Oral History Interview with Jennifer Morris, 2017

Brittany H.: My name is Brittany Hedrick, and today is Friday, February 3, 2017. I'm in the Coble Room with Jennifer Morris, class of 1986, to conduct an oral history interview for the UNCG Institutional Memory Collection. Thank you, Ms. Morris, for participating in this project, and sharing your experiences with me. I'd like to start the interview by asking you about your childhood. Could you tell me when and where you were born?

Jennifer M.: I was born in May, 1964, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. A very small town about 35 miles, 40 miles north of Manhattan, right on the Hudson River in New York.

Brittany H.: Okay. Could you tell me about your family and your home life?

Jennifer M.: I am one of four children, raised by a single mother. My parents divorced when I was very young. Very close family. My mother was a stay at home mom when we were young, and then when I went back, when the youngest was in school, she went back to school. She had an undergrad degree in math, went back 00:01:00to school, got her Master's degree, and then when I went off to college, she continued on and got her PhD from Columbia University, and just recently retired as being a college President. All while raising four ill behaved children.

Brittany H.: Okay. Where did you go to high school?

Jennifer M.: I went to the local public high school. There really weren't any other options. It was Cornwall High School. There were about 160 in my graduating class. Not a lot of the students, I would say about 50% of the students went on to college. It was not guaranteed that students were going to college there. It was very much a working class community.

Brittany H.: Okay. And did you enjoy school? What were your favorite subjects?

Jennifer M.: I didn't really love high school. I had one teacher that I loved, 00:02:00the Spanish teacher, and she was just funny, and fun, and would play... In between classes, would drag an old record player out into the hall and blast Wild Thing between classes and dance. And every class you took with her was all in Spanish, from Spanish one through Spanish five, and the very first classes, I remember thinking, "Oh, this isn't going to work. I don't understand a word she said," and I learned that I was actually pretty good at it, and went through the classes quickly, and then by my senior year of high school, ended up working for the school district.

Jennifer M.: A student had moved in, a kindergarten student had moved into the district, who didn't speak any English. The district didn't have funds to pay for a translator, and so I spent my senior year, an hour every morning, at the elementary school in kindergarten, translating for a kindergartner, and it was fabulous.

Brittany H.: Wow. So, you found your passion.

Jennifer M.: Well, I figured, "Okay, I'm good at this and I like it," and so I really enjoyed it. And so, I knew that Spanish would somehow be involved in what I studied in college, but I had no real direction as to what I wanted to do. I just knew that it came easy to me, and I enjoyed it.

Brittany H.: Okay, so why did you choose to attend UNCG?

Jennifer M.: Well, we looked at schools. We looked at a lot of schools, and certainly, the finances came into play. My mother was a single parent. We needed to go somewhere that was affordable. The New York Times had done an article a few years prior to me going to college about the affordability of North Carolina schools. I also was lucky enough growing up, I had an aunt and uncle who were very close with my mother, who had a summer place on the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and so we spent all of our summers. My aunt and uncle took my mom and us four rotten kids in all summer long, and we would pile in the big station 00:04:00wagon and go down to the Outer Banks.

Jennifer M.: So, I knew I liked North Carolina, and so I started looking at the schools, and applied to UNCG. Got in, had never seen it. Flew down here with my mother, first time I was on a plane, and fell in love with the campus. My mother met with the financial aid people, and I remember leaving that meeting, and my mom telling me, "You can go here. They're going to help you. It's going to work financially." And I remember thinking that never even dawned on me that... I just figured it would work somehow, and she had such relief that it would work.

Jennifer M.: And the university was so good to me that way. Makes me cry.

Brittany H.: So, could you tell me about your first days on campus, and was it 00:05:00what you had expected? What was your first impression?

