Volume 28 · Number 1 · Fall 2010
Alumni: Aggies for Life
New Voluntary Fee Pledge gives students a more affordable way to join the alumni association for life.
How it works:
Lump-sum option:
Regular-priced CAAA life membership: $700
Within one year after graduating: $400
Installment option:
Includes SAA membership while a student, plus CAAA life membership status at graduation: $35/quarter*
Why join SAA?
- Leadership opportunities
- Networking events with alumni
- Student mentor program
- Community service events
- Discounts at campus locations and at local businesses
- 10 percent off UC Davis imprinted items at the bookstore
- Discounts on GMAT, GRE, LSAT or MCAT courses with Princeton Review
- CAAA Life membership brings you:
- Career networking programs and resources
- Exclusive member events
- Community service outreach opportunities
- Access to alumni connections across country and around the world
- Discounts on travel, insurance, financial and career services and continuing education
AFter Patrick Sherwood graduated in 1986, he sought out the Cal Aggie Alumni Association as a way to stay connected with the campus and fellow Aggies. However, coming up with the money for a life membership proved a challenge for Sherwood, even with the discount for recent graduates. “I struggled to find the resources to pay my initial membership,” he said, “but the benefits I have received have been invaluable.”
Patrick Sherwood ’86 and daughter, Caitlin ’14
His oldest daughter, Caitlin, as an entering freshman this year, found a new, more cost-effective option — a Voluntary Fee Pledge that allows her to add quarterly installments to her student registration fee statement, enjoy all the benefits of the Student Alumni Association and, upon graduation, become a life member of CAAA. She was the very first student to sign up.
“I am pleased that there is an option for my daughter to enjoy a lifelong connection with the campus without having a large membership fee to pay as soon as she graduates,” said her dad, a resident of Danville.
Caitlin said she was excited to get involved with the Student Alumni Association (SAA). “I am looking forward to the career and social networking activities that help guide students into their career paths or further their academic careers,” she said.
The Voluntary Fee Pledge was launched by SAA to encourage participation in its own activities while making it more affordable for Aggies to enjoy the networking and other benefits of a CAAA membership.
Currently, the lump sum payment for a CAAA life membership is $400 for new alumni who join within a year after graduating — a $300 discount from the regular membership rate.
Under the new fee pledge, a student agrees to add $35 to his or her tuition bill for a total of 12 quarters, not including summer sessions, for a total of $420. SAA membership starts immediately, while CAAA life membership takes effect with the last fee installment.
“This is a great opportunity for current students to get connected and stay connected to UC Davis,” said Jane Eadie, SAA’s adviser. “Students will have access to excellent alumni networking programs like Aggie Diner, Take an Aggie to Work and Interview with an Aggie. In this economy, the chance to be mentored by a UC Davis graduate in your field of study is invaluable.”
In the future, there will be opportunities for students and alumni to connect even more often and in new ways. Students will have access to more valuable networking events where they can mingle with alumni. And alumni who get involved will find well-organized events and more engaged students.
The fees also will allow SAA to offer more support to growing community projects like the award-winning Aggie Classrooms, a program that encourages underprivileged children in low-income schools to dream of college.
“Like the rest of campus, CAAA and SAA have been impacted by budget cuts and the ongoing recession,” said Eadie. “Monies from the fee pledge will enable us to sustain and grow programs that support our students while they are on campus and prepare them for the future. Programs like Aggie Classrooms need resources to ensure their continued success.”
SAA leaders proposed the fee pledge more than a year ago, and worked to get needed approvals from the Associated Students of UC Davis and Chancellor Linda Katehi.
David Nguyen ’10, as vice president of external affairs for SAA last year, helped win ASUCD’s support to launch the program.
“Being able to participate in a variety of events is important not only for networking with alumni, but for learning about the things you never knew you had an interest in,” Nguyen said. “Attending events and talking to alumni makes me feel connected to campus. It gives me a reason to give back because I appreciate the time and effort they have given me.”
He said the fee pledge is important and will benefit UC Davis in the future because “it will offer current students opportunities that were never before possible. I wish something like this had been around when I transferred to UC Davis. It would have allowed me to hit the ground running.”
Alumni profiles
Past ASUCD President Joe Chatham ’10, who also backed the program, said, “It’s great to be able to spread out payments and to be able to access all the benefits offered through the Student Alumni Association right away. The fee pledge will create a strong alumni network by helping to secure job connections for current students through SAA programming.”
All SAA members receive member benefits immediately, including discounts at the UC Davis Bookstore, Woodstock’s Pizza and even classes from Princeton Review.
Students can sign up for the Voluntary Fee Pledge anytime during business hours by visiting the Cal Aggie Alumni Association office located in the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center next to the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Office hours are 8–5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information, visit or call (530) 752-0286.