When we make a change at the ASU Alumni Association, our members and friends notice! We appreciate your feedback related to the changeover to our new e-newsletter format—your kudos and suggestions have been noted and you will see subtle changes in the design and format as we move forward.

This month promises to be a great one for Sun Devil alumni. At the end of October, ASU will celebrate Homecoming, and the Alumni Association will be busy hosting events during the week. We’ll remember the late great Head Football Coach Bruce Snyder at our Legends Luncheon on Oct. 30, lead the Lantern Walk up “A” Mountain (Tempe Butte) that night, and host activities on Oct. 31 during the Block Party on University Drive before the game begins. Come visit our booths and make a day of it!

Enjoy the e-newsletter and keep in touch!

—Liz Massey, Managing Editor
ASU Alumni Association


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What's your favorite ASU memory?
Passing statistics!  Besides that, when I was seven or eight years old, my mom was in graduate school at ASU.  When she had a cooperative professor, I'd come to class with her and it was fun!

Tell us about your current involvement in ASU Alumni Association programs.
I'm on the board of Los Diablos alumni chapter and the Alumni Association’s board of directors.

What are the benefits of giving back to ASU through your volunteer efforts?
I truly believe that my participation with the Alumni Association’s board ensures my communities are represented at the university, not just within the Alumni Association. Los Diablos sponsors 27 scholars each year by offering them merit-based scholarships and I've gotten to know many of them well over the last six years.  I'm proud to play a role in helping them graduate and become professionals who give back to the university and the community.

How did your education at ASU prepare you for your current job or business?
My studies were writing intensive and that helped me become a better communicator. I was also required to work in teams both as an undergraduate and in graduate school.  Having an understanding of those dynamics before entering the workplace was a great advantage. Finally, my multi-disciplinary degree gave me a diverse perspective on issues.

What advice would you give to today’s ASU students?
Get out of your comfort zone, and get as many internships/externships as possible.  But make sure the experience will provide you with meaningful work before you take the assignment.

Also, never take no for an answer – always look for options.  And if you run out of options, be proud that you didn't quit. If your list of successes is longer than your failures, you're not challenging yourself.


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Football Saturdays mean discounts for ASU Bookstore shoppers
It’s worth the walk to the ASU Bookstore on the Tempe campus from Sun Devil Stadium — you can receive 20 percent off all ASU clothing and gifts on all home game football Saturdays. Choose from a large selection of ASU gold merchandise as well as our official Nike shop.
Check out maroon and gold bling online

Buy ASU coffee-table book for 50 percent off from the ASU Bookstore
The Alumni Association’s coffee-table book, “Arizona State University: Visions of a New American University,” features more than 150 breathtaking photos of ASU. You can purchase this iconic volume for half-off the retail price by ordering through the ASU Bookstore’s online shop and entering Visions09 as a promotional code during check-out. The holidays are coming … buy one for every Sun Devil on your list!
Buy the book today!

Want savings on insurance? The feeling is (Liberty) Mutual
Liberty Mutual has partnered with the ASU Alumni Association to offer a Group Savings Plus discount on auto, home and renters insurance. For more information, please contact Liberty Mutual at 1-800-867-5512 or visit www.libertymutual.com/asualumni.

Get warehouse-sized deals at Costco
Alumni Association members who purchase a Costco membership certificate online from the Alumni Association can receive special coupons worth $50!
Learn more 

Keep your pets protected with VPI Pet Insurance
Protect your pets with VPI Pet Insurance and receive an ASU Alumni Association discount!
Enroll today!

Business Card Marketplace: where Sun Devil businesses prosper
Let the more than 270,000 households to which ASU Magazine is delivered know about your company by advertising in the publication’s new Business Card Marketplace.
Get rates and sign up today!

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Show your Sun Devil spirit at Sparky’s Touchdown Tailgate series

Oct. 24: Stanford University, San Francisco Bay Area
Nov. 21: University of California, Los Angeles

Play ball for a good cause at ASU Coach Pat Murphy’s Homerun Derby Nov. 6
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New grad European trip upgraded to first class!
The Alumni Association’s annual tour of Europe for recent graduates has gotten an upgrade! The European Discovery tour, slated for May 20-June 2, will include stops in London, Amsterdam, Munich, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne and Paris! It's a wonderful graduation present for your favorite young Sun Devil!
Learn more about the trip

