A letter from UGA Alumni Association board president Bonney Shuman

On July 1, I assumed the privilege of becoming president of the University of Georgia Alumni Association. What an honor it is to represent the more than 310,000 UGA alumni worldwide. As my term begins, I reflect on all of the amazing things that have occurred in the years since I graduated from this great university. There are more outstanding, academically qualified students than ever before, we continue to celebrate the fundraising success of the Commit to Georgia Campaign, our student athletes are breaking records, and there are UGA alumni chapter events happening all around the world. What a great time to be a Georgia Bulldog!

As president of the UGA Alumni Association, it is my goal to continue to lead the board in executing the strategic plan that we developed two years ago. We will work to engage as many alumni as we can, while supporting the university’s priorities as outlined in the recent State of the University Address: to increase scholarship support for our students, to further enhance our learning environment, and to solve the grand challenges of our time.

We have an excellent board of directors who are passionate, loyal, and committed to this university, and I am thankful for their service. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the hard work of the executive director of the UGA Alumni Association, Meredith Gurley Johnson and the wonderful staff that she has assembled. Meredith and her staff work tirelessly to orchestrate alumni events around the world. I encourage you to be on the watch for events in your area and get actively involved in either a local chapter event, or by coming to Athens and engaging with your schools and colleges.

In the meantime, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your UGA Alumni Association president. I am excited about the next two years and what it holds for us as we work to strengthen our alumni community. As the Commit to Georgia Campaign narrative says so eloquently, “Some call it going the extra mile, we call it being a Bulldog.”

This letter was written by Bonney Shuman (BBA ’80).