Last week, the Board of Trustees met for their regular spring meeting, but this story isn’t your average report on the meeting. Trustee and ’81 alumna Anne Hunter spoke with the Pleiad and offered her outlook on Albion’s future.
Hunter has been a trustee for three terms and says, “It is my very favorite volunteer activity of all time.”
Speaking of volunteer work, Hunter’s undergraduate profile sounds like it could be that of anyone of Albion’s current members.
“I was a let-me-try everything kind of person,” Hunter recalls. While at Albion she was involved in the Union Board, Student Senate and “The Pleiad”. She also wrote for the “Io Trumphe!” and was an R.A.
“Writing for ‘The Pleiad’ and making judgment (calls) was training for the real world,” said Hunter. “I’ve used everything I learned at Albion.”
The Albion Brand
In her career after Albion, Hunter has run a marketing company, HunterSage, for the last 19 years. She has been able to put her real-world skills to work for Albion College. Hunter volunteered on the committee the worked with Ologie, a marketing company that is working to re-brand Albion.
Hunter was a part of strategic committee meetings and visited Ologie company headquarters.
“For years, everyone associated with the college knew it was a great place, but it was really hard to define and differentiate Albion from other small colleges,” Hunter said.
“The Albion brand is something you live,” Hunter added.
The purpose of the re-branding is to increase prospective interest in the college. It’s about getting students to campus, Hunter explained. And, according to Hunter, prospective inquiries in Albion have jumped about 38 percent from last year to this year alone.
Staying In-touch
“People have this idea that trustees are nameless and faceless,” Hunter said. “But we are individuals who love this place and want to make sure it is available for generations to come.”
As a part of an initiative started by President Randall, the trustees visit regular classes during the first part of their visit.
“It’s a hoot!” said Hunter.
During this past visit, Hunter made her way to English classes taught by Jess Roberts and Nels Christensen, professors of English. She also attended a class taught by Bill Bartels, professor of geology.
“I didn’t know what to do during the class, since I wasn’t taking notes or anything,” said Hunter. “So I wrote him a poem.”
Bartels, surprised and amused by the gesture, told Hunter that in all his years of teaching he had has students do everything from fall asleep during lecture to get up and leave, but never had he gotten a poem.
Hunter, outside of her activities with the board, remains actively involved with the current student body. She enjoys hearing from current students and is willing to offer guidance when and how she can.
After Albion, At Last
Hunter has been a member of the board since being the recent graduate member from her class in 1981. She plans to pursue one more three-year term before she is term-limited from serving on the board.
When Hunter decides to retire from the marketing business, she would like to go back to school.
“It’s like going back to school for the pure love of learning,” Hunter said.
Note: This article was updated from the previously published version on Feb. 29.
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