Go global with Sun Devil Destinations’ 2010 travel offerings
The Alumni Association will circle the globe in 2010, with exciting itineraries like these:
Belize & Guatemala Explorer: March 27 - April 1, 2010.
Spain Grand Journey: April 29 - May 11, 2010.
Passage of Peter the Great (Russia): July 27-Aug. 8, 2010.
View all of our 2010 trips online

Super Fan Contest, through Oct. 26: Are you the ultimate Sun Devil fan? Show us! Send a photo of yourself, your child or your pet in ASU apparel and you could win a prize basket stuffed with ASU goodies!
Learn more about the contest

Legends Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Oct. 30: Join us for a tribute to the late, great Head Football Coach Bruce Snyder. Special guests will include former Sun Devil players Juan Roque and Jake Plummer, who played under Snyder, as well as players and coaches from ASU’s awesome 1969 team! RSVP

Lantern Walk, dusk, Oct. 30: Be a part of this ASU tradition that dates back to 1917! Carry a lantern to the summit of Tempe Butte to honor our alma mater with the light of a thousand candles.

Parade and Block Party, starts 4 hours prior to game time, Oct. 31: Watch the parade floats as they move down University Drive, take the kids to visit a pumpkin patch with Sparky, and hang out with other alums at our Maroon & Gold Lounge!

Sole Devil Corner: Complete your maroon and gold wardrobe with unique Sun Devil shoes that can only be found in the Sole Devil Corner of the Alumni Association’s block party area by the Old Main fountain.  From sneakers to pumps, you’ll find a pair that fits your style.

Football Game, time TBA, Oct. 31: See ASU take on California and cheer the Sun Devils on to victory! The Alumni Association has ordered a block of tickets for young alums (under 35) to sit together. RSVP for Young Alumni section tickets

Get all the details on Homecoming events

Chapters plan Homecoming gatherings—get in on the action
Your local alumni chapters have all sorts of fun events planned around the Oct. 31 Homecoming game. Here are a few groups planning get-togethers. Make plans to join them!

Stickmen’s Club (Lacrosse): Oct. 30-31, alumni game and Homecoming activities, times and locations to be announced on the Sun Devil Lacrosse home page.

Engineering: Oct. 31, block party activities include costume contest for adults and kids, and free BBQ for those who RSVP to fulton-rsvp@asu.edu by Oct. 23.

Leadership Scholarship Program: Oct. 29-31, events include an alumni reception, a party celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Key Club International “out of state” scholarship program, and group attendance at the Homecoming parade, block party and game. Learn More

Devils’ Advocates: 11 a.m., Oct. 31, Tempe campus tour; group participation in parade (walking backwards!) and tent at block party, times to be announced. RSVP

Black Alumni: Oct. 31, times to be announced later, chapter members will walk together with other Black student organizations in the Homecoming parade, then sit together at the game. RSVP

Learn practices for eco-friendly living at “Go Green/Live Green” series
Sustainability is not an impossible goal—small choices make a big difference! Join the ASU Alumni Association and experts from ASU’s School of Sustainability for the final session of the series on Nov. 19, when the topic of discussion will be sustainability and its intersection with community development.
RSVP for “Go Green/Live Green”

Spice up your networking Oct. 21 with the Maroon and Gold Professionals
Maroon and Gold Professionals mixers offer great opportunities to meet other alums and expand your circle of connections. The group meets 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Aunt Chilada’s, 7330 N. Dreamy Draw Drive, Phoenix.
RSVP to make new Sun Devil connections

Under 35? Your social calendar is full!
The Arizona State Young Alumni group is the Alumni Association’s new group for alums under 35, and October is stuffed with things to do with this dynamic crowd.

Oct. 17 - Young Alumni Tailgate, 4 p.m., at Rula Bula, 401 S. Mill Ave., Tempe. RSVP
Oct. 31—Homecoming Block Party, prior to ASU’s Homecoming game against California, Old Main Lawn, Tempe campus. Check out our Maroon and Gold Alumni Lounge!

Also, the ASU Alumni Association has purchased tickets so you can sit with other Arizona State Young Alumni during the ASU-California Homecoming game. RSVP

Check out other upcoming Young Alumni events

Get your fun on with these chapter events
Events hosted by Valley-based alumni chapters are always a good time. Mark these dates on your calendar today!

