Student Alumni Association (SAA)
Students for years. Alumni for life!
Message from the President
"The Student Alumni Association, or SAA, is an on-campus student organization which looks to strengthen the relationship between the current students of Fairfield University and its alumni." Fancy mission statement, right?
Here's my definition: "The Student Alumni Association, or SAA, is an exciting group of student leaders who help their fellow students connect with alumni in various fun, friendly, and resourceful ways."
SAA members are dedicated to bridging the gap between students and alumni. We devote much of our time to planning and executing events, both on and off campus, for students and alumni to meet, mingle, and potentially network. As SAA members, we continuously strengthen the bond between students and their extended Fairfield family.
A few of the activities that we provide to the Fairfield University community include: Reunion Weekend; Major Decisions; the annual Teddy Bears with Love charity drive; and Spring Back to Fairfield. One of my personal favorites is the Legacy Breakfast, hosted by the Alumni Association, during Open House. Some of my fellow SAA members and I enjoy a delicious breakfast with potential students and their families. What makes the Legacy Breakfast special is that all the students are invited to this breakfast because they are somehow related to a Fairfield alumnus/a, whether the alum was a parent, sibling, aunt, or grandfather. I always enjoy talking with these families about why they chose Fairfield, and what impact their alumni connections have had in their lives.
In addition to our on-campus activities, SAA is a member of the larger group of Student Advancement Programs known as CASE:ASAP (CASE: Affiliated Student Advancement Programs). This organization gives us the opportunity to travel to conferences across the nation and join forces with other SAAs from various schools. Most recently, our district attended a conference at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, and then all the districts converged for the National Networking Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah this past summer. We are really looking forward to the next district conference in Boston, Massachusetts, hosted by Northeastern University!
All work and no play? I think not! We are all about strengthening our extended alumni family, but we are a family ourselves. SAA members make sure to allocate enough time to enjoy each others' presence. We attend Fairfield athletic events together, celebrate "Thanksgiving Dinner" and "SAA Christmas," go to Bluefish baseball games, Sound Tigers hockey games, have group dinners, and social nights, seasonal retreats, and much more. Every meeting guarantees a laugh and a good time with the SAA family.
If you are looking to get involved with SAA, meet some of our current members, or would just like to see for yourself what we're all about, please feel free to contact us at SAA@stagweb.fairfield.edu and one of our members will get back to you quickly with more information.
The Student Alumni Association has a reputation for having a good time, putting on great events, accomplishing great things, and building lasting bonds between the university and each other. If you're a fun-loving, outgoing, dedicated person looking to make a difference at Fairfield and spread your Stag Pride, then the Student Alumni Association is for you!
Go Stags!
Meg Hallissy '10
SAA President
2008-2009