Overview

Young Alumni Council Home

What is the Young Alumni Council?

At the urging of two energetic young alumni, the Young Alumni Council of the University of Virginia Alumni Association (YAC) was established in February 1995. It is an initiative designed to better engage and serve the University of Virginia’s most recent graduates. The Council (YAC) receives its funding and its charter from the University of Virginia Alumni Association.

The Council seeks to better serve and support recent graduates with programs and communications that are uniquely tailored to their own needs and perspective on Virginia. It seeks to foster and sustain the active involvement of young alumni in the support of the University of Virginia and the Alumni Association. The Council will also act to shepherd the development of volunteers and future leaders in ways that deepen their commitment to the University and prepare them for active roles in alumni affairs.

The Council also acts as a voice for young alumni concerns to the Alumni Association and the University. Council members serve for a term of three years and may be eligible for re-election to an additional three-year period at the expiration of their first term.

 

Why was it formed?

At present, young alumni constitute nearly 40% of all living University of Virginia graduates, nearly 80,000 younger alumni. The Alumni Association created the Young Alumni Council because it felt that the programs it sponsored did not adequately address the needs of this important (and growing) constituency. The YAC is intended to meet those needs.

 

Who is considered a young alumnus/alumna?

Any person who has graduated from one of the six undergraduate schools at the University within the last twelve years.

 

What are the specific missions of the YAC?

As stated in the current by-laws of the organization, the purposes of the Young Alumni Council shall be the following:

  1. To promote the social, professional, philanthropic, and service interests of recent alumni.
  2. To foster closer interaction with the greater University community.
  3. To engender continued improvement of the University and its educational missions through service and support of specific initiatives.
  4. To educate current students and recent alumni about goals, purposes, projects and services of the Alumni Association and
  5. To increase involvement with the organization.
Inherent in these goals is the belief that the Young Alumni Council provides the principal vehicle by which the interests of all young alumni are addressed. The Young Alumni Council serves as an organization designed to communicate ideas and agendas from its constituents to the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia as a whole and to facilitate the implementation of programs to meet the goals outlined above. In addition, the Young Alumni Council will interact with already established organizations, such as the Class Trustees, to achieve these goals when interests of the groups coincide.

 

What is the structure of the Young Alumni Council?

The Young Alumni Council is comprised of thirty-six members — two representatives from each of the twelve classes plus 12 at large members. From this group of thirty-six, an executive committee is elected consisting of the president, vice-president, and secretary. Council members are assigned to projects on an ad hoc basis. The entire Council is coordinated by Wayne Cozart, Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Heather Allen, Assistant Director of Reunions and Class Activities.

 

What are the duties of the members of the Young Alumni Council?

At the heart of the Young Alumni Council are the 36 alumni that serve on our Council. These volunteers form the lifeblood of the Council's activities while the Young Alumni Council coordinator and staff liaisons manage their efforts. The success of the Council depends largely on the leadership and enthusiasm provided by the Council members.

Young Alumni Council member responsibilities generally include the following: