Outreach Campaign

Recent activity on this blog and the FB UR NROTC Reunion group tells me the Outreach Campaign is well underway.  Thanks to the volunteers who are making it happen.

We hope that one-to-one contact with an outreach volunteer will spark a "Snowball Effect" that will guarantee a huge turnout for the upcoming All Hands Reunion.  I'm sure there will be a lot of comments such as, "I'll go if so-and-so goes."  Please capitalize on the work of the outreach volunteers by contacting all the so-and-sos you know.  Make a group commitment to attend the reunion. Make it a challenge to get your entire NROTC class to Rochester October 9-11.

Get the ball rolling by responding to the elite link that you have received. Let us know if you are at least thinking about joining us for this special occasion.

I hope to see you there!

UR NROTC All Hands Reunion

Thank you for coming to this website.  It will be an ongoing source of information pertaining to the inaugural All Hands Reunion in October 2015.

Please read the following series of posts to get all the details you need!

Please respond to the evite link you received from the outreach volunteer that contacted you!  In turn, reach out to others you would like to see at the UR NROTC All Hands reunion.  We're looking forward to a huge turnout!

You are welcome to contact me with any questions at urnrotc@gmail.com

Event Planners Needed

We’re also looking for a few good former midshipmen help us plan and create other events (in addition to the planned Saturday dinner) to bring UR NROTC alumni together. Some options might include a happy hour at a local establishment, a Sunday breakfast, golf tournament or even an early morning PT session (kidding!). If you are interested in joining the Events Committee and brainstorming programming ideas, crafting descriptions of activities, and organizing events, please contact Cristin Monahan at cmonahan@admin.rochester.edu.

Reunion Video

One of the highlights of the previous smaller UR NROTC Reunions has been the video that Valerie (Pilner) Denney ('80) has been enthusiastically producing.  She has graciously volunteered to continue this project.

All she needs are pictures!  Whether you plan to attend the reunion or not, you may have some photos you would like to share with your fellow former midshipmen.  The most fun photos are those of groups of midshipmen during some NROTC event.  In the past, individuals have submitted a picture of an important career event or a funny situation.

If you have any pictures that you would like to share please post them on the UR NROTC Alumni Facebook page.  (If you are not currently a member of Facebook or the UR NROTC group please sign up.) Valerie will download and incorporate them into the video.

Friday Panel Discussion

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During the 2015 Meliora Weekend, the NROTC Unit will be hosting a “NROTC Alumni Leadership Panel” with a broad spectrum of professional expertise and experience.  The panel discussion will feature former Midshipmen alums, each having served in the Navy or Marine Corps during a different era of conflict in the past half-century. 

As in previous leadership panels, the upcoming panel’s objectives will be four-fold:

First, as part of the Meliora Weekend, the panel is a great venue for alumni of different graduating classes to interact with successful classmates.  It opens up greater opportunity for dialogue and networking between those with a key common experience.  In this case, NROTC and military service in the Navy or Marine Corps.

Second, the panel affords the opportunity for current NROTC Midshipmen to gain insight into the importance of the alumni body, to begin interaction and networking with those in various fields, and to broaden their perspective of career opportunities.

Third, it unequivocally emphasizes that success can be reached by pursuing many paths.  Again, for the current Midshipmen this can lead to an active duty military career, to an active/reserve combination or to using their military experience as a springboard into an entirely different field, nationally or internationally.  In order to capitalize on the diversity of NROTC graduates, we are inviting panelists from a variety of career choices and backgrounds.

Finally, I am certain that interaction with today’s Midshipmen--tomorrow’s junior officers--will be reassuring to those of you who have already served especially any lessons learned from your experiences that you can impart to Midshipmen.  We have an outstanding group of leaders preparing to take the reins of leadership of our Navy and Marine Corps.

We truly hope you can join us for Meliora Weekend and our NROTC Unit events.

Pass the Word!

The Inaugural UR NROTC All Hands Reunion will be held on the UR campus October 8 - 11, 2015!  This reunion is open to anyone who ever participated in the UR NROTC program (not just for those celebrating a Class Reunion) and their guests.

If you have lost touch with your own classmates or those in a different class, this is your opportunity to re-connect.  If you ever wondered what your Battalion Commanding Officer did in the military, this may be the way to find out.  Former Battalion Company Officers who may be curious about the paths taken by their Platoon Leaders, might be able to re-discover them.

Over the past 10 years, I have had wonderful success bringing former midshipmen together.  In 2005, about half of the Commissioning Class of 1980, gathered for Meliora Weekend in Rochester.  It was a great event!  It was the first time back on campus for some.  It was the first time to see former classmates for many.  As good as it was, however, it was lacking.  We missed the friends we had made in our squads, platoons, companies and throughout the Battalion . . . friends in other classes.

In 2010, I organized a Cross Class Reunion of UR NROTCs that was held in Washington, D.C.  The main focus was on the Class of 1980 plus and minus three years but the span grew.  In the end, 75 former UR midshipmen gathered in DC.  There were representatives from the Classes of 1974 to 1983.  Although most lived within a 400 miles radius, several flew in from the west coast.  It was a fantastic reunion.  Many regretted their absence.

This year I am collaborating with the University of Rochester Alumni Office and the Commanding Officer of the NROTC Unit to present the first-ever UR NROTC All Hands Reunion.   Events will include:

Friday Events
Panel discussion featuring several former midshipmen
Informal Reception

Saturday Events
All Hands Reunion Dinner

Other events under consideration include Saturday Breakfast and a Saturday afternoon activity.

The University will be arranging for a block of rooms.  More details will be provided as they become available.

Volunteers are needed to:
              Identify, locate and contact all UR former midshipmen
              Plan events for Saturday
              Sit on the Panel Discussion

Contact me at urnrotc@gmail.com

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
Sara

Save The Date

Save the dates of October 9 - 11, 2015 and plan to attend Meliora Weekend at the University of Rochester.  The annual combined celebration of Reunions, Homecoming and Parent's Weekend will be welcoming any and all former UR NROTC alums.