A New Alumni Volunteer and Upcoming Events

Hello CU Alumni! My name is Rebekah and I am the new Alumni Volunteer for the Office of Advancement.  I graduated this past May with my Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Cumberland University.  I am spending some quality time as an Alumni Volunteer on campus while earning my Master’s of Business Administration here at Cumberland University.

It is a wonderful opportunity to serve as an Alumni Volunteer.  Having the chance to stay connected and watch Cumberland improve daily is a great reward for any alum.  You should try it! Cumberland is finding more and more new ways to offer alumni the chance to interact with the University. One such example is as soon as January 9, 2010. That is when the 3rd Annual Cumberland University Night with the Nashville Predators will take place. There will be a pre-game reception at 5pm which is included in the already great ticket price (you’ll actually save $7 off the gate ticket rate price)! Plus, the seats are located on the Sideline Balcony near center ice. Other events are being planned such as a night at the TPAC in Nashville during the performance of the popular Mamma Mia! musical.  For more information on the Mamma Mia! event, just contact Justin Bradford at 615.547.1253 or by e-mail at jbradford@cumberland.edu.

Starting to plan a vacation for the new year? Travel with Cumberland to Alaska! CU is excited to offer an Alaskan Cruise with Celebrity Cruise Lines where one price includes, round-trip airfare (with non-stop service), the cruise, all on-board meals, transportation from the airport to cruise-port, and all taxes and service charges. Group travel helps cut back on the expenses by utilizing group rates as well as practically eliminating the stress of planning and organizing a great trip since the work is already done for you. All you have to do is show up! Traveling with the University also gives alumni the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues. Plus, traveling with the University will give alumni the chance to meet other alums and form great new relationships.

There are other great, perhaps less formal opportunities to return home to Cumberland University. As a young alumna, I enjoyed returning for Cumberland’s Homecoming this past football season. There’s always an event on campus to participate in and enjoy from sports events to theater productions. There is something for all alumni to enjoy and be involved in at Cumberland University.

Thanks and I look forward to meeting more Cumberland alumni as my time in the office continues!

New Facilities for our Students

Last Friday, October 23, 2009, we hosted our Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony for our new facilities at Phoenix Place.  These new facilities are now home to multiple fine arts areas as well as the new athletic training facility.

It was exciting to see the over 100 visitors come to see the new digs at CU.  The new Fine Arts facilities offer plenty of space for all types of art, including but not limited to: painting, photography, wood-working, sculpture, glassblowing, and more!  There is also a brand new space for the CU Band of the Phoenix to rehearse with high ceilings and better acoustics. View pictures.

The new athletic training facilities offer new equipment and plenty of room for our students to train.  Not only is this important for our students but also for recruitment as the new facilities offer more than we have ever had in the past. View Pictures.

These are exciting times at CU as we continue to grow, so make sure to visit campus sometime and we’ll make sure you can see what’s new at CU.

Below is a video of the new facilities courtesy of CU alumnus Brian Harville of HobNobWilson.com:

Upcoming Alumni Events

Photo Credit Shauna Holman '09

Well, it’s certainly been awhile since my last post but I wanted to bring everyone up to date about what’s going on at CU.

First of all,  Homecoming 2009 was a great success!  Alumni from around the country descended upon One Cumberland Square to take part in many activities we offered during Homecoming week.  You can view pictures via our Flickr photo feed.

With Homecoming already in the past, we do have plenty of upcoming events that we would love to see CU alumni attend.  First of all we are proud to announce the 2009-2010 Great Performers Series.  These two great events will feature world-renowned musical artists performing here at CU!  Coming up on November 15th we will host Susanna Phillips, a critically acclaimed soprano.  Ms. Phillips has performed at New York’s Lincoln Center and at Carnegie Hall.  This will be a very special event that I encourage all with a love for the arts to attend.  You can find more details here.

Next we are proud to announce our 3rd Annual CU Night with the Nashville Predators.  This event has grown so much in the past two years as last year’s attendance nearly doubled from the first!  The date is set for January 9th, 2010 as the Preds take on the Ducks of Anaheim.  This is a fun, affordable, family friendly event and would make a great gift for the holidays.  We have even dropped the ticket price from last year!  For $35.00 you will get a seat in the Sideline Balcony, receive a full dinner buffet before the game, and be eligible to win a multitude of prizes at our pregame reception!  More details.

Lastly (for now), with the success of our Predators event we decided to venture into the fine arts by hosting our first ever CU Night at TPAC (Tennessee Performing Arts Center).  Our first night will feature the show, Mamma Mia! and your ticket will include a pre-performance reception where there will be a meet and greet with members of the cast!  With great tickets in the Grand Tier, this is an opportunity you will not want to miss.  Very limited tickets will become available in November, so be on the lookout for more details coming soon.