Jennifer M.: Well, before I even got to campus, there was a lot of logistics. My grandmother and my mother spent the summer shopping, to get me ready to go to college. And then we were going to drive down here, but the day before we were leaving to come down here, we had a... I think it was a Volkswagen Dasher at the time, diesel, and the day, the night before we were coming here, we had one of those roof racks to put on top of the car, with all of this new stuff that I had for college. My grandmother had gone out and bought me everything you need for that freshman year dorm, and so I went to pick up my brother from his summer job, in the car, loaded up with all the stuff on the roof, and coming home, hit a big bump on a bridge, and the roof rack fell off the top of the car. And I didn't know what to do, so I drove home.

Jennifer M.: It was close to home. I drove home, and got my mother, and my other 00:06:00brother, and went back and it was gone.

Brittany H.: Oh no.

Jennifer M.: So there was a lot of drama involved in getting here. As it turned out, a truck driver had seen it come off the top of the car, and had taken it, and my name was in it on everything, and he called us and delivered it to the house. So, that was... Little crisis averted, so there was no drama actually once I got here. I had a roommate from Kernersville, and she thought I had a very thick New York accent. I thought she had a very thick southern accent. She went home every weekend, and so I think the first day I met her, she came in moved in and then went back home and spent the night at home, so that was a little strange, that I had a roommate.

Jennifer M.: I didn't know a soul here. No one from my high school had ever come here before. I didn't know a soul. But there was some sort of big event in the quad, you know, some sort of big meet and greet, and I just jumped right in, and 00:07:00it felt like home pretty quickly. It really did.

Brittany H.: Okay. I'll jump ahead, and since we were talking about residence halls, could you tell me about the residence halls, where you lived, and what they were like?

Jennifer M.: I lived in 306 Jamison freshman year. I remember thinking I had won the dorm room lottery, but I had also spent the year before touring the State University of New York schools, where a lot of the dorms are cinder block, and didn't really have a closet, and in Jamison, I had a walk-in closet. It was the bomb. So, I was thrilled, and it was a big room. Now, it didn't have air conditioning, but the house I grew up in didn't have air conditioning, but that was New York. I didn't realize how hot it was here. I had no idea how hot it 00:08:00could be here.

Brittany H.: There's no air conditioning?

Jennifer M.: Oh, they just put air conditioning in the dorms like two or three years ago, when they redid the quad, I believe.

Brittany H.: I did not know that.

Jennifer M.: No air conditioning. Everybody had big fans. It was very hot. We had no... You know. And then after my freshman year, the University announced that they were going to try coed dorms. Try it. And people wanted to live in the coed dorms, and so it was a lottery. So, you put your name in, and if you and your roommate, either you or your roommate's name was pulled, you got a room in the dorm, and so my name was pulled. It was a big deal. The Student Government President did this lottery. People went to watch. I mean, it was a huge deal. People were all excited, we're going to have coed dorms.

Jennifer M.: So, my name was picked, and so I moved into 311 Coit, and lived there for the next three years, and it was coed by floor, so the first floor was 00:09:00half and half, by the front door, and then the second floor was boys, and then the third floor was girls. Now, boys weren't allowed on the girls' floor. I mean, it really was ridiculous, because it really wasn't coed, but they called it coed.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Okay. And what did you think about the dining hall food?

Jennifer M.: The dining hall... I don't know that I ever really thought about the food much, because it just... It was what it was. The dining hall was a very social place. You would meet up with your friends there. There would be a plan. Okay, we're going to meet at such and such a time, and people would stay in the dining hall and visit for a long time. It was very old school, in that there weren't a million choices. There certainly wasn't any fast food or anything like that. It was old school, like dinner like your mom would make dinner.

Jennifer M.: But they did have a salad bar. That was my saving grace. But it was 00:10:00very, very social, and I don't remember thinking it was good or bad. It just... It was just college food. I have nothing to compare it to. I think college students now are a little spoiled with their food courts, but you know, that's me.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Are there any more social or academic events that stand out in your mind?

