I was a bit of a non-traditional student. I was actually part of three different classes. I came to St. Olaf in 1980, but had to take some time off to work to pay for school. I did several jobs, things like drive truck. After I came back, I was able to finish early, so I ended up graduating in '85 with my brother, Greg [Smith] '85, which was kind of nice.

I made the decision early on to go to St. Olaf. I came to campus on a spontaneous tour with my parents, and it was a great first experience. We hadn't scheduled a tour, we just showed up, and our tour guide took us around and answered any questions we had. It was easy to tell he was excited about the college, too. At the end of my visit, he told me, "You're an Ole, I can just tell." I always remembered that.

When I was on the St. Olaf ski team, I remember Robert Tengdin '52 became a kind of benefactor for us. He wanted us to have the best instruction possible, so he donated enough to hire a new coach who had coached skiers who went on to be in the Olympics. At St. Olaf, I had access to this unbelievable instruction, both on the ski team and in the classroom, thanks to people like Bob. I haven't forgotten that alumni can have that kind of effect.

Financial aid was also huge for me. It got to the point where I just couldn't afford college anymore. I talked to Mark Gelle '76 in the Office of Financial Aid. I showed him how I'd worked hard in my classes and had been involved in things, and basically asked him what my options were. He worked with me so I was able to stay at St. Olaf; I was able to finish my courses and graduate in '85. Now I want others to have that experience I had, to be part of this place, this new world.

The Alumni Board is not a governing body; we're not elected. We're nominated by the director of Alumni and Parent Relations, the outgoing members of the board and the board president. It's an advisory board, meeting twice a year, that's a resource for the college and its focus groups. The president uses the board for insight on decisions, and it's also a resource for the Department of Alumni and Parent Relations. The board helps to build a stronger connection between the college and the alumni and create opportunities for alumni to be a community. The monthly St. Olaf Alumni Breakfast and the St Olaf Women Town Meeting are examples of popular activities.

We also want to create more Alumni Association Chapters. We try to look at what interests alums, what gets them going and where they become catalysts. Murray Johnson '85, in Chicago, is a good example of someone who's a real catalyst. He's so energetic, and he's constantly organizing events and keeping Oles in that area connected.

First of all, we're always trying to get more Oles to continue to be involved in the college. We work to develop a strong donor base. A big part of our goal involves working with Partners in Annual Giving (PAG) on how to increase the percentage of givers, particularly among students. These are the people who are going to be alumni very soon.

A few years ago, Nathan Dungan '87 and John Haugen '86 worked to change the expectation of giving for the senior class. Senior giving went up from 37 percent in 2002 to more than 80 percent for the Class of 2005. What Nate and John did was incredible; that was a watershed event, and now we have great gift fulfillment rates.

We're also looking for good prospective students. The Alumni Board supports the college's interest in both geographic and cultural diversity in our student body. We give leads on prospective students to the Office of Admissions. We like the idea of inviting prospective students to visit St. Olaf. I remember when I first saw the campus and how incredible things were then. Now I look at Buntrock Commons and the food service and all of the amenities students have, and I think, "If we can just get [prospective students] to campus, we've got 'em." But the Alumni Board also wants students to get to know Oles, not just on campus but in their worlds — at work in their businesses and careers.

St. Olaf is a community where people help one another. Being involved with the board is a great opportunity to help the college: its alumni and its students. And it's so rewarding. I feel a remarkable sense of gratitude to St. Olaf, and I'm thankful for what they've done for my family and me.

Doug Smith lives north of Stillwater, Minnesota, with his wife, Susan, a vice president at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and their 4-year-old son, Parker.