Well I think that covers it!  As always feel free to contact me at jbradford@cumberland.edu if you have any questions or suggestions for future alumni events.  Happy Fall!

Brendan & Martin Share Their CU Experience

Student Success Depends on You

CU Students Erin Pierce and Rebekah Hope Mason briefly share the experience that they have had at CU as well as their future plans. They also discuss how their success is only possible through the support of scholarships.

Is CU in your summer travel plans?

As the summer travel season quickly approaches, I want to know if CU is in your travel plans?  No, not necessarily coming to visit campus (although we would always love to see you back here!), but if you will be representing Cumberland while on vacation?  I know that our alums love to travel, whether it’s a day-trip to Chattanooga, a weekend getaway in Gatlinburg, or a well-deserved trip to the beach, we know that you all love to get out there and explore.  With all of your travels will come great pictures.

So here’s what I’m asking while you’re on vacation: put on your CU apparel, whether it’s a hat, t-shirt, polo, whatever and snap a unique photo of you on vacation.  I want to know “Where in the World is CU.”  Some of you may be traveling internationally, and some might just be making a trip to the Gulf Coast.  Either way, I want to know where our alumni went.  Snap those photos and send them in to me at jbradford@cumberland.edu.  Don’t forget to include the names of people in the pictures, year graduated for the alums, and location of the picture.  Once the summer travel season we’ll show off all of your pictures for your fellow alums to see!

Graduation, TN Aquarium, Homecoming Theme Released

Last Saturday was definitely exhilarating as we welcome over 300 new alumni at the 167th Commencement of Cumberland University.  Although the weather did not quite cooperate, it was still a joyous experience to see so many graduates walk across that stage with their families cheering them on loudly.  It was also quite an honor to see Curly Putman presented with an honorary doctorate for his amazing career in the music industry.  Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Music Nashville President and CEO, also offered some wise words to our graduates.

Along with welcoming our new alumni, we would also like to announce a fun and exciting trip to the Tennessee Aquarium this summer.  On July 25, 2009, alumni, family, & friends of CU are invited to take a day trip to Chattanooga to experience the Tennessee Aquarium.  The aquarium has just opened a new gallery featuring the meshing of art and jellyfish named Jellies: Living Art.  For those of you that have not been there in a couple years, they also have a penguin exhibit that opened last year and a new Ocean Journey exhibit that opened a few years ago.  For more information and for ticket info click here.

Lastly, we are very excited to announce our Homecoming 2009 theme and we hope it’s something that our alumni, the community, and the student body can really get pumped about…

“Honor the Past, Live for the Future: A Journey Through the Decades”

This year’s theme will truly incorporate everything that CU is about.  Never forget where we came from, but always remember to strive for better and push for the future.  We sure hope to see you here on campus during Homecoming week 2009, October 5-10.  More details will follow including our golf tournament on October 5th at Five Oaks Golf & Country Club and our Reception the night of October 9th.

Take a Tour of CU

Take a tour of Cumberland University.

Your hosts on the tour are Keeley Locke and Drew Jennings of the Student Government Association.

Exciting Times at CU

Ok, so I know it’s been awhile since my last post, but CU has been all about hustle and bustle lately.  We have been conducting our Spring Phonathon and it has been successful so far.  With only two nights of calling to go we have been able to bring many new donors to the Annual Fund.  Our students have been working very hard to reach all of our alumni and friends around the globe.  Many students have had wonderful conversations especially when they have a common major or home-town.  Either way, the students have enjoyed talking with our alumni and friends as it gives them new insight on how it was made possible for them to receive scholarships while attending CU.

Also, graduation is upon us and the buzz is all around the university.  The CU Alumni Association is set to welcome 300 new alums as they walk on May 2nd, 2009.  The special guest speaker this is Troy Tomlinson, President and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Nashville.   A native of Portland, Tenn., Tomlinson took the reins of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville in January of 2006.  In his role as president and chief executive officer, he supervises all creative elements for Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville, including the signing of new writers.

To go right along with graduation is our New Graduate Reception on May 1st.  This is a FREE event for all alumni to help us congratulate the graduating seniors.  Feel free to stop by anytime between 5 and 7 pm at the Catron Alumni House.  Enjoy light appetizers including mini-beef wellingtons, mini-cheesecakes, etc. all while networking with fellow alums.  If interested, please RSVP to me at jbradford@cumberland.edu.  The event is open to all alumni and their families!

That’s it for now!  Hopefully it won’t be so long between messages!

Meet the Staff

Take a tour of the Office of Advancement located at the Catron Alumni House.

Leave a comment with your ideas for Homecoming Themes!