Alumni Center brick campaign open to alumni and friends of ASU

June 3, 2008 -- The ASU Alumni Association is offering the chance for former students and friends of the university to carve their legacy in stone and become a permanent part of the new Cooper Alumni Center. Individuals may have a personal message engraved on one of the bricks paving the Alumni Center's terrace. In recognition of ASU's upcoming Centennial celebration, the engraved bricks are $100 each.



The standard 4 x 8 pavers will be installed on the back terrace of the Alumni Center, which will open this fall. A map at the Alumni Center will assist visitors in locating their bricks, as specific brick placement requests will not be available. There will be two installations per year, coinciding with Homecoming in the fall and Commencement in the spring, when visitors at the Alumni Center will be at their highest levels.

Gary Pugh of Pocahontas, who graduated in 1968 and serves as the current president of the ASU Alumni Association, said, "We encourage all alumni and friends of ASU to be part of the Cooper Alumni Center in this very special way. Their brick purchase helps the Alumni Center to become a reality, permanently recognizes people's legacy, and also honors ASU's one-hundredth birthday which takes place next year. It's a great opportunity at the perfect time."

Bricks may honor the ASU experience of former students with their name and year of graduation. Purchasers may also recognize a friend, family member, classmate, professor or campus organization, or they may celebrate a special occasion such as a marriage or birth.

A replica brick for the home or office can also be purchased. It will be an exact copy of the brick installed at the Cooper Alumni Center and will be $65. Replicas include felt padding on the bottom and an engraved plaque on top.

The bricks are engraved using laser technology, a process that creates the most permanent inscription, according to Todd Clark of the ASU Alumni office, who is coordinating the brick campaign. Brick purchases, excluding replica bricks, are tax deductible. Inscription guidelines may be found on the Alumni Association website at http://www.astatealumni.org.

The 20,000 square-foot Cooper Alumni Center, at a site near the stadium and Convocation Center, is located on the lake across from the current pavilion. It is named to recognize a generous gift from Darrell and Charlotte Pugh Cooper of Clarkston, Michigan. The Cooper Alumni Center will be dedicated this fall, with an open house planned for Homecoming on Sept. 20. The building design highlights the scenic beauty of the site by incorