Spire Spring 2018

alumni

Alumnus Brandon Caldwell (‘02), giving back to his alma mater as a leader of the Alumni Association.

Caldwell Gives Back to Bluefield College as President of the Alumni Association

Bluefield College alumnus Brandon Caldwell is celebrating his second year as president of the Alumni Association and with the anniversary a number of milestones for BC alumni. Caldwell, who majored in business administration with a concentration in information technology while a student at Bluefield College, says he kept a tight schedule and worked a lot of hours after classes during his two years at BC, 2000-2002. And while admittedly he may not have been the most active student then, he’s making up for that now in his role as president of the Alumni Association. “Most of my peers will remember me as working as a ‘sandwich artist’ at Subway for the two years I was there,” said Caldwell. “There were no awards or honors, just the degree that I hold so dear. My only real extracurricular activities were being a fictitious coach for the ‘Gerties’ during intramural flag football where I stood on the sidelines for a couple of games. However, it took nothing away from the quality education that I received and the deep personal relationships that I developed. I do feel like the opportunity that I have now in my role (as president of

the Alumni Association) is giving me a chance to give back and be involved, unlike my time there.” Under his leadership, the Alumni Association Board of Directors has improved its efficiency by narrowing its focus to a few specific projects each year, according to Josh Grubb, BC’s director of alumni relations. As a result, the Association recently revived the New River Valley Regional Alumni Chapter and is in the process of developing three additional regional alumni chapters this year. The Alumni Association also just recently created Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT), an organization of current BC students working together to strengthen the relationship with former BC students. Originally envisioned by Alumni Association past-president Jennifer Mitchell (’08), STAT is in its first year of existence on campus and already has 10 active members, thanks to Caldwell’s efforts to see Mitchell’s vision fulfilled. “I admire Brandon because of his love for his alma mater, his desire to see it grow, and his willingness to give back his

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