Jennifer M.: There were a lot of really, really fun times on campus. I remember it snowed, and we all went to the cafeteria, and borrowed trays, went sleigh riding on the golf course. Because at the time, there was still a nine holes golf on campus, and we went sleigh riding on the golf course, and someone who lived locally had a kiddie pool that we went... I mean, there was a lot of snow. We went sleigh riding in that, and just had a big old time, and I'm sure that the groundskeepers of the golf course were furious, because there were hundreds 00:11:00of us out there, and I think someone eventually built a bonfire. I mean, it was a huge party. But it was really fun.

Jennifer M.: And then another academic thing that's kind of funny was Western Civilization was required course. Everyone had to take it. I don't know if it still is. Everyone had to take it, but it was not... It didn't appeal to me at the time. Now, I would love nothing more than to take a Western Civilization course now. I mean, I'm thinking I might do it. At the time, it was just not for me, so freshman year, I signed up for it, and drop add came, and I dropped it. Several, several, several, several times I did this, and so finally, I ended up in Western Civ, I think it was my junior year, and it was in a big lecture hall, 00:12:00which was a little unusual. It was in the business building, which was new at the time, and so it was a big lecture hall. There were probably 75 people in it, which was very unusual at the time.

Jennifer M.: And there were some funny fraternity boys that I knew, that sat in the back of the room, and it was team taught by two older women, who were very... loved their subject matter. Loved it, loved it. But they spoke very slowly, and methodically, and it was... It wasn't necessarily riveting, but one of the fraternity boys in the back, every time the instructor would say, "Now, in your Norton Anthology," they used the Norton Anthology. From the back, he'd scream, "Hey, Norton!" From the Honeymooners, okay? And it never failed to crack everyone up, teachers included, and it was the only way I got through that class.

Brittany H.: Well, at least you finished it.

Jennifer M.: I passed it. No, actually I think I got a B, even. It just was... It had no interest to me at all, and now I'm fascinated by all of that.

Brittany H.: Unfortunately, I think they're moving towards World History, and away from Western Civ. You might be out of luck.

Jennifer M.: Yeah. I think I still have my Norton Anthology. I couldn't give it away.

Brittany H.: Well, what did you do for fun, when there weren't special events and things like that?

Jennifer M.: We really... I joined a sorority, second semester, freshman year, and that really became the hub of my social life and my fun life. And so many of my sorority sisters all moved into the third floor Coit. We didn't have sorority houses, and so I would say there were probably 25 of us that all lived on the third floor of Coit, and there was just always something fun going on. There was 00:14:00always somebody having a scheme to do something, or some event, or a sorority meeting. We'd be doing a charity event, or something like that, so it really became the hub of my social life, and I enjoyed that enormously, and ended up serving in some leadership positions in the sorority.

Jennifer M.: I ended up being the President of the sorority, and I loved that. I loved it, loved it, and they were great friends, and a great, loyal group, and it was important to me, especially because I was so far from home. I couldn't go home for a weekend, for... It was too far. We couldn't afford to fly me home for a weekend, so it really was... They were my family here.

Brittany H.: What sorority?

Jennifer M.: Phi Mu.

Brittany H.: Okay. Okay. So, any members in particular that really... or 00:15:00sisters, I guess. I've never been in a sorority, so any sisters that really stick out to you?

Jennifer M.: I don't know that I can name anyone specifically, because they all... I mean, they all were so fabulous in so many different ways, it was really, at the time, a very interesting mix of women. It was... I was from New York, I was a Yankee down here, and we had very, very Southern girls, we had girls from big cities, we had girls that played on the tennis team, we had such a huge, diverse group of women, and there was always... It was still relatively small. There were probably only, I don't know, maybe 30, 35 of us, but there were so many different interests, and that if you were looking for something to do, "Okay, we're going to do something athletic," you know that this group over 00:16:00here would lead the charge on that.

Jennifer M.: And then of course there was a big group that was very, very social, so they really were, and continue to be hilarious.

Brittany H.: And do you... What do you think the future is for Phi Mu?

