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  • 1.  Celebrating Union Milestones

    Posted 04-26-2022 11:04
    Hello Friends!

    The Arkansas Union opened in 1973, which means 2023 will be our golden anniversary. As I've never been involved in planning any sort of major union milestone celebration, I'm wondering what others have done (or what they've consulted) in preparation. Did you form a committee? How did you decide what to do? What activities (major celebration, historical gallery, etc.) did you prepare? What advice would you have for planning such a thing? We're just looking ahead to be as effective, well-rounded, and exciting as we can be. Thank you for any insights.

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    Robert Stagni
    Union Director
    University of Arkansas Fayetteville
    Fayetteville AR
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  • 2.  RE: Celebrating Union Milestones

    Posted 04-27-2022 09:51
    Markee Pioneer Student Center at UW-Platteville - Home | Facebook  has been celebrating their 20th recently, and their facebook page features a lot of content they've done in past milestones and currently.  Some things that I noticed or would lobby for:

    1) a board where students can put up reasons why they love your union
    2) highlighting blueprints/construction/improvements over the years and perhaps linking in current students who may be studying that and would be interested.
    3) I'm always a fan of holding special tours of the "secret" areas of the union that average people don't get to see as a fun way to engage current students.
    4) Giveaways themed to either highlight how the union is a place for every student/bring back some retro swag items?

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    John Sagehorn
    Coordinator for Resource Center
    University of Colorado
    Boulder CO
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  • 3.  RE: Celebrating Union Milestones

    Posted 04-27-2022 12:35
    Hi Robert!
    I used to be the Assistant Director at the Arkansas Union in the early 90's.  Congratulations on this milestone!

    We renovated the front of our union at UW Oshkosh, and it re-opened in 2017.  This was also the 60th anniversary of the building. Last year was our university's Sesquicentennial (150th).  Some things I'd suggest doing include:
    • Form a committee which includes students.  We have a student advisory board, so they were involved. They also spoke at the ribbon cutting event. We had refreshments and speeches at the event. 
    • We also added some historical information to our website: https://uwosh.edu/reeve/visit/history/
    • Have a display in your building with pictures and other memorabilia.
    • Invite back to campus the former Directors if they are available.  While I was there, the two directors were Bob Barnes and Tom Rufer.  I know Tom is still around - he was recently at North Texas. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from Bob and his wife the last couple years. I'm Facebook friends with Tom, so let me know if you'd like me to reach out to him. 
    • For our Sesquicentennial, we had some giveaways with the 150th logo on it and added the logo to our email signatures.
    • Due to the recent renovation of the front of our building, we added a time capsule to be opened in 50 years.  Not sure if you can do that with your building, but something to think about. 
    Best wishes!
    Jean


    Jean Kwaterski, MBA
    Certified Auxiliary Services Professional (CASP)
    Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life
    Division of Student Affairs 
    University of Wisconsin Oshkosh 
    748 Algoma Blvd., Reeve Memorial Union, Room 104 
    Oshkosh, WI  54901    
    920-424-3407
     
    Pronouns:  She/Her/Hers
    Past-President of NACAS, www.nacas.org

                
     
    Responsibility~Harmony~Relator~Arranger~Maximizer






  • 4.  RE: Celebrating Union Milestones

    Posted 04-28-2022 09:23
      |   view attached
    Actually this topic is very timely for us!

    At DePaul University in Chicago we are about to celebrate our 20th anniversary of our building today (a few months later than January due to Covid). Attached is the agenda of our festivities. We also are going to rebrand the name of our Annex lounge space. This name came from a student contest that we held back earlier in the winter.

    If I get some time, I will take some pictures of the event to show you how it goes.

    As our buildings gets busier this Spring, hopefully it will be fun for the students. Attached is a flyer for the event.                                                                                          

                  



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    Brian Holifield
    Assistant Director of Operations
    DePaul University 
    Department of Housing, Dining, and Student Centers
    Chicago IL
    (773) 325-4081
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    Attachment(s)