Happy New Year Fellow Thunderbirds!

With 2016 upon us, it's full steam ahead for the Southern Utah University Alumni Association! Our National Alumni Board has a strategic plan full of goals and objectives that are slated to make 2016 a most amazing year.  

As we celebrate some of the truly remarkable alumni achievements of 2015, from the epic docudrama "Back Up The Mountain" which starred one of our celebrated alumni Jasen Wade, to one of the most recent achievements of alumnus Tommy Burr and his appointment as the new president of the National Press Club, we realize our alumni and friends base, located across the globe, accomplish extraordinary things and make a marked difference in every facet of life. We are experts in our fields. We are professionals. We are brothers and sisters. We are husbands and wives. We are parents. We are grandparents. We are friends. We are Thunderbirds!

Through our 2015 association survey, we learned a lot about you and what you want from your alumni association. For example, we know you want to come back to campus and we are committed to providing events and activities that attract you and yours. Even if you live away from campus, our new micro-network events will provide the opportunity to re-connect in awesome new ways.

We know you would choose SUU again, if you had the chance. We learned that you are satisfied and even highly satisfied with your SUU college experience and that most of you would encourage family and friends to attend SUU. That's why on our website you can order a Recruit A T-Bird swag bag full of SUU goods to share with prospective students.

Let's make 2016 a remarkable year together! Here are a few simple ways you can reconnect to our T-Bird nation:

• Update Your Information -When your home address, e-mail, or phone changes, let us know so we can keep you up-to-date on all things SUU. Update at: suu.edu/alumni/update.html.
  
• Connect By Social Media - Share your memories and milestones with us on Facebook facebook.com/suualumni and Instagram instagram.com/suualumni.
  
• Wear Your T-Bird Pride - On your sleeve, front, back, head, hands, everywhere. The SUU Bookstore carries everything you need to be outfitted like a T-Bird. Show your Alumni Card and receive a 20% off discount on all SUU clothing and memorabilia, and stock up! Check out your options at: bookstore.suu.edu.
• Show Your T-Bird Pride On Your Car - Order an SUU license plate for your car or as a collector's item because all of the proceeds go towards scholarships!  Purchase your plate at any Utah DMV. And if you live outside of Utah, consider a license plate frame from the SUU Bookstore.
  
• Share Your Memories & Your Photos -Share your memorable SUU experiences and stories and your photos with us! Link to our site and share at: suu.edu/everywhere/submit-story.html or  email alumni@suu.edu your memory and a photo.
• Use Your T-Bird Alumni Card - Our SUU alumni card gives you access to hundreds of discounts from travel and insurance to events and activities. Find out what pool of growing alumni benefits are available to you at: suu.edu/alumni/card.html. If you need a card, contact us and we'll send one to you! 

I am proud to be part of the T-Bird Nation and proud to serve as your president.  Here's to 2016 and to you!

Sandra Lord Thomas
Southern Utah University Alumni Association President
Class of '93