The Arkansas Alumni Association will stop in Blytheville during The Pride of Arkansas Tour with a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 9 at the Grecian Steak House. The cost is $10 per person to attend.
The event will include a short program, a video presentation produced by UA Productions and lunch. This month-long journey across the state is an effort to further the association's outreach, launch its "Drive for 35" membership challenge and connect with more members of the University of Arkansas family residing in areas with dense populations of alumni.
Blytheville and the surrounding area has several UA alumni.
"We cannot take for granted the trip that many alumni make back to campus for events and Razorback games," said Anthony McAdoo, senior director. "For those who don't make that journey and for those who do, but still want to show their pride -- we're bringing the university to them."
This model replaces the former Alumni Association rallies that were held on the same day in chapter areas in-state and out-of-state for the past 17 years.
While the rally design achieved outreach with and through the existing alumni chapters, it limited the association's reach beyond those areas.
"The Pride of Arkansas Tour is about the people who care about the university," McAdoo said. "Alumni, friends, Razorback fans and future students love and cherish our institution. We want this tour to be a celebration of those people. The POA Tour gives the opportunity for alumni and friends of the university to come together in their local area to celebrate the university, network and to connect with the institution."
A total of 50 events will be held in-state, in surrounding states and other chapter areas during February.
"The pride that alumni show in the university is the heart of this tour," McAdoo added. "We hope to give alumni an opportunity to revisit their pride for the University and stir up their passion for what the institution means to them."
This tour celebrates the university, its unique heritage and encourages alumni to serve as ambassadors to the state, nation and world.
More than 57 percent of University of Arkansas alumni live and work in the state. With the planned tour stops, the Association will reach 90 percent of the in-state alumni, along with hitting Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, which all boast high concentrations of alumni in their metro areas.
To RSVP for the Blytheville event, e-mail programs@arkansasalumni.org or call 1-888-275-2586 by Feb. 6. For more information about the Arkansas Alumni Association, visit www.arkalum.org.