For the first time since 1984, the Penn State Lion Ambassadors hosted an annual weekend-long alumni association conference, bringing together student delegations to address ways to further alumni relations and maintain alumni interest.

The Student Alumni Association/Student Foundation District II Conference allows student ambassadors from as far as Queens University to as close as Bloomsburg University to share strategy and program ideas from their student alumni associations.

"The whole purpose is to get to know each other's programs so we can keep in touch throughout the year and not just at the conference," said Ed Boksan (senior-economics), chairman of the Lion Ambassador committee charged with organizing the event.

Student alumni groups seek to provide a liaison between current university students and alumni members by promoting their school through organized activities.

District II is comprised of schools from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ontario, Quebec and the District of Columbia, Boksan said.

The weekend's activities included nearly 30 seminars, addressing such topics as fundraising, group morale and dynamics and membership education and recruitment, Boksan said.

"(The seminars) provide students with ideas they can take back and apply to their own programs and groups," he said.

Brian DiNatale, president of the University Student Alumni Board at SUNY Buffalo, said his delegation presented a seminar on the Oozefest -- an annual event that involves playing volleyball and tug-of-war competitions in the mud.

DiNatlale said the event raises funds for a merit scholarship his group offers.

Liz Stephen, an ambassador for Queens University at Kingston, said she found the seminars to be very informative due to a strong interaction between the speakers and seminar participants.

"The topics made you think and the delegates worked well together," she said.

Brian Herr (junior-chemistry), a Lion Ambassador and committee member, said the discussion of different programs helps student ambassador groups to expand and improve the overall quality of their organizations.

"The more projects and activities we add, the better we serve our purposes," Herr said.

A dependency on alumni support is much more significant now due to the increasing cost of higher education for both students and universities, Boksan said.

The Lion Ambassadors, sponsored by The Alumni Association and the Office for University Development and Relations, has been involved with planning the conference for a year, said Ann Grumbine (senior-horticulture), a Lion Ambassador committee member.

"With the impression we have made hosting this conference, Lion Ambassadors has maintained its image as one of the strongest student alumni associations in the country," Boksan said.