Dear alumni,

We have designed the Alumni Association to offer you opportunities to reconnect with your alma mater and build connections. And we’re doing just that! Now, we need you to take part in the exciting activities available to you.

For instance, we are preparing for two alumni awards programs – the Golden Graduates Alumni Program and the Outstanding Alumni Awards. Both are incredible ways to get involved – no matter your experiences or the era you attended our alma mater.

Golden Graduates Alumni Program

The Golden Graduates Alumni Program launched in 2019. We are thrilled to continue to offer this life-changing weekend for alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. In 2020, we celebrated the classes of 1950, 1960, and 1970 for their 70-, 60-, and 50-year reunions. However, anyone who graduated in 1970 or prior is welcome! Plus, we’re inviting back former Golden Graduates, as well as faculty who worked on campus during the Golden Graduates’ era.

Not a Golden Grad? No problem! There are still so many great ways to get involved. We need more than 20 volunteers May 1-2 for the Golden Graduates Alumni Program and commencement activities. Trust me – it is a blast. You’ll get to meet alumni from different eras and regions; you’ll work side-by-side with alumni and campus leaders, and you’ll experience the excitement of commencement all over again.

Outstanding Alumni Awards

The Alumni Association has honored more than 200 alumni through the Outstanding Alumni Awards program since its debut in 1982. In 2020, we were switching it up! For the first time, we are offering this event in the fall. It’s the Friday of Welcome Week on campus, so our alumni can take in the exciting back-to-school energy while reconnecting with fellow alumni.

The 2020 Outstanding Alumni Awards program is themed “A Night with the Stars.” Get ready for a red-carpet, black-tie evening at the Northern Hotel in downtown Billings! During this Hollywood-style event, we’ll be honoring our alumni stars from throughout the decades. It will be unlike any MSU Billings alumni event you have ever experienced.

However, before we get to all of that fun, we need to put in some work! We need your help with the following:

  1. Nominate: We need you to nominate alumni you know for the Outstanding Alumni Awards! MSU Billings has alumni in all 50 states and several countries, so there is no way the Alumni Association can keep up with all of the great things they have been accomplishing. Please tell us through the nomination process. Nominations are due March 10.
  2. Join the Awards Committee: We are actively recruiting alumni to join this dynamic committee. They do everything from selecting award winners to planning and hosting the formal event! Interested? Please email us at alumni@msubillings.edu or call us at 406-247-5781.
  3. Purchase tickets or sponsorships: We need alumni to participate in “A Night with the Stars.” Consider purchasing general admission tickets or sponsorship so you can attend this exciting event. Check out your options.
Your Time to Shine

We are offering you a balance – with the Golden Graduates Alumni Program in the spring and the Outstanding Alumni Awards in the fall – so you can return to your alma mater to celebrate. Now is the time to get involved and be a part of these historic events! You’ll build friendships, you’ll expand your professional network, and you’ll create some amazing memories. So take this chance! We promise you won’t regret it.

With enthusiasm,

Gillette Vaira, M.A.
Director of Alumni Relations
MSU Billings Class of 2009

This letter to alumni from Gillette Vaira appeared in the February 2020 issue of the Alumni Flyer e-newsletter.