WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., May 19, 2021 — West Liberty University alumni gathered in Daytona Beach recently to enjoy a successful reunion despite the pandemic. Last spring the annual gathering had to be canceled due to COVID-19 safety concerns, but with vaccinations and the relaxing of CDC rules, it was a joyous gathering.
“The 2021 reunion was a huge success. Some have even called it the best reunion yet! We have received nothing but overwhelmingly positive feedback from those in attendance,” said Ron Witt, executive director of Alumni Relations & University Special Projects. The gathering took place May 14 – 16.
President W. Franklin Evans also attended the weekend event, along with Angela Zambito Hill, executive director of the WLU Foundation.
“It was a pleasure to meet our alumni from the Florida Chapter, and I look forward to many more happy alumni gatherings in the future. It is critical that the university re-establishes former chapters and expands with establishing new ones. Alumni are the life-line of our institution,” Evans said.
Attendance was light (possibly due to the pandemic) with 36 alumni in attendance. The site chosen was the beachfront resort and spa known as The Shores and the weather cooperated, with sunny days and warm evenings.
“Our group was very engaged, supportive and willing to help their alma mater. They especially enjoyed meeting President Evans. With his infectious personality and enthusiasm, he was a big hit. Everyone was impressed with his knowledge and inspired by his vision for the university,” Witt reported.
President W. Franklin Evans began his tenure this past January so it was the first opportunity for him to speak to most of those in attendance.
The 2021 reunion was the 33rd annual reunion for the Florida Alumni Chapter and many in attendance have attended consistently.
“All alumni chapters are important for staying engaged and supporting the university; however, this group is unique. They are like family. The camaraderie and friendships are unsurpassed.”
They are concerned about the future and who will take the reins when the core group is no longer able to attend. Hence, there is an initiative afoot to divide the state into regions and identify a “leader” in each area as a point person for making connections with other alums. This initiative is already underway and will hopefully be the incentive for increasing participation in years to come.
Next year’s reunion is already being planned and will be held in Mount Dora, Fla., with dates and details to be determined. For more information on all activities of WLU’s Alumni Office, please call 304.336.8888 or visit westliberty.edu/alumni. Alumni can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/wlualumni.