Black Alumni: ASU is hosting the National Black Graduate Student Association annual conference Oct. 16 through Oct 18. Conference details | Additional Information
Engineering: Family Weekend Tailgate BBQ, 2-6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, at Daley Park, 1625 S. College Ave., Tempe. RSVP
Native American Alumni: 15th Annual Josiah N. Moore Benefit Dinner, 6 p.m., Oct. 24, at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, 5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler.RSVP
Hispanic Business Alumni: 18th annual Budweiser Shootout Golf Tournament, Friday, Nov. 20, at The Wigwam Golf Resort, 300 W. Wigwam Blvd. Litchfield Park. Register today!
Los Diablos: Territorial Cup Tailgater, Saturday, Nov. 28, prior to the ASU-University of Arizona game, at Hackett House, 95 W. 4th Street Tempe. Admission: $10, kids under 10 get in free.

Darwinfest hosts final two events
ASU winds down its celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday and 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” with the last of the Darwin Distinguished Lecture Series.

Oct. 28 – Peter and Rosemary Grant of Princeton University speak about their 30 years of work with “Darwin’s Finches” in the Galapagos Islands.

Nov. 13–Janet Browne, Harvard University’s Aramont Professor of the History of Science, speaks on “Celebrating Darwin, 1909, 1959 and 2009” (and beyond).
Read about upcoming Darwinfest lectures
Listen to past Darwinfest lectures

ASU’s Ostrom wins Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
Arizona State University Research Professor Elinor Ostrom has won the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, a prize she shares with Oliver E. Williamson of the University of California at Berkeley.
Learn more

Citizens’ forum on climate change names global cooperation highest priority
Valley of the Sun residents met at ASU on Sept. 26 as part of a global forum on climate change. The group named global cooperation to protect the planet’s climate, ending fossil fuel incentives, and accelerating technology transfers as the top three priorities that politicians and scientists should be working on.
What other priorities were discussed?

Gary Dirks to lead LightWorks solar research initiative
Arizona State University has selected Gary Dirks as director of LightWorks, a new initiative to position ASU as a leader in solar-based energy and other light-inspired research.
LightWorks to investigate artificial photosynthesis, biofuels

Annual Report, accomplishments memo document ASU’s “local solutions, global impact”
To document the university’s accomplishments during the 2008-09 fiscal year, ASU recently released its annual report. It also recently released a memo outlining the progress that has been made at Arizona State University on a variety of measures since Fiscal Year 2003.
Read the 2008-09 Annual Report
Read the accomplishments memo

Honor a Sun Devil with pioneer spirit
Recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the Alumni Association and ASU community – nominate someone for the ASU Alumni Association’s annual Founders’ Day Awards, which will be presented at the Founders’ Day celebration on Feb. 24, 2010.
The nomination deadline is 5 p.m., Oct. 21.
Make a nomination today!

Update your info for the new alumni directory
The ASU Alumni Association and its partner Harris Connect are working together to develop a comprehensive printed directory. To update your information, please contact Harris Connect directly at (877) 596-9182 or e-mail customerservice@harrisconnect.com. The directory update process ends Nov. 2.
Questions about our directory?

Devil 2 Devil Challenge rewards Alumni Association ambassadors
Share the benefits of membership with friends and win a Sparky plush toy, meal certificates, even a two-night stay at Tempe Mission Palms hotel. Hurry, this challenge ends on Oct. 31!
How it works
What you can win

Think boldly, act quickly with the ASU Action Network
The ASU Action Network empowers ASU alumni and Sun Devil supporters to connect with the university and other Sun Devils to augment the university's impact on real-world situations.
Learn more

Show your creative colors at ArtFest Nov. 19
ASU students, alumni and faculty/staff are invited to participate in Holiday ArtFest on Nov. 19. The event showcases Sun Devil creativity and is lots of fun!
Apply for ArtFest

Survey said … these Sun Devils won!
Thanks to the more than 3,000 Sun Devil alums who participated in the Alumni Association’s recent online survey. Survey respondents answered questions aimed at helping us improve the programs and services the association provides to ASU graduates.

We’ll share the results of the survey with you in an upcoming edition of the newsletter; for now, we’re pleased to announce the winners of the drawings associated with the survey: Jennifer Gant of Tempe received the three-night stay at the Royal Lahaina Resort on the island of Maui, and Stacy Hahm of Georgia, Mark Kessens of Oklahoma, Susan O’Regan of Phoenix, Kenneth Bond of Mesa and Monica Santos of Illinois each received a Sparky T-shirt. Congratulations!