi-year campaign, “Sustaining Excellence: The Campaign for Endowments,” by establishing a $10,000 endowed scholarship fund. A challenge grant from the Fred L. Emerson Foundation doubled the amount of this endowment to $20,000 in the first year alone. Income from this fund supports six alumni scholarships and three commencement awards each year.

In 1982 a resolution by the Board of Trustees of the College, reviewed and concurred with by the Association, established the Foundation as the officially designated recipient of all gifts intended for the College. In return, the Foundation makes annual operating grants to the Alumni Association to support its activities. With its fiscal administration consolidated within the Foundation, the Alumni Association can now better concentrate on alumni activities and programs.