Considering an Alumni Board: An Invitation to Help Shape What Comes Next

There are moments in a program’s life when reflection becomes responsibility.

Over the past year, many Oregon Forensics alumni have stepped forward — writing, organizing, donating, advocating, mentoring, and checking in. These efforts have come from care, urgency, and a shared sense that something meaningful deserves protection and attention. What has become increasingly clear is that this work is not episodic. It isn’t about reacting to a single challenge. It’s about stewardship.

As we look ahead, we’re beginning a conversation about what it might mean to form an alumni board entity — not as a finished idea, but as a possibility worth shaping together.

Why Now?

This moment asks more of us than nostalgia or concern from a distance.

Oregon Forensics has always been sustained by people who believed it mattered — people who gave time, energy, and thought because the work changed them. Today’s challenges have made visible something that has long been true: alumni advocacy is most effective when it is shared, coordinated, and sustained over time.

Rather than relying on a few individuals or informal networks, we’re considering whether a more intentional alumni structure could help support students, preserve institutional memory, and strengthen long-term advocacy for the Forensics program at the University of Oregon — while remaining independent, accountable, and community-centered.

What We Mean — and What We Don’t

To be clear, this is not an official university body, nor is it meant to replace students, coaches, or existing organizations. It would not speak for Oregon Forensics, but from the alumni community — independently and transparently.

This is also not a closed group, a résumé line, or something already decided behind the scenes.

What we’re imagining is a representative, values-driven group of alumni willing to share responsibility for thinking aheaddte about funding stability, advocacy strategy, communication, and care for the program’s future.

Values Before Structure

Before discussing titles, terms, or bylaws, we want to be guided by shared principles. Among them:

• Independence from the university, paired with accountability to the alumni community
• A student-first orientation
• Long-term thinking over short-term fixes
• Respect for the diversity of eras, events, and experiences within Oregon Forensics
• A commitment to listening as much as leading

These values matter more than any formal design — and they should shape whatever comes next.

Naming the Open Questions

We’re also being honest about what we don’t yet know.

• What should representation look like?
• How formal should this entity be?
• What level of commitment is realistic and sustainable?
• How do we ensure this work remains responsive, not static?

These are not gaps to be filled quietly. They are the reason we are opening this conversation now.

An Invitation

February often invites reflection on commitment — on what we love enough to show up for, again and again.

If Oregon Forensics shaped you, challenged you, or gave you a sense of voice and purpose, this may be one way to help shape its future. We invite alumni interested in serving, advising, imagining, or simply offering perspective to reach out and be part of this early conversation.

You do not need prior board experience. You do not need to know exactly how you might contribute. Curiosity, care, and a willingness to think collectively are enough to start.

In the coming weeks, we’ll gather input and gauge interest. Listening will come first.

If you’re interested in helping explore what an alumni board entity could become — or if you have questions, concerns, or ideas — we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Fill out the form below to start the conversation.

This work has always been sustained by people who chose to stay connected. We’re grateful to everyone who continues to show that care can be active, shared, and forward-looking.