Alumni Blog

“We are trying to increase alumni engagement,” said Jonathan Brown, assistant vice president of the Seattle University Alumni Association (SUAA) when asked about the growth of regional events and activities. “All alumni, even if they’ve left the Seattle area, are still key members of our community and we are looking for alumni leaders in six key regions to help us grow our reach and improve our impact.”

In an effort to build relationships with alumni outside of Seattle, Jonathan and his alumni staff have increased the number of regional events they attend. Just last week they hosted a reception in Portland for parents and alumni.

Accord to PJ Graziani, the assistant director of regional engagement, over 35 alumni and friends came out to Portland’s popular Pearl District on October 1 for a reception. They heard updates about the university and built community, sharing stories and memories from their time at Seattle U.
In November, Jonathan is heading to the Twin Cities to co-host the university’s first alumni reception in Minnesota. The event is being hosted by a Seattle University alumna in the area looking to build community and engage the areas 200+ alumni.

On November 6, alumni in the Bay Area are kicking off Seattle U’s Homecoming festivities by cheering on the Redhawk men’s basketball team at a rally and their season opener against Stanford.

“Hosting regional alumni events, supporting our student athletes when they are in your neck of the woods or joining a chapter board are all ways alumni can help us grow our reach regionally,” Jonathan said.

What started off as just two regional alumni chapters two years ago, has grown into ten. According to Jonathan a strategic priority of the SUAA is to grow regional engagement in six key regions including Washington, D.C., the Bay Area, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Portland and Southern California.

Are you interested in helping us to building community in these six key regions? Reach out to PJ Graziani (graziani@seattleu.edu) to learn about leadership roles and volunteers opportunities.

The Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture (ICTC) continues its efforts to advance the Catholic intellectual and cultural tradition through a rich set of offerings. A centerpiece is the Catholic Heritage Lecture series, which will feature “spiritual practice” in challenging situations. “People are looking for depth of meaning in the swirl of activities and barrage of data and conflicts that hit them every day,” Father Pat Howell, S.J., the interim director of ICTC, observed.

This year’s theme will explore the importance of spiritual practice in the advancement of the intellectual life, the building of resilience in the work of activism and advocacy, and the cultivation of joy when working on the margins. By inviting the speakers to campus and reading and discussing their work, the ICTC hopes to advance participant theoretical and spiritual skills in the work for racial and social justice.

The lectures will kick off on October 25 with a public lecture and discussion featuring Dr. Andrew Prevot, associate professor of systematic theology at Boston College. Dr. Prevot will speak on the topic of “Christian Prayer and the Intellectual Life.” Modern philosophers have assumed that prayer is an irrational, irresponsible and immature activity. The history of Christian thought tells a different story, and today, prayer remains the source of much creative and critical thinking. Prevot argues that prayer contributes something vital to the intellectual and moral life. You can get details on Dr. Prevot’s lecture here.

The other topics this year include:

Winter: Spiritual Practice and Activism and Advocacy
Margie Pfeil, Notre Dame
Thursday, March 7 at 7pm in Le Roux Room (STCN 160)

Spring: Spiritual Practices and Working on the Margins
Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries
Thursday, May 9 at 7pm in Pigott Auditorium

To learn more about the Institute of Catholic Thought and Culture and the Catholic Heritage Lecture Series, click here.