Michigan State announces ‘Celebrate 2010’

Michigan State recently announced a weekend event next fall where both current and past Spartan athletes will be recognized. Coined ‘Celebrate 2010,’ the event will consist of an assortment of ceremonies to honor three separate groups of past and present Spartan athletes:

• Varsity Letter Jacket recipients
• Varsity S Club award winners
• Hall of Fame Class of 2010

On Thursday evening, the event will kick off with a Varsity Letter Jacket Presentation, which recognizes all athletes who received their first varsity letter during the 2009-2010 academic year. The Varsity S Alumni Club, a networking-based club for all former MSU Varsity Letter Winners, will acknowledge the recipients of their annual awards at a luncheon on Friday. That same evening, the Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Ceremony will take place. The weekend event will then conclude on Saturday with a morning brunch for members of each group, followed by the Michigan State-Wisconsin football game where all members will participate in a special halftime ceremony.

Michigan State has strategically presented this special weekend, effectively highlighting the dedication of all those who have “provided the department with a storied past and winning tradition that continues.” In this format, student-athletes of past and present will have the unique opportunity to interact and share their mutual pride as members of an elite group – Michigan State student-athletes.

It is a widely known fact that fund raising begins by cultivating relationships. Student-athletes possess a unique bond to the athletic department that is unlike other MSU alumni. Exploiting this special relationship can pay large dividends for the athletic department in the long-run, which is the reason why ‘Celebrate 2010’ will likely benefit MSU Athletics from a fund raising standpoint.

Although collegiate athletics is at times criticized for operating in “silos” without much collaboration between different departments, this is a clear example of an opportunity for different areas to work toward a common goal and benefit from one another. If handled strategically, the development staff could take advantage of this gathering and begin cultivating relationships with past and present generations of Spartan athletes. ‘Celebrate 2010’ is not organized for the purpose of fund raising, but provides an example of a special athletic department function that development officers have the unique opportunity to tactfully exploit.

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Matt Kirinovic