When Jeff Morgan ’82 became involved professionally with nonprofit groups that, at least in part, relied on volunteers, he, too, began volunteering. That impulse led the Annapolis, Md., resident to become an elder at two different churches and get involved with Susquehanna’s Alumni Association.
A stalwart member of the association’s executive board for the past 14 years, the immediate past president is transitioning off the board this fall. “I had a great experience at Susquehanna,” Morgan says, explaining his loyalty. “I thought it provided a great foundation to become a lifelong learner.” He also met his wife, Susie Kees ’93 Morgan, while attending the university.
Morgan believes that over the past few years the university and Alumni Association have greatly broadened the options for alumni to stay involved with Susquehanna.
“Gift giving is obviously important, but I think the ways that alumni can and should get involved in Susquehanna is much broader,” he says.
“We’ve started alumni chapters throughout the Northeast, and we’ve created more pathways for alumni to engage with students.
“Greater alumni engagement is healthier for the university and it’s better for the students, so it creates a much stronger value proposition.”
One such pathway is the Break Through program-the successor to a career day that Morgan first organized-which has become a weeklong
series of student and alumni networking events. “The more that students can connect with alumni, the more they can see what they can
become,” he says.
As CEO of the Club Managers Association of America and the former CEO and president of the National Investor Relations Institute, Morgan usually participates in the nonprofit panel discussion included in the Break Through program.
“For alumni, it’s a great way to have a conversation and potentially help someone get their first job or internship,” he says. “It’s an easy way
to help and it’s a feel-good experience for everybody.”
