Alumni Starter Kit

By Erin Peterson

When Niloy Ray ’99 was recognized with an Alumni Award in the spring of 2024, his nominator gushed that Ray “wears Macalester orange and blue inside and out.”

It’s an apt description. Ray, who is married to fellow Scot Juliane Ray ’01 and lives just steps from campus, has served on the Alumni Board, has attended Reunion almost every year since 2014, and frequently lends a hand for a variety of Macalester initiatives.

Still, it wasn’t always that way. For years, he was laser-focused on building his career. “I wasn’t at my five-year reunion because I was in the process of going to law school,” he says of a path that led to Virginia and later Illinois.

When he returned to Minnesota in 2014, he jumped into Macalester activities with both feet.

Ray’s journey illustrates both the flexibility and unique possibilities that exist at Mac for alumni: their engagement trajectory is unique to them. Today, Ray connects with Mac through both simple, everyday connections and deeper, meaningful commitments. “I’ve set up a Google Alert for Macalester, which integrates Macalester into my daily flow,” he says. “I’ve also spent ten years instructing students in trial advocacy for academic credit as part of the forensics program.”

Assistant Vice President for Engagement Catie Gardner Smith says that alumni have never had a better moment to strengthen their connection to the college. “Alumni tend to care deeply about their connections to Macalester,” she says. “And now, there are whole new opportunities for people to get involved that they might not even know about.”

Whether you’re ready to take a small step or a big leap, Mac is ready for you. In the following pages, we’ve listed twenty-eight ways you can connect with the college, show your support, and make a meaningful impact in the Macalester community.

1. Start your journey on MacConnect.

Participate from everywhere

Update your addresses—physical and email—on MacConnect, Mac’s online alumni network, and you’ll get all sorts of goodies, starting with the magazine you’re holding in your hands. You’ll also get invitations to on- and off-campus Macalester events. Plus, you can use MacConnect to find a long-lost pal, submit a class note, or search job and interest boards.

2. Attend your Reunion.

Campus-based opportunity, connect with other alumni.

Celebrate your milestones: every five years, you’re invited to join your class (and some 1,800 other Mac alumni and potential new friends) to reflect and reconnect at Reunion. And, while milestone celebrations include special dinners and class gatherings, everyone is invited to attend Reunion every year.

3. Compete in Virtual Tartan Trivia.

Participate from everywhere, connect with other alumni.

You went to Macalester, so we already know you’re plenty brainy. Why not join fellow alumni for the annual trivia contest to show off those smarts? You can build a team on your own or be placed with alumni in your region. Winners don’t just get bragging rights; they also receive official Tartan Trivia sweatshirts.

Ken Iosso ’87, who served as host for a recent victorious group, says the best teams often bring together diverse groups of alumni. “Our winning team—which got every single question right, not that I was keeping count—included a member from the Class of 1973 and a couple from the Class of 2018,” he says. “It’s great to connect with close friends and the larger Mac community.”

This annual event takes place online each February.

4. Meet with career-focused students at MacExplore events.

Participate in multiple locations, connect with current students.

Alumni are invited to share their professional expertise with current students in areas including media, technology, social science, and law at in-person MacExplore events in several major cities.

5. Listen to WMCN.

Participate from everywhere

If you’re in the Twin Cities, turn your dial to 91.7 FM; if you’re further afield, head to wmcn.fm. However you connect, you’ll hear what’s popular with student DJs today.

For an alumni perspective, tune in to “Mac Vintage Voice with Martha T.” Every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m., Director of Philanthropic Giving Martha Truax ’07 chats with alumni, who share thoughts on life after Mac and spin tunes from their era on campus.

6. Send us your updates.

Participate from everywhere

Let Macalester Today know what you’re up to! Awards and promotions, weddings and babies, mini-reunions and milestones—we want to celebrate them all with you. Send your updates to mactoday@macalester.edu.

7. Root for the Scots at M Club events.

Campus-based opportunity, connect with other alumni

Former varsity athletes and coaches are invited to several games, meets, matches, and competitions every year to cheer cheer on Macalester athletes.

