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Rod Cumming '87
Maureen Hughes '89
Co-Presidents

Did you ever wish you could go back to your convocation day and walk across the podium just a little slower, or pause just a little longer to shake the Chancellor's hand, or take an extra second to wave to your folks in the crowd? Well, at the convocation ceremonies this year, both of us wished we had done just those things. Sitting on the podium, we had a little time to reflect on what we wished we had done differently way back when.

This is not to say that we didn't watch each and every grad cross in front of us and shake Chancellor Peter Gzowski's (and of course Mr. Dress-Up's) hand. Nor does it mean that we didn't listen intently to Dr. James Orbinski's outstanding and moving convocation address. It just means that in each face, we saw someone we knew, remembered, or wished we were a little bit like. For instance: the several women who received their diplomas to cheers of "We love you, Mom!"; the international students who had come, literally, so far in order to experience a Trent education; or the hundreds of young men and women who had hope, joy, and enthusiasm written across their face as a smile.

A thousand "congratulations" and a thousand "thank you's" were spoken   and each one heart-felt. Yes, perhaps we'd have done one or two things differently   maybe we did just by being present to share in this day with the 1000 new Trent alumni. To all of you WELCOME!

The Few, The Proud
Welcome to this union of 24,000 people who, like you, have had the benefit of the "Trent Experience." Welcome to a network of 21 alumni chapters world-wide where a warm smile and fellowship will always greet you. Welcome to a group of people who care so passionately about this University that they continue to stay involved, even 35 years after they first stepped on campus.

The high level of involvement among alumni is, we think, one of the most significant things that distinguish Trent alumni from all others.

A Tip of the Hat
On behalf of several years (dare we say "decades"?!) of Alumni Councils, we want to say a heartfelt "Thank You" to those people who gave direction to our motley crew and who are now moving on to new challenges. To Paul Moore, whose faithful service to the Trent Alumni spans some 12 years thanks for your sage advice, good humour, and dedication to Trent. To Cheryl Davies now our Past President whose four years of leadership has left us an excellent legacy to carry on, another "thank you." A special thanks to "retired" councilors Kevin Mullins, Jen Sipos, and Len Vernon for accepting "the call" and for making your participation count. The current visibility and level of respect the Alumni Association receives in our community and beyond our walls is in no small way due to the support, active participation and "can-do" attitude of these people. Thank you once again for all you have done.

Finally, we would like to express our thanks to the members of the Trent community who have welcomed us and have encouraged us in our new role. Along with the other members of the Alumni council, we look forward to serving the association and the University. Thanks for the opportunity!

Alumni Association - The Next Three Years
Recently, at our annual retreat, fifteen dedicated Trent alumni, from all colleges and spanning 35 years of graduates, planned our direction for the next three years. Under the expert guidance of John Butcher '67, we hammered out our ideas, goals, and objectives to give shape to a plan to continue to build and strengthen the association.

The main themes that evolved were:

• Campus Profile (including plans for the creation of a student centre/ alumni house);
• Services to Alumni and the University;
• Communications & Change Management;
• Fostering Community; and
• Resources.

In all of these things, we discussed how we could encourage alumni to be leaders, to help guide students, and most of all, to simply participate in all the things our association has to offer.

A complete report outlining our major objectives is available online at www.trentu.ca/alumni. You will certainly be hearing a lot about these things over the next several years. Take a minute to see what our goals are and please consider how you might be able to help us achieve them.

Just in case anyone is interested, we suppose we should share a little about ourselves. So here are the short biographies of Rod and Mo:
Name:	Rod Cumming '87	Maureen Hughes '89
Trent Years:	1987-92	1989-93
Hometown:	Oakville	Oshawa
Currently lives in:	Toronto	Peterborough
Major at Trent:	Canadian Studies	History
College:	LEC	LEC
Current job:	Public Relations for CIBC	Manager, Leahy Music
Other interests:	AIDSwalk Toronto	Ptbo. Pagans Rugby
Email:	roderick.cumming@cibc.ca	leahy@oncomdis.on.ca