Photo Courtesy of UVU Marketing
Lee Thomas | Lifestyle Editor
Jeri Allphin is helping to keep UVU Alumni connected to the school long after their graduation date. She finds ways to make donations go further and to keep UVU culture rich and engaging for those who have shaped the university into what it is today.
After getting married and having four children, Allphin returned to then-UVSC (could we double-check this? It turned into UVSC in ’93) after her husband sustained a brain injury in a 1993 car accident. She and her husband made the decision that she needed to go to law school during his long and arduous recovery.
Allphin decided to finish her four year degree at UVCC in business management in order to apply to law school at BYU. She worked as a litigator before she applied for a job as the alumni director at UVSC.
As the senior director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, Allphin is an integral part of the leadership team for the Alumni Center, which has grown in leaps and bounds since she began 12 years ago.
Her main responsibility in alumni relations is keeping students connected to the university. She helps with the Student Alumni Association, which focuses on getting students to become and stay engaged when they leave. She is also the publisher of UVU Magazine, which keeps alumni apprised of the happenings on campus.
UVU alumni are described as someone that has completed 24 credits or more, making many current students alumni.
“We have a fairly unique model in that alumni relations and annual giving are intertwined,” explained Allphin. This model has helped UVU receive its many donations, as well as provide for well-attended events.
Allphin describes the Alumni Association as “The collectors of alumni stories and keeper of traditions.” The I Am UVU campaign, is a recent example of a place to find a chronicle of alumni stories.
The Alumni Association is in charge of Homecoming week, which is Sept. 21 through 26 and, this year, is extended through Wednesday, Oct. 1 for the Idina Menzel concert at the UCCU Center.
Homecoming week includes the Founders Day event, which is held outdoors on campus and features live entertainment and food for anyone who would like to attend. The week also features the Alumni Award dinner, which is one of the most prestigious events of the year. Seven awards are presented during the evening. The awards honor donors and volunteers, or people who have made a difference on campus. One staff member is also awarded the Wilson Sorenson Lifetime Achievement award.
Allphin also works with the Student Philanthropy Panel, which is made up of UVU students and helps to the importance of being philanthropic. They educate students that if everyone gives a little, it can make a big difference. The money raised has historically been given back to students in the form of scholarships, but this year the money will benefit the school of the Arts.
Allphin is a great example of a person who has gone through hardship in her life and has continued to improve any situation which has been handed to her. She has helped to make UVU a better place and the University is lucky to have her.