While the annual Hall of Fame Banquet held each fall is the M Club’s signature event, Fall Sports Day—now part of Mac Fest in October also attracts alumni eager to watch Mac’s intercollegiate teams compete. “Whether they’re donning orange and blue gear, chowing down on a Scot Dog, getting a ‘Let’s go Mac’ temporary tattoo, or receiving a congratulatory plaque as a new inductee into our Hall of Fame, seeing the excitement and enthusiasm from the Macalester community is very rewarding,” says M Club president Steve Cox ’76. “Based on the thank-you cards that come in from various teams, it’s clear that student-athletes are appreciative, too.”

8. Nominate a classmate for an Alumni Award.

Participate from everywhere

Your college friends are doing amazing things. Let the rest of Macalester know how they are making the world a better place by nominating someone you know for an Alumni Award.

Alumni can nominate people in four categories: the Catharine Lealtad ’15 Service to Society Award, the Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award, the Distinguished Citizen Award, and the Young Alumni Award.

Recent recipients have included teachers and entrepreneurs, government leaders and coaches—and we know there are incredible Macalester alumni whose stories are just waiting to be highlighted. Award nominations are due at the end of September.

9. Welcome a student who is far from home.

Participate in multiple locations, connect with current students

Through the International Connections Program, Mac grads who live around the world can meet with students who are on study away programs or internships. “Alumni can be a friendly face in those countries,” says Director of Alumni Engagement Erin Updike.

Ezequiel Jimenez ’13, who has lived in London and Barcelona, says he loves talking with students to offer ideas about life overseas. “I’ve met more than fifty people through the International Connections Program over the years,” he says. “It’s always a pleasure to give back to Mac by helping others navigate a life outside the US. Mac prepares students for global citizenship, and I try to help that pillar in our mission.”

10. Apply to join the Alumni Board.

Participate from everywhere, connect with other alumni

Are you ready to represent 28,000 Mac alumni and turn your great ideas into action? Apply to become one of thirty board members who help nurture community connections and support meaningful engagement with the college.

11. Host or attend a Mac in Your City event.

Participate from multiple locations, connect with other alumni

Each September, alumni gather for events in more than fifty cities around the world for events including gallery crawls and happy hour meetups. Updike describes them as “a little bit of Mac wherever you are.” Yulun Li ’14, who has hosted two San Francisco Mac in Your City events, says that the “Mac vibe” at these events is palpable. “Conversations are easy to start and people are very engaged,” he says. “No one expects others to be working in a field they majored in, and it’s super interesting to meet with alums who are in different spots in their careers and lives.”

12. Join yMac.

Participate from everywhere, connect with other alumni

Alumni who graduated in the last decade can connect on the yMac Facebook page and in a handful of regional chapters across the country. The group is a great resource for young alumni moving to a new area or transitioning to a new job.

13. Come to Mac Fest

Campus-based opportunity, connect with other alumni, connect with students

During a weekend in October, students, their families, and alumni come together for a full slate of events on campus. Take in a theater production, watch a swimming and diving meet, participate in a 5k run/walk through campus, or stroll through an academic showcase. Share your memories with the Macalester Oral History Project and grab dinner from a food truck. “Mac Fest highlights what a Macalester experience is today for families and alumni,” says Updike.

14. See a Mac professor in your city.

Participate from multiple locations, connect with other alumni

A few times a year, faculty travel beyond the Twin Cities to present to alumni audiences. Update your information on MacConnect to get on the invitation list.

Last spring, for example, alumni in New York City were invited to a panel discussion about sustainability that featured Professor of Environmental Studies Louisa Bradtmiller and President Suzanne M. Rivera. The event was part of the college’s 150th anniversary celebration. “Some of my former students came and stayed to chat and catch up, and I also got to meet alums I hadn’t known as students,” Bradtmiller says. “It was a wonderful reminder that Mac alums are all over, and that they are still curious about the world and eager to connect with each other and the college.”

15. Post a job or internship on Mac’s Handshake platform.

Participate from everywhere, connect with current students

We know exactly who wants more Mac alumni in their workplace: you.

16. Send a meaningful Mac memento to the archives.

Participate from everywhere

Not sure what to do with those cardboard boxes filled with your student-era scrapbooks, research projects, and event programs? Macalester College Archives might just be a great home for them. “If it has something to do with Mac, we want it,” says College Archivist Ely Sheinfeld, whose recent acquisitions have included a 1940s-era scrapbook of a student canoe trip. “Archives is interested in anything that helps us tell the story of Macalester and its community.”

