Events are a great way to keep alumni connected, informed about their alma mater, and an opportunity to strengthen their relationship with the School of Public Health community. SPH Advancement hosts and coordinates 10 signature alumni events annually. In addition, Advancement also provides support for division/program-specific alumni events and alumni-coordinated events like class reunions.
Signature SPH Alumni Events
Each fall, SPH alumni are invited to an exclusive evening at a premier Twin Cities venue, designed to foster meaningful personal and professional connections. Hosted by the SPH Alumni Society Board, this signature event offers alumni, faculty, staff, and students a valuable opportunity to build lasting relationships and celebrate the shared commitment to public health.
Held each fall during the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference, this casual yet engaging networking event brings together SPH alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the School of Public Health. Designed to foster connections across geographic regions, this gathering provides a unique opportunity for attendees to reconnect, expand their professional networks, and strengthen their ties to the SPH community.
An SPH tradition since 1981, this endowed lecture provides us the opportunity to showcase a prominent speaker who educates and inspires our school community around a relevant and timely public health topic. The Gaylord Anderson Memorial Lecture occurs bi-annually.
Each spring, the SPH Alumni Awards honor outstanding alumni who have made significant contributions to public health and their communities. Hosted by the SPH Alumni Society Board, this prestigious event celebrates the achievements of SPH graduates, fostering a sense of pride and connection across the entire SPH community. The event serves as an opportunity to recognize excellence, inspire future leaders, and strengthen the lifelong bonds between alumni and the School of Public Health.
Each spring, the American Indian, BIPOC, and International Community Reception brings together students, alumni, faculty, and staff to connect, build community, and celebrate shared experiences in a welcoming and inclusive environment. While open to all, this event centers the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, American Indian, and international members of the SPH community, fostering meaningful dialogue and connection. This gathering serves as a space for engagement, support, and celebration, reinforcing SPH’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
David J. Fine Distinguished Visiting Professor in Healthcare Administration is made possible by a generous gift from Master of Healthcare Administration alumnus David Fine (MHA ‘74) and his wife Susan Fine. This distinguished series brings a nationally recognized senior academic professional and thought leader to campus each academic year. The visiting professor offers a public lecture and engages with students, faculty, alumni, and the broader University community. Hosted by the School of Public Health and the Master of Healthcare Administration program, this event serves as an opportunity to foster intellectual exchange and advance the field of healthcare administration.
Division/Program-Specific Alumni Events
Events are a great way to keep alumni connected, informed about their alma mater, and an opportunity to strengthen their relationship with the School of Public Health community. SPH Advancement hosts and coordinates 10 signature alumni events annually. In addition, Advancement also provides support for division/program-specific alumni events and alumni-coordinated events like class reunions.
The SPH Advancement Office is thrilled to partner with academic divisions and programs across the school to help engage alumni through events.
To ensure the Advancement Team can best support your event, please make sure your event meets the following criteria:
- Alumni are the primary audience for the event.
- The purpose and goals for the event align with advancing the mission of the School of Public Health; by building community, creating meaningful engagement opportunities, enhancing the SPH learning community, and/or securing funding to forge a sustainable future for the school.
It will be the responsibility of the SPH division and or program to:
- Pay for the event
- Host the event
- Staff the event
- Sign-in all attendees
- Provide the sign-in sheet to the Advancement Team after the event
The SPH Advancement Team will support the event by:
- Finding a location
- Providing supplemental funding support, if needed, and based on Advancement budget availability ($35 per attendee, not to exceed $1,000)
- Making and coordinating food selection
- Creating a registration
- Sharing thoughts on potential program
- Communications to alumni about the event
- Providing an event kit filled with decor and giveaways
Frequently Asked Alumni Event Questions
We recommend that you submit an event as soon as you can. All events should be submitted at least two months in advance. In the first month, we spend time identifying venues, working on logistics for your event, and solidifying marketing. For a successful event, you need one month for marketing and collecting registration. Additionally, venues can be booked a year in advance if your alumni event is in correlation to a large conference.
For the Advancement team to be involved in your event and provide the best support for an event, the audience must be predominantly alumni. Our expertise and materials cater to an alumni audience.
Once you submit the official SPH Alumni Events Request Form, we will review the form, and Advancement Coordinator, Michelle Anderson will set up a 30-minute Zoom to go over logistics, needs, questions, and anything else that requires a follow-up.
What is included in the event kit?
- Table tents
- Small giveaways (pins, pens, stickers, etc)
- Name tags
- Sign-in sheet
- Markers
We will notify you that your kit is ready to be picked up from the Dean’s Office one week before your event.
The SPH Advancement Office can pay for a portion of your alumni event if funds are available. We will pay $35 per attendee up to $1,000 as long as alumni are the majority of your attendees. Upon receiving your attendee list after the event, we will analyze the attendees, calculate the dollar amount we will be supporting for your event, and provide you the alumni engagement EFS string to charge.
Yes! We have created a planning checklist for alumni events. As long as you follow this checklist for your event you should be all set.
If you are using University funds for the event you cannot purchase alcohol per University policy. We recommend having attendees buy alcohol on their own. In some rare instances, if you have a University of Minnesota Foundation fund that allows for you to put funds towards alumni events, you may be able to have a hosted bar. You should work with your accounting team to determine this.
Class/Cohort Reunions
Class reunions are a great way to bring together former classmates and continue the tradition of pride and spirit at SPH. Reunion planning needs to be led by alumni. SPH Advancement has created resources and a thorough process for alumni to successfully plan and coordinate reunions.
Frequently Asked Class Reunion Questions
We recommend at least three months in advance to ensure you give your classmates enough time to plan. The first month you will be coordinating and finalizing the itinerary. The other two months are getting your classmates to attend.
There are over 12,000 living SPH alumni. SPH does not cover the costs or associated fees for class reunions but provides support in different ways, including:
- Guidance from SPH Advancement’s professional event planning staff
- Communications and marketing to alumni
- Registration template
- Event kit (SPH table tents, SPH branded giveaways, name tags)
Protecting the personal information of our alumni is a priority. However, we have a few different ways to connect with former classmates. As your SPH Advancement Office, we can work directly with you to:
- Send reunion invites to your former classmates on your behalf
- Ask them for their permission to share contact information with you
- Share your contact information with them and have them reach out to you directly
The itinerary we provided for an exciting and robust reunion is a recommendation. If you have other ideas or plans for your reunion and the capacity to pay and plan it, we encourage you to pursue those plans. Our resources and ability to support your reunion remain the same.
- Guidance from Advancement’s professional event planning staff
- Communications to alumni
- Registration template
- Event kit (SPH table tents, small SPH giveaways, name tags)
Once you submit the official SPH Alumni Reunion Request Form, we will review the form, and Advancement Coordinator Michelle Anderson will set up a 30-minute Zoom to go over logistics, needs, questions, and anything else that requires a follow-up.
On the SPH Alumni Reunion Form, there is an option to select that will prompt us to send an invite to faculty, staff, and leadership of your division/program to attend your reunion. In addition, we will directly reach out to the specific faculty/staff you indicate and invite them to attend the reunion.
Alumni Coordinated Events
Alumni willing and engaged in coordinating events for their fellow alumni are some of our most engaged SPH alumni. We have processes and procedures to help support alumni looking to coordinate alumni events for fellow alumni.