Jennifer M.: Well, they're currently not on campus, and that makes me very, very sad, and I'd love to see them here on campus. They really were a very involved and engaged group of women on campus, and I actually don't even know the specifics as to why they're not on campus. I do know that there is a group trying to talk to the University about getting them back on campus. I would love to see that happen, because they really do have a great history here, and I know 00:17:00that a lot of Greek life now doesn't get great press, but it really... It does serve a purpose for a lot, a lot of people, and offers some great experiences to undergraduate students. Especially for... Especially in my case, from being so far out of state, it really was... It was home, and the girls that lived local, if they went home, I just came with them. You know?

Brittany H.: Yeah. Okay. What about your involvement in extracurricular activities? I know we talked about the sorority. Were you involved in anything else?

Jennifer M.: We did intramurals. We did intramurals. I played one semester. I played two man volleyball. I had never played before, but got talked into it. It was a coed, two man volleyball, and that turned out to be a lot of fun. I don't think we actually ever won a match, but we had great fun.

Brittany H.: That's all that matters.

Jennifer M.: Right. And we would go watch the soccer matches, and do all of that, and you know, the Greek life had so many different facets to it, in that we did community service through the sorority, so I really... That was kind of my hub for activity, but it served so many different things. It was social, and service, and academic, and that, the sorority would get a speaker in, and so really my... My activities were mainly revolving around my sorority.

Brittany H.: Okay. I want to go back to academics. I know you were very interested in Spanish in high school, so did that end up becoming your major?

Jennifer M.: No. It didn't. I came... I said I wanted to be a Spanish major. I had no idea. I mean, I still really don't know what I'm going to be when I grow 00:19:00up. But I knew that I liked Spanish, and I thought, "Okay, I can do this." College is the big unknown, and so I said I was going to be a Spanish major, and at the time, you would get a advisor in your major, and so I was the luckiest undergrad ever, and I got, as he will always be known to me, Pepe, Dr. Sanchez Boudy, as my advisor, and he was really a remarkable, remarkable, just man, with an amazing life story, and he was a Cuban... He was born in Cuba, and fled, and ended up in the United States.

Jennifer M.: And he really took me under his wing. Brought me to his house for dinner with his lovely wife, and son, and just really was wonderful. I took every class he taught, whether I was... No matter what it was, I took it and 00:20:00loved it, and he had a little bit of a cult following, just because it was very conversational. It was... We would sit, and we would meet, and we would talk about things, and we wouldn't even always meet in the classroom. He'd have us to his house, or he'd take us down to Tate Street, to New York Pizza, and buy us pizza and we'd talk about things, and he really was a fabulous teacher.

Jennifer M.: Now, I hope he'll never hear this. He was not a great advisor, because he wasn't terribly concerned with me getting through the core curriculum. He was, "You know, come take my class." Okay, I will. And so, it took me a little while to figure out what my major would be. The dilemma was with having a Spanish major was that I came in and placed out of so many entry level Spanish classes that I think I jumped in, my first semester, into a 300 or 400 level class, and couldn't actually come up with enough hours in the major in 00:21:00Spanish to major in it without going back and taking 101 and 102, which didn't seem right.

Jennifer M.: And so, I ended up minoring in Spanish, and my mother loves to tell this story, that I enjoyed college, and she finally called me up junior year and said, "Okay," because I was a Spanish major, and I realized I couldn't actually major in Spanish, so she called me up and she said, "Okay, I want you to add up all your credit hours, and whatever you're closest to, that's what you're going to major in."

Jennifer M.: And we did that, and I ended up being a Communication Studies major, which I loved. I loved. With a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. And it really worked out well, but it really was by default. That's what I was closest to. And she loves to tell that story now, saying that 00:22:00I lacked direction, however I have a son who is a junior in college, and I recently said to him, "Let's just add up your credit hours and see what major you're closest to," and I thought, "I am my mother." But he'd been hearing that story from me for years, so he said, "I finally understand that story."

