Various Waynesburg University alumnae gathered for Waynesburg’s annual Alumnae Luncheon on  Friday, Sept. 21. The event brings female Waynesburg graduates together once a year for an event that has become popular over the years. Stacey Brodak, vice president for Institutional Advancement and University Relations, said the process of planning and coordinating alumni events happen in the Institutional Advancement office with the help of several team members.

As for this particular event, Brodak spoke well of participation and excitement around the Alumnae luncheon.

“It is one of our most well-attended events we have for alums,” Brodak said. “It is a really great crowd we pull for that.”

One of the reason’s the event is so well attended is because it is open to female graduates across all ages. The event allows for a mesh of ages leading to a variety of experiences to be shared.

“Our audience, generally speaking, spans from new grads to grads that are celebrating major milestone anniversaries,” Brodak said. “It is a really nice chance for these ladies that come together to share experiences and wisdom about working or life and tends to be a really valuable event for those who attend.”

The Alumnae Luncheon is not just a reunion. along with a sit-down lunch, those in attendance are also treated to a program or speaker each year, as well as time for networking.

“We have social time built in so the alums can network together, because that is certainly one of the valuable pieces of any alumni gathering,” Brodak said. “To reconnect with others and to meet new people.”

The Luncheon provides the Institutional Advancement office with an opportunity to share information with alumni what is going on at the University.

“We are always looking for opportunities where we can connect alumni to the university,” Brodak said. Melinda Walls, Robert Stover Chair for Entrepreneurial Leadership, was chosen to speak at this year’s event to inform alumni about the new entrepreneurial learning initiative being offered at Waynesburg University.

Walls works in the eHive on the second floor of the Stover Campus Center, which is a student center where anyone can come to talk about their ideas for a venture.

“I was really pleased to be invited to speak, because I am new to Waynesburg University,” Walls said. “My remarks for the Alumnae Luncheon are going to be surrounding how thinking like an entrepreneur can lead to success not in just business but in almost anything. Life, basically.”

As a whole, Brodak believes the event provides a priceless opportunity for the Institutional Advancement office to show off the university and its current students to its alumni.

“It is a great way for us to be able to share with them images, stories, and to talk to them about all the great things we are doing,” Brodak said. “Where we are serving, where our students are going after graduation, how many are working this past graduation, all those [statistics] that continue to build their pride and love for the institution, which we think has a lot of value.”