UB Alumni Association offers no-fee membership

Are you a UB graduate?

Then you are now a member of the UB Alumni Association.

But don’t worry; it’s free.

That’s right, membership in the association now comes without a fee.

All UB graduates are now members of a community where they can reconnect with old friends, meet new people, advance their careers, register first for UB alumni events and enjoy exclusive discounts and benefits.

Members of the UB Alumni Association are plugged in to a social, career and business network of more than 240,000 UB alumni worldwide.

While the no-fee membership just began on Oct. 1, the plan already is garnering praise from UB alumni — even those who previously paid for their memberships. Among the backers are two UB staff members who are graduates.  

“I think this is great!” says Phyllis Floro, director of the Office of Student Engagement. “I found great value in being a member, even with the fee, so I’d love to see more alumni take advantage of it. Offering membership without a fee may encourage more alumni to get involved.”

Floro, who earned a BA in communication in 2003 and an EdM in higher education administration in 2005, has remained involved with UB since graduation. She volunteers as an alumna and a staff member at the annual UB Day of Caring and enjoys attending alumni socials and pre-game tent parties.

Joel Thompson, BA ’04, works as director of ticket operations at the Center for the Arts. He thinks offering a no-fee membership was the right move for the UB Alumni Association to make.

“I really believe this the right direction for the Alumni Association to take,” Thompson says. “There are hundreds of thousands of graduates of this university and we should be able to celebrate that as an entire community without the caveat of some graduates being official members of UBAA and some not. This brings everyone into the fold, and I hope now that more and more people will take part in the great events that UBAA holds every year.”

Thompson, who served as president of the association’s chapter for alumni who are UB employees, regularly volunteers at alumni events, including alumni nights at Sabres games, and for student programs, including those that bring alumni back to campus to offer advice on careers and networking.

All along, he says he’s been proud to be a member of the UB Alumni Association.

“There is a fondness and a pride that accompany our time as students at UB, and making the Alumni Association non-exclusive, so to speak, will allow a far greater number of people to celebrate those memories and stay connected to their alma mater,” he says.