Dear Alumni,

Last month saw me back on American University’s campus for one of my favorite weekends of the year. 

Over the course of two days in late August, a new class of Eagles officially began their time at AU, while our Golden Eagles—alumni celebrating 50 years (or more) since graduation—returned to 4400 Massachusetts Ave for their annual reunion weekend.  

Speaking at Opening Convocation on August 28, I looked out at the faces of 1,600 new AU students and 12 Golden Eagles. There was the familiar drone of bagpipes, a kickline to Dolly Parton, and words of wisdom from Interim President Dave Marchick who shared an inspiring story about his own college journey and the mentors who made him feel seen. You can watch his full message here. (And stay tuned for mine next month.) 

How special, then, was it to see the weekend come full circle with the celebration of our Class of 1976 alumni on Friday and the Golden Eagles Brunch on Saturday. These alumni are truly the torchbearers of our alma mater, so it was inspiring to hear their stories and witness the enduring strength of AU friendships.  

What this weekend on campus always epitomizes for me is how much of the AU experience boils down to connections—the roommates who we still text and call, the classmate who’s become a coworker, or the alumni mentor who gave us our first job.

It’s why I’m thrilled to share that this fall is packed with a calendar of events and exclusive programming for our AU alumni nationwide. 

I’m especially excited about our reimagined program, Eagles Connect: Meet Your Neighbors, Expand Your Network, to bring alumni together across the country to build meaningful connections, expand professional networks, and strengthen their ties to AU. Events are planned for eight different cities so far, helping alumni meet others in their local area. Whether you're new to a city or a longtime resident, I hope you attend! 

I want to highlight some other upcoming events and a few updates: 

• For our California alumni: AU will be hosting a series of networking receptions, including in Los Angeles on September 23 for alumni and current MBA students participating in the NBMBAA employment fair, as well as two hosted by the Kogod School of Business on September 29 and September 30 in the Bay Area.  

• The AU Women’s Alumni Network is kicking off the fall with a High Tea and Garden Tour at the historic Hillwood Estate this Saturday, September 26.  

• Reserve your spot for the Mosaic Collective and Alumni Reunion on October 23-24.  We have some great events planned and I look forward to seeing you there. 

• Registration is open for the AU Washington College of Law Alumni Reunion on October 9-10. 

• With the new AU Ready Internship Pledge underway—guaranteeing every undergraduate $4,500 for an un/under-paid internship—follow along on AU social media to catch student and alumni stories about the career-launching power of internships and add your own stories in the comments. (Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn) 

I'm kickstarting this connection-filled-fall with an invite of my own: find me on LinkedIn and let’s keep growing this powerful network!  

Patty Caballero, SOC/BA ’91, Kogod/MBA ’00