2021 Rutgers Making a Champion Guide

Alumni Relations Beyond creating connections in space, the APC is also creating connections in time. By encouraging Rutgers Athletics alumni back to the campus, the APC has helped foster deeper alumni/student- athlete connections. Particularly in the context of Women’s Basketball, which has a strong history of sending players to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), alumni are coming back to campus to practice in the new facility and share their intercollegiate and professional experiences with current team members. Coach Stringer explains, “We’ve got six players in the WNBA and they all want to come back and practice here. They would not have wanted to do that before [the APC].” Even for those who did not go on to play in professional leagues, the chance to reconnect with their alma mater and share knowledge with the current student-athletes is a powerful experience. The strengthening of the Rutgers Athletics “family” has been a significant outcome of the APC. “The main thing at our alumni event was the new facility; it was a highlight for them.” Umme Salim-Beasley, Women’s Gymnastics Coach 13 Perkins Eastman