Most who meet Jan Newcomer are surprised to learn that she is not an alumna of UCA. Perhaps it’s because she is the first director of Alumni Services to have a degree from another school, but most likely it’s because of the passion and pride she brings to UCA.
Whether she’s traveling around the region to watch her beloved Sugar Bears play basketball and cheering so loudly that she’s hoarse the next day, or cutting a rug at the homecoming party, no one can deny that purple runs through Newcomer’s veins.
In December, Newcomer will retire from UCA after 13 years as director of Alumni Services. In that time, the alumni association has grown into a strong organization that proudly serves to engage graduates, former students and friends of the university through a diverse array of programs and services – and much of that is attributable to the energy and enthusiasm that Newcomer has brought to the university.
Newcomer came to Arkansas from Louisiana in 2000 to be with her new husband, Bruce. A former alumni director at University of Louisiana at Monroe, she quickly landed the alumni director’s role at UCA, following a long line of alums who had held the position starting with Hank Adams in 1972.
“Sometimes it seems important to have one of our own alums in a position like that, but it’s not necessary if they can come in and do an excellent job, and that’s just what Jan did,” said Bill Plummer ‘51, a longtime alumni association board member and volunteer. “[The late] Myrtle Lee Selig and I were dear friends and we had long conversations, and we agreed that bringing Jan to UCA was the best thing we ever did.”
While she made connections with and earned the respect of alumni like Selig and Plummer, she recognized that new graduates were not as connected to their alma mater. Newcomer first organized the Young Alumni Chapter in 2002. The group connected alumni just 10 years out of school back to their alma mater in new ways with social activities and service projects.
Next, she set her sights on the future alumni – UCA students. In 2003, Newcomer organized the Association of Future Alumni to provide a link between students and alumni. This student organization, Newcomer’s proudest accomplishment, has developed into one of the most prestigious organizations on campus.
Melissa Nix-Edge ‘04 was not only a founder of the AFA, but also the organization’s first president. She had joined Newcomer at a conference to learn about student alumni programming while serving as a student worker. “When we got in the car and started driving back, I said, ‘We have to start this at UCA,’ and that’s what she hoped I would say.”
AFA has been responsible for many popular projects including Freshmen Survival Kits, Roses for Grads, Mudstock Volleyball, and the class ring program. It has also helped students connect to alumni.
“Jan brought the relational part back to alumni relations,” Nix-Edge said. “She bridged the gap between students and alumni. She wanted us to feel engaged with alumni and ask questions, get to know what alumni did after graduation and seek their advice. She knew that we had something to give one another.
Newcomer has worked tirelessly over the years to bring programs, projects and experiences to UCA alumni that would keep them engaged and passionate about their alma mater.”
“I get emotional when I think about what my experience would have been at UCA without her. Miss Jan was my Arkansas mom. She is a fine lady … irreplaceable,” Nix-Edge said.