Alumni and visitors who walk in the front door of Thompson Cottage won’t notice anything different. Employees are still on the job, offices remain in the same locations, and the beloved Norma Gordon Austin Alumni Center and Museum remains intact and still accessible to Lyndon Institute alums.  The only difference is that the development and alumni offices and their missions are now combined.

“Both of us are here to support Lyndon Institute,” said Melissa Hall, Director of Development. “We know we can achieve more as one team.  By merging the long-independent alumni association and development office into a unified entity we hope to leverage the strengths and expertise of both for more meaningful alumni engagement and increased philanthropic support.”

The LIAA will be dissolved on August 31st, but the entire corporation needs to accept the merger at the Sept. 25th annual meeting. “The time has come to combine our efforts into one clearly defined, seamless unit. We want all alumni to have a single path to interaction with Lyndon Institute and each other”, said Tim Kirchoff, LIAA president.

Based on the recommendation of a hired consultant, the LIAA board of directors voted in March to proceed toward the merger. After conversations the consultant had with various constituencies, it was clear that there was widespread confusion about the alumni association being a separate entity from the school.

Moving forward, former members of the association will continue to be involved with alumni and the school.  They will be included in the Development Committee, will continue to manage the alumni scholarships, and will act as ambassadors for Lyndon Institute alumni world-wide.

LI alums won’t likely notice a big difference from the outside looking in.  The merger’s purpose is to have a single larger group working toward the same end goal: to promote LI and keep alumni connected with the school and one another.

Photo Caption: Thompson Cottage on the Lyndon Institute campus houses the Norma Gordon Austin Alumni Center and Museum, the school store, and LI’s development office. It was recently announced that LI’s alumni offices will merge with their development offices.