Dear Vermont Cornell Alumni,

I'm pleased to welcome you to another year of Club events. As I enter my second year as your President, it gives me pleasure to plan events and set goals that will bring Vermont alumni closer together.

Over the next few years, Cornell hopes to soar "far above," solidifying its place as the American university. Here among the leafy Green Mountains, we aspire to echo the lofty ambitions Cornell has set for itself - goals we know it can reach because of the strength of the Cornell community.

We have witnessed the strength of such community within our own Club. This past year, our membership grew 10%; we held more events than we have in prior years, from our Magic Hat Tour to our Holiday Celebration; and we've also integrated local businesses into our events planning (who can forget our memorable Zinck's Night, hosted by Michel Mahé, '87). This year, we'll kick off our fall with an out-of-this-world lecture from Professor Jim Bell, who will take us galaxies away to Mars (perhaps there is life beyond the Hill after all?).

Perhaps most importantly, we've begun to think beyond our Club. This year, we launch our first ever scholarship campaign! It's an exciting and daunting challenge for our Club, but one that, in working toward its accomplishment, will give our Club a renewed sense of purpose. We will help a Vermont student financially, giving him or her the gift of the Cornell experience, a gift from which we have all benefited in myriad ways.

We hope that you will join us in this campaign. On the membership form included with your mailing you will find a space to donate to the scholarship fund. Send it in with your dues today; you will get us one step closer to taking the Cornell Club of Vermont "far above."

As summer slowly slides into another vibrant Vermont fall, I look forward to meeting you to relive the good old days on the hill, get to know you and discover how you think our Club can become even more dynamic!

Yours in Big Red spirit,

Alexandra Tursi '05