Daily Skiff

Don't forget TCU; there are plenty of ways to stay connected to the university after graduation day, a chancellor of alumni relations said.

"Once a person walks across the stage and completes their limited term as a student, they become an alum, and that lasts a lifetime," said Kristi Hoban, associate vice chancellor of alumni relations and a 1975 TCU graduate.

The TCU alumni association has 16 chapters, and being a part of any chapter or group is free as the groups only take volunteered dues.

Hoban said there are also special interest groups that are always expanding. She said if a person were involved in a group while being a student, he or she could more than likely be involved with it after graduation. For example, if someone were a Showgirl, a letterman, in Greek life or in band, he or she could stay connected to those groups in the years to come, she said.

The Find a Frog program allows people to go to the Web site, froglinks.com, and find people from their graduation year or any group, Hoban said.

There are three main cities that the TCU Alumni Association works with including Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston, but there are other events in different cities as well, Hoban said.

"Wherever they move they can get involved in their hometown," she said.

This past year, the association held 168 events around the United States. Events include athletic events, museum visits, networking events, community service, business meetings and family-oriented events with children, she said. Homecoming is the biggest and most popular event for alumni, she said. The TCU Alumni Association sends out invitations to an estimated 71,000 former Horned Frogs.

Reunions are held often with the Frog 5 reunion for people who graduated one to five years ago, and the 10th, 25th, 35th, 45th and 50th.

Those who reach the 50th reunion plateau get to wear a cap and gown matched to that year's current graduation, are announced at the end for being a 50-year alumni and rewarded with a medallion, she said.

Chris Holbert, a 1999 graduate, said he is a member of the TCU Young Alumni.

"The alumni association is great business connection and a way to be with friends," Holbert said.

He said that in order to stay involved at TCU he went to his five-year reunion and plans on going to the 10-year.

"Personally living in Fort Worth, it is nice to stay a part of the university and watch it grow," Holbert said.

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