17. Ensure your Mac memories live forever.

Campus-based opportunity

Sheinfeld also has a question for you: When people bring up Macalester, what memory immediately comes to mind? If you’ve got an answer, Sheinfeld wants to record it as part of the Macalester Oral History Project. He sets up his recording equipment at many major on-campus events, and encourages alumni to get in touch before they arrive on campus. “I would love to have more alums sit for this kind of oral history,” he says.

18. Plan your milestone Reunion.

Campus-based opportunity, connect with other alumni

Make sure your Reunion reflects your class’s distinctive character by serving on the committee that creates it. Make a difference with a thirty-minute monthly commitment and one on-campus meeting.

19. Offer your skills as a career helper.

Participate from everywhere, connect with current students

Help Mac students and alumni get a leg up in their future careers by offering advice, connections, or simply friendly support. All you need to do is fill out a form or sign up on MacConnect, and interested students and alumni will occasionally reach out.

20. Make the world better by joining Mac’s Week of Service

Participate from multiple locations, connect with other alumni

Alumni in cities across the country participate in activities including packing lunches for those in need and cleaning up parks, beaches, and roadsides.

21. Request a “MacPack” or a Mac banner.

Participate from everywhere, connect with other alumni

Give your most formal or informal Mac gathering some official Mac flair with a Mac banner or MacPack (which includes blank nametags, pens, a Macalester sign, and swag). Send us photos from your event and you might see your group featured on one of Macalester’s social accounts.

22. Make a gift to the Macalester Fund.

Participate from everywhere

The Macalester Fund helps keep your favorite alma mater strong. Give a gift today or join thousands of your classmates during Give to Macalester Days.

23. Advocate for your alma mater on social media.

Participate from everywhere

You contributed to Mac during Give to Macalester Days—now showcase your Mac pride on your social media accounts. Once you give, you’ll get a link that makes sharing easy. It’ll even allow you to record a short video if you want to make your case for Macalester more personal.

24. Challenge your friends and classmates.

Participate from everywhere

During Give to Macalester Days, you can create a simple challenge for your classmates—a $10 match for the next ten classmates who donate, for example. “These are low-threshold ways that people can support the Macalester Fund in ways that don’t feel like ‘asking people for money,’ but can inspire others who share your passion to support Macalester financially,” says Catie Gardner Smith.

25. Create your own Macalester legacy with a planned gift.

Participate from everywhere

Immortality doesn’t come easy, but with a planned gift you can make an impact on Macalester even after you’re gone. Include Macalester in your will, or add Macalester as a beneficiary to your life insurance policy or retirement account.

The support will earn you a spot in the James Wallace Society, which currently has more than 900 members.

Director of Planned Giving Theresa Gienapp acknowledges that these types of gifts tend to be more popular as alumni near milestones such as their 50th Reunion. But she says even recent graduates can participate by designating Mac as their/a beneficiary. “We have folks who have estate gifts of $100, and we have a Wallace Society member from the Class of 2022,” she says. “You don’t have to be a millionaire! We appreciate every gift, they all go to this great college, and we celebrate all of them.”

26. Become a Grand Society member.

Participate from everywhere

Leadership-level giving to Macalester starts at $1,600 a year.

A gift at this level grants membership in the Grand Society and supports Macalester’s commitment to access, academic excellence, and innovation. Membership offers some pretty great perks, including insider updates from the president, invitations to special Macalester events, and a gold pin to show your support.

Alumni who have graduated within the past ten years are eligible to join the Young Grand Society and access the same privileges with a donation starting at just $17 a month.

27. Volunteer as a class agent.

Participate from everywhere

More than 150 Mac alumni volunteer as class agents, helping write fundraising letters and connecting with fellow classmates to encourage support.

28. Bring us your great idea.

Participate from everywhere

Interested in speaking to a class, planning a creative event, or supporting Macalester in another way? If you don’t see something that interests you on this list, drop us a note and we might just be able to help you create it. Send an email to alumnioffice@macalester.edu.

Erin Peterson is a Minneapolis-based writer.