Brittany H.: Does he go here?

Jennifer M.: No. No, I wish he would. He's a... We live in Atlanta. I have Southern children, even though I'm from New York, and he wanted to go to a university with a big football team, and tailgate Saturday, and all of that, so he is at the University of South Carolina. Thriving, and happy, and doing well, and will, at some point in time, major in something.

Brittany H.: Okay. Let's see. You were talking a bit about a professor that made an impression on you. Were there any others that you vividly remember?

Jennifer M.: He really was my go to person. He was, again, any class he took, he taught, I would take.

Brittany H.: Dr. Sanchez?

Jennifer M.: Sanchez Boudy.

Brittany H.: Boudy. Okay.

Jennifer M.: I don't know... I don't know whatever happened. I think he was teaching here until recently I have a girlfriend who came back to graduate school here, taking Spanish, and she had him not too long ago, and that made me so happy. He was great. He was great. He was a character. He would smoke a cigar in the class, which I'm fairly certain was not allowed.

Brittany H.: Okay. I had one more question about your time here when you were a student. What was the political atmosphere like?

Jennifer M.: You know, I think about... I was thinking about that recently, 00:24:00especially with all that's going on the world now, and all of the involvement of students protesting, just recently, and there really was not a huge... Politics, we were in a bubble. We were in a bubble, and there was nothing going on that really affected us on a day to day basis. People weren't really engaged that way. There weren't... There were no political... It was just kind of a very dull time, and so people weren't either way feeling strongly about politics in any sort of way, like The Rawk never had political messages on it. We were in a little bubble of happiness.

Brittany H.: What did... What messages were on The Rock during that time?

Jennifer M.: Well, The Rawk was in a different place, first of all. There were all sorts of things. A lot of club, come to this club, come to that club. The Outdoors Club did a lot. Greek life did a lot. I remember the newspaper would tease stories on it, but nothing salacious. It was just... You know. A lot about upcoming sports events. Nothing really... Nothing political. Very, very rarely would there be anything political at all.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Very university based?

Jennifer M.: Yeah. Very university based.

Brittany H.: Okay.

Jennifer M.: I'm imagining it's different now.

Brittany H.: Well, before I get to your time after graduation, is there anything else you want to mention about your time here as a student?

Jennifer M.: Well, it was interesting, because my senior year, August of my senior year, a new airline, People Express Airline, was coming into Greensboro, and they came on campus and were interviewing students to be co-op students. And so, I went to Pepe, my advisor, and said, "I think I might be interested in this. Could we spin it somehow for some college credit," and Pepe, very agreeable, said, "Sure, no problem, we can count it towards something," and so my senior year, I worked for People Express Airlines out at the airport, as kind of a... It was a very interesting company, that's a whole other story. It was a very interesting company in that it was a company based on cross utilization, so people worked all sorts of jobs. You weren't hired for one specific job, you 00:27:00weren't hired to be a ticket person, or a ground person, or anything like that.

Jennifer M.: But I spent that year working out at the airport. Working the gates out at the airport, everything from marshaling the plane in, to tickets and all of that, and that was fabulous, and then they offered me a job when I graduated, to come up, go back to New York, and fly for them. And so, I thought, "This is fabulous. I don't even have to apply for a job." You know, all of my friends were writing resumes, figuring out interviews, and I'm like, "I got a job," it was great. So, I said, "Okay, I'll do it for a year, move back to New York," and started flying for them. And I still fly. I'm still a flight attendant. So, 30 years later, my, "I'll do it for a year," has lasted 30 years.

Brittany H.: Okay, so that is your... That's been your job ever since.

Jennifer M.: Yes. So, People Express, I've never changed companies, but now I work for United. People Express was bought by Continental Airlines. Continental Airlines then merged with United Airlines, so through a series of mergers and acquisitions, I'm wearing a different uniform, but it's been the same job for 30 years.

Brittany H.: Wow. Okay.

Jennifer M.: And I still love it.

