Better together: March 2025 Alumni Association update

“Stand up if you’re an MUSC alum who did not accept an award tonight,” Lisa Saladin, PT, Ph.D., executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, addressed a group at the recent Alumni Awards banquet.

All around the room, people began to stand. A roar of applause followed as the group noticed that there were far more alumni in the room in a supporting role than those who had just walked across the stage.

“This is our alumni network,” Saladin said with a proud look on her face as she gestured around the room.

I’ve seen it, too.

Our alumni community is strong. They show up to support each other (as they did at the Alumni Awards that night). They are eager to collaborate and offer their insights and expertise (as we saw recently at Alumni Weekend’s Symposium). And they challenge each other to keep getting better at what they do. We’re all better off because of it.

When one MUSC alum wins, we all win.

While we can all do incredible things, none of us do them alone.

During school, in addition to the unwavering support of family and friends, you have the encouragement of your professors and the comradery of your classmates.

But after you walk across the commencement stage, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day of your career and let some of those connections fade.

Not on my watch.

Events like Alumni Awards, Alumni Weekend and class reunions keep all of us connected. They also serve as a reminder of that wide-eyed enthusiasm for your chosen area of study – the reason you applied to MUSC in the first place.

Of course, the Alumni Association offers other ways to get involved, too, like the new Alumni Advisory Council that met for the first time recently.

Speaking of working together toward a common goal, I’d like to introduce you to the Alumni Association’s new assistant director Lauren Graf. Since Lauren started working with us, she has played a huge role in our events and programming.

I’d love to hear what makes you feel most connected to your alma mater, too.

Email me at breenj@musc.edu with questions, concerns or suggestions for making the MUSC Alumni Association a valuable resource for you.

Jennifer Breen
Senior Associate Director
MUSC Alumni Association