AU Alumni News, June 2019

Hello Raven Nation!

As I begin my new role as Director of Young Alumni Engagement, an important thing to know about me is that I LOVE AU and I LOVE AU STUDENTS. Counting my undergraduate experience, I’ve been at AU for 17 years and have been transformed by the people here and all that our institution has to offer. There are so many memories, too many to count...though I’ve got some whoopers that I’d love to re-tell! I truly believe that the best people are AU people.

I’ve been grateful to see those students grow and thrive while journeying through their four years on campus. I’ve enjoyed getting involved and engaged with campus in dynamic and diverse ways. I’ve loved hearing about and seeing AU alums doing phenomenal things in the world. All of these factors excite me for this new role, especially because my context for the aforementioned things tie closest into those we’re considering “young alumni.”

My hope in connecting and engaging with young AU alumni is to hear their stories and discover ways they can reconnect and engage with AU. Our recent graduates have a familiarity with the institution that, when staying linked, can be mutually beneficial to the campus community and the alumni themselves. I look forward to identifying the needs and wants of our young alums, designing fun and exciting events to attend, and ultimately unearthing ways for those stories of transformation as students at AU can be shared to cement and instill a lifelong affinity and appreciation for Anderson University.

I’m grateful that God has me still serving a place that gave me so much. Please let me know if you have a specific way you’d like to engage at AU. Former campus pastor Dr. Kimberly Majeski once said that “no one will love you like AU loves you.” I have experienced that love for 17 years and counting, so please know that we loved you then, and I promise we still do!

Soar, Ravens, Soar!

Trent Palmer
Director of Young Alumni Engagement

On May 14, the School of Science and Engineering raced their autonomous car, which operates without a driver, in the evGrand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The car raced for their division in the early morning, then ranked for finals the following day. Five engineering students and a few professors represented Anderson University in the competition, with all hands on deck for the highly anticipated race.

The car functioned flawlessly during the practice rounds, but per Dr. Chad Wallace, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, right before the final race began, a chip malfunctioned which caused them to lose steering. The students worked valiantly to do some emergency soldering, but the chip was fried. Panicked, the students asked other teams for a replacement, but eventually, they resorted to overnighting a new one from a supplier.

Even with the odds against them, the Anderson University students won in a landslide, beating other top engineering schools. Second place finished more than ten seconds behind them.
To read more about the journey of the autonomous car, click here.

Congrats to our engineering students and faculty!

It's that time of year again when we are actively pursuing names for nominees for our 2019-20 Alumni Awards.

Each year at Homecoming, we give out a few alumni awards to individuals you have nominated, who are then voted upon by the Alumni Council and AU Cabinet. We’d like to hear who you would like to nominate for this year’s awards.”

Please review the list of alumni awards for categories and criteria for nominations on the AU website.

Photo above includes the 2018 recipients.