Brittany H.: Great. Well, I guess that kind of partly answers what did you do after graduation, but how have you been involved with UNCG since you graduated?

Jennifer M.: In the beginning, I wasn't really involved. I was living in New York, I was flying, I was traveling, I was all over the world, and wasn't really involved at all. I got married in the late 80s, and my husband and I moved to Atlanta, and we have two boys, and they... And so I just was very involved in my life at home, and with my boys, and flying, and wasn't really involved at all. 00:29:00Rarely would I get up here. I would go, I would still continue to go to the Outer Banks, but rarely would I have time, two young children and a job, to come through campus.

Jennifer M.: So, I really wasn't terribly involved. I always was thrilled when I'd get the magazine, to see what was going on, and so I guess it was seven or eight years ago I got a phone call from the Alumni Association, and someone... And they said, "You know, we're going to have someone in Atlanta, and we were wondering if we could take you out for dinner, and talk about what's going on with the University." And I thought, "This is fabulous," so we went to dinner, and there was an interesting group of probably eight to 10 of us in Atlanta, and the University contact, Mary Swantek, talked about wanting to put together a regional club, or regional network, an alumni club.

Jennifer M.: And I loved that idea. Loved, loved, loved that idea. And so, I 00:30:00jumped right on board with that right away, and was the chairperson of the Atlanta area alumni network, we've changed it from club to network, for five or six years, and we would do events three or four times a year, and it was wonderful to meet people from all different generations. From Women's College graduates to people that had graduated last year, and have these wonderful events in Atlanta, and there are so many. There's more than a thousand alumni living around Atlanta, and so that was really fun.

Jennifer M.: So, I became involved with the Alumni Association that way, just on a volunteer basis, and it has been really so rewarding. Really has been.

Brittany H.: Okay. So, what is your current title or job with the Alumni... I 00:31:00mean, obviously you're not just a volunteer anymore, or-

Jennifer M.: Oh no, I'm still a volunteer.

Brittany H.: Okay. I don't know how it all works.

Jennifer M.: That's okay. That's okay. I didn't either. I'll be honest. I didn't either. I didn't know what I was signing up for. The Alumni Association is a self-funded group. We do have... Probably going to get this wrong. Seven or eight full-time staff that work for the University. There then is an Alumni Board of Directors. I was asked to be on the Board of Directors two years ago, and am thrilled to serve on the Board of Directors, and that is... Now I'm embarrassed. 24 or 25 of us, from all over the state and the country, that serve as kind of the guiding board for the Alumni Association.

Jennifer M.: I currently chair the Alumni Engagement Committee, and so our 00:32:00committee is trying to figure out how to keep our alumni engaged, and in contact with the University, for all sorts of reasons. Hopefully it's win-win, that they'll get something from the University, and perhaps they would want to donate to the University, as well, but it's not... It's not a fundraising tool. It's really just keeping alumni engaged.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Okay. Could you elaborate on what this job requires, and-

Jennifer M.: Well, the alumni... Being on the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association really has been so rewarding. It really has been. We have... It is a wildly diverse group of people, truly representative of the alumni of the University, that meet four times a year in person. We have our meeting tomorrow 00:33:00in the Alumni House, and we have different committees that focus on different things. We have a legislative advocacy group, we have a communications group that guides all of the communication that comes from the Alumni Association, we have Alumni Engagement, we have awards and nominations, and I know there's another, and finance. Finance.

Jennifer M.: And it is really remarkable, the skills that these people bring together, and how beautifully it works, and I think they're smart to keep me away from the finance department, finance committee, because that is... But it's remarkable, you've got people that volunteer, give their time to run the finances of the Alumni Association, and it's... The amount of work is just enormous, and it's remarkable, and it really speaks to their commitment to the University.

Jennifer M.: So, as the head of engagement, we do... We're kind of the umbrella that takes care of all these networks, so we have alumni networks in New York, and one in Washington, D.C., and one in Atlanta, and Raleigh, and Greensboro, and Charlotte, and just recently, we're starting one in L.A., so it's exciting, and we try to do events a couple of times a year. In Atlanta, we buy a block of tickets to a Braves game and rent out a patio for a party beforehand, and it's a great way to get everybody together, and it's family friendly, and really a great event.

Brittany H.: Okay, so what do you like most about working with the Alumni Association?

Jennifer M.: I love being with the people that share their passion for the 00:35:00university. Reconnecting with the University, re-awoke my passion for the University. I had such a fabulous experience here, and then it kind of went on the back burner, and getting involved again has made me realize that as an alum, your relationship with the University isn't one of, "I used to go to college there," my relationship with the relationship is, "That's my University." It's not a past tense, it's a current tense, and I'm so excited to see the changes. I'm thrilled with the exposure the University is getting for their wonderful programs.

Jennifer M.: I can't get over how big it is, and all the new buildings. It's really remarkable, and they have air conditioning in dorms. I am worried about 00:36:00the closet situation, though. Hoping they didn't take the walk-in closets out, because that was a big selling point. But the University is going in just such an amazing direction, and it's exciting to be a part of that.

Brittany H.: Okay. What challenges have you faced?

Jennifer M.: Well, the Alumni Association does struggle with connecting with people. We do all sorts of studies, and invite people to events, and don't always get the turnout that we would hope. We struggle to be current. We struggle to serve a very, very, very diverse population of alumni. We have everything from the Vanguard Society people, who graduated more than 50 years ago, lot of Women's College women, who still are not terribly happy that they let young men in. And then we have people who are student athletes. Young men 00:37:00who were student athletes here, and so we struggle to find the common ground, but I think the University history needs to do that.

Jennifer M.: I'm often surprised that... I did meet a student who told me at homecoming this year, he told me that he didn't know that it was... that UNCG used to be a Women's College, until he'd been here two semesters. And I thought, "Okay, we need to do a better job of making sure people understand the history of UNCG," because it has such a fabulous, rich history, and we need to hang on to that, and make sure that it endures.

Brittany H.: Yeah. So, you do get to interact with current students.

Jennifer M.: Yeah, not as much as I would like, but then again, I live in Atlanta. I think that if I were... If I lived closer, I would have more 00:38:00opportunity, and I certainly would enjoy it enormously. I have a girlfriend whose son... A girlfriend from Atlanta whose son is now a junior here, and so I love talking to him about what's going on on campus, and he says things. I'm like, "No, that couldn't possibly be on campus." You know, he talks about things like there's a Chick-Fil-A. Like, "No. No there's not." Yeah.

Brittany H.: Well, with that, how different are the students now from... Or how are the students different from when you were here?

Jennifer M.: Well, the students are... When we were here, it was a very simple time. We had... We were lucky to have a TV in our dorm room. We didn't have computers. It was a big deal my senior year when you could get a phone in your room. And so, I think students now have a much greater awareness of what's 00:39:00happening in the world, where again, we were in this little idyllic bubble of just happiness. You know, the only worry you really had was your test on Thursday, or could you get a date for the semi-formal. Those were your big issues, and now I think the students are bombarded with a lot of things going on in the world, and it's got to be hard for them to figure out their place, and figure out how you're going to move on from here and find your place in the world.

Jennifer M.: It was much simpler. We graduated from college, and you wrote a resume, and you put a stamp on it, and you put it in the mail, and off it went, and you hoped you got a job. Now, it's a much more competitive world, and things 00:40:00are coming at the students so fast, that I think that's got to be difficult. I think that's got to be a challenge for students, finding the focus.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Okay. Did you have any interactions with any of the chancellors?

