Susan Rayner Puckett President
MUW Alumnae Association Incoming President's Address
presented at MUWAA Business Meeting
April 21, 2007

At the opening day ceremonies of II&C on October 22, 1885, Governor Robert Lowry passionately exclaimed, “Men and women of Mississippi, you have a jewel! Preserve it! Perhaps this was the first voice of warning to W alumnae that we must be ever vigilant in preserving and protecting the bright jewel we know as Mississippi University for Women. As the first state-supported college for women in the United States, II&C was a haven for young women in Mississippi giving them a chance to get off the farm and out of the factories and to determine their own futures. Our experiences at the W have given each of us the ability to determine our own future and it is our responsibility as alumnae to now protect the future of MUW.

Perhaps Governor Lowry recognized that a women’s college would face special challenges and he was right. Our history has been hammered by attempts from outside and from within our own walls to tarnish or even destroy the fabric of our university. But there has been one constant - one group that has never forgotten Governor Lowry’s warning that we must protect this jewel; one group that has always put the good of the school above any personal agendas; one group that has been willing to march, rally, lobby, bake, testify, reach into their pockets and even put their jobs in jeopardy to insure that this university will thrive and that the Long Blue Line will add new women and men whose lives will be forever brightened by the jewel that is Mississippi University for Women. The alumnae who make up our 117 year old Alumnae Association are the true guardians of this jewel because only we know its true value. Only we know how it has touch and changed our lives. Only we know the magic of the Mag Chain or Songfest or the Clock Tower.

You are all aware that a new crisis has been forced upon us. This crisis started small and should have stayed small. There was a tiny group of alums working out of the public eye to express concerns and resolve differences with the administration. But the raiding of our Alumni Office was a “shot heard around the world” and loyal alumnae have responded in ways none of us could have imagined. Our 117-year-old Alumnae Association is under the threat of disaffiliation. We are meeting here today in Cromwell Theater because we have not been allowed to preside over our own convocation. The officers that were elected by the alumnae of this university are not being allowed to serve or even communicate with the Alumni Office. But it does not matter whether we meet in Whitfield, Cromwell or under the Ginkgo tree because the true value of this university is not in Whitfield Auditorium or Welty Hall or in the new athletic center. The true value is in all that has been taught in these buildings and the lives that have been forever changed, your life and mine and all of those who have walked these halls before us and will follow after us in the Long Blue Line.

Like other crises that our university has faced, this too will make it stronger and it will make each of us stronger. When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters, one represents danger and the other represents opportunity. We are in danger of losing the independence that is necessary for any alumni association to properly function. But this is also an opportunity for each of us to renew our commitment as guardians of our university. Whatever the outcome of the hearing on May 8, we will not only continue to exist as your alumnae association, but we will use this as an opportunity to grow into an even stronger association. Betty Lou has agreed to continue to represent us in negotiations. We will have a June board meeting as scheduled and we will, through a series of spectacular events, continue to thrive and continue our support for MUW.

Women and men of Mississippi, you have a jewel! Preserve it! Mississippi University for Women has been a jewel in the crown of women’s education for more than a century. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that it continues to shine as brightly in the future.