My Dues for UWL

The Alumni Association and Foundation is excited to become one brand-new entity anticipated to launch July 1, 2023. The new official organization will be the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation.

Janie Morgan, ’85 & ’86, executive director of strategic engagement, is excited to see the Alumni Association and Foundation office align.

“These two organizations have worked hand-in-hand over the past 50-plus years, and I believe this new structure will help us serve our students, alumni, friends and UWL in the best possible way,” says Morgan. “Our alumni and friends deserve the very best, and we plan to deliver.”

Greg Reichert, vice chancellor of Advancement and president of the UWL Foundation, says the new arrangement aligns with best practices in the industry today.

“It will allow the activities that we do to advance UWL to be seamless and should create a more fulfilling experience for our alumni and benefactors,” he explains. “We are very excited to see it in action.”

Todd Taylor, ’80, current chair of the UWL Foundation, will chair the new organization July 1, holding that role for the first two years of the new organization. Lynda Kohler, ’83, current chair of the UWL Alumni Association, will serve as vice chair of the new organization for its first two years, followed by two years as chair.

The new board of directors will include between 18 and 40 members serving three-year terms, with at least half of them being alumni. New committees will encompass all areas currently covered by the two organizations. The new organization’s fiscal year will run July1-June 30, with annual meetings in May.

The UWL Foundation was incorporated in 1967 to promote charitable and education activities to support scholarships, awards, grants, projects and programs to advance UWL’s mission. UW-La Crosse Scholarships Inc., formerly the La Crosse State College Foundation, and the State College Student Welfare Association, merged with the UWL Foundation in 1986. By 2020, the Foundation’s assets were $39.6 million.

The UWL Alumni Association was formed in 1969 to build and maintain relationships among students, alumni, friends and the university.

With a more inclusive model of engagement, you will become part of a much larger network of alumni and friends. All events, activities and networks previously organized by the alumni association will continue. However, "membership" to the alumni association will no longer be a requirement.

Have no fear, many of the benefits currently offered will remain available! Now, we get to broaden the benefit privileges to the entire UWL community.

Absolutely not! The UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation is now even more focused on building lifelong relationships with all UWL alumni.

NO memberships, NO fees. Just an entire group of loyal UWL fans staying connected, getting involved and giving back.   

Networks wanting to continue to remain active will continue to exist with the Alumni & Friends Foundation. The Executive Director of Strategic Engagement is currently working with the leadership teams of active networks to determine the best plans moving forward.

Continue to stay connected, get involved, and give back!

We are excited to continue your engagement by supporting UWL by hosting events, providing regular updates, and creating a culture of philanthropy.

You are and always will be a Life Member. Thank you for your continual support. We appreciate you!

We will honor your membership with all its benefits and privileges through its duration. Once your current membership expires, we sincerely hope you will continue to support UWL through gifts to areas of the university that mean the most to you.

For annual members, benefits and discounts will be honored through the term of the membership. Once the term has expired, annual members will be asked to consider reassigning their membership dollars to a gift , directed to any area(s) of the university they choose.

Life Members will be recognized, and will continue to have access to many of the same perks and discounts that have always been available. 

As a current member, your card will be honored through the term of your membership. New membership cards will not be distributed as they were eliminated with the discontinuation of the sale of memberships.

Historically membership dues have strengthened The La Crosse Experience through networking events, legacy scholarships and honoring traditions. Those efforts aren’t disappearing. Going forward, you can continue to support these activities with an annual gift to the Alumni & Friends Engagement fund and Alumni Legacy Scholarship fund.  

Your gift can also bolster the efforts of other programs. With over 250 areas to support at UWL we believe you will find one that matches your interest and passion! Check out all options at: UWL Fund Opportunities

Membership dues contributed to The La Crosse Experience through networking events, legacy scholarships and honoring traditions. Membership dues were not tax-deductible.

Going forward, you can continue to support these activities with an annual gift to the Alumni & Friends Engagement fund & Legacy Scholarship fund! Gifts or donations, are given to the Alumni & Friends Foundation to directly support UWL and are tax-deductible.

We will honor your membership by providing all the discounts and benefits through its term. You will not receive an offer to renew your membership at the end of the term, but will be encouraged to convert your membership dues into a gift in support of UWL.

Anticipated to go into effect July 1, 2023 the Alumni Association will be part of the brand new - UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation. All operational funds will be accounted for in the new organization.

We also encourage your gifts to be allocated to the Alumni & Friends Engagement Fund which support alumni events and engagement and the Alumni Legacy Fund which supports 4 UWL alumni legacy scholarships. Learn more at UWL Fund Opportunities.

Dues paid to the Alumni Association went to support scholarships, events, and communication pieces. This included member benefits and were not tax-deductible.

The UWL Fund makes it possible for the university to respond to the campus' most pressing needs, offers flexibility to take advantage of unique opportunities, and be prepared to handle unexpected needs.

The UWL Fund allows small gifts to add up. Alumni giving to the UWL Fund says graduates believe in the education they received and the UWL mission. Giving is a vote of confidence in the continued work on campus.

These contributions, are considered gifts and are tax-deductible.