Jennifer M.: I remember-

Brittany H.: There was-

Jennifer M.: I remember being invited to Chancellor Moran's house for some sort of reception, and I don't know what it was for. I don't know... I think it quite possibly was that our sorority had gotten, had won the grade point average, had the highest grade point average on campus, or if it was a all Greek event. I don't remember what it was, but I remember going to the chancellor's home for 00:41:00some sort of reception, and it was a beautiful spring day, just one of those Chamber of Commerce weather. Everything in bloom on campus, and that was lovely, but I don't remember him... I don't remember a big presence on campus.

Jennifer M.: The current chancellor, the little time I've spent with him, strikes me as someone who is on campus and interacting with the students, and there all the time, which I think is wonderful, and I think really important that the University Administration be in the weeds with the kids. And I think that's great, so he strikes me as someone who really understands our history, and gets that we need to move forward, but not forget where we've come from.

Brittany H.: Well, are there any particular accomplishments, or events that you've played a role in within the Association, of which you are particularly proud?

Jennifer M.: I ... I'm thrilled that Atlanta now has a network for the alumni, and I really was there at ground zero, and it's up and running, and we have a good presence in Atlanta, and I've been able to pass down leadership of that network to two extraordinary young women who jumped right in with enormous enthusiasm. And I'm super excited that these networks are working, and I'm excited that Alumni Engagement has figured out that they don't have to be in-person events any longer, either.

Jennifer M.: So, I'm excited about upcoming programming from the Alumni Association.

Brittany H.: Okay. So, how... I know you mentioned this a little earlier, but like how can alumni get involved? Whether through the Alumni Association, or just in general?

Jennifer M.: There are... Engagement looks like so many different things. There are ways to get involved, whether it is just attending network events in your area... Donate money. Give five dollars. It feels really, really good. There are great opportunities to mentor students. There are so many places on campus that would love to have alumni. You can volunteer to help students with their interview skills. You can volunteer to help students with any number of things. 00:44:00Students are looking for alumni to help them. And I think we should pass on our knowledge.

Brittany H.: Well, we're doing these interviews as part of the 125th anniversary of the University, which is an excellent opportunity for reflection, but it also helps us to think about where we are heading in the future. I know you touched on this a little bit, but could you elaborate on what you think the future is for UNCG, and where do you see UNCG going as an institution in the next 25 to 50 years?

Jennifer M.: It's really remarkable the growth the University has had in the 30 years, 30, years since I graduated, and I think its trajectory is really on target. I'm hoping that we can continue with our excellent academics. Academic excellence is obviously goal number one. I love that we are still a warm and 00:45:00friendly campus, and that we haven't forgotten our roots. I'd like to see... I'd just like to see us continue this way. I don't want us to lose focus on where we've been, and I'm hoping that we can look at that to help guide us to the future.

Jennifer M.: Always with academic excellence. That's it. That's the important part. Yeah.

Brittany H.: Okay. Well, how has attending and working at UNCG impacted and affected your life, and what does UNCG mean to you?

Jennifer M.: UNCG really is my second home. Not that I spend time here, because 00:46:00I really don't spend as much time on campus as I'd like to, but it's really an emotional home for me. It's really where I learned the most about myself. I learned my value. I learned what I was capable of. I learned that I have important things to give, and so it really did form the basis of my adulthood.

Jennifer M.: And so, it really was formative years for me, and I can't imagine having spent those years anywhere else. I think it's a big part of the reason that I wake up every day happy, because I had four years here of waking up happy every day, and it just became ingrained in me. That's what you do in life.

Brittany H.: That's great. Well, I don't think I have any more formal questions for you, but did you have anything you'd like to add about your time here, or any other experiences you would like to mention?

Jennifer M.: I'm excited about the... Because I travel so much for my work, I'm excited about the opportunities for students here to spend a semester abroad. That wasn't something that was really an option when I was here, and so I'm always thrilled when I read about the programs that UNCG has for that, because I think travel is such a wonderful teaching tool. So, I'm thrilled that we've jumped into that with both feet, and I'm hoping students really take advantage of that.

Brittany H.: Yeah. Well, thank you so much.

Jennifer M.: My pleasure.

Brittany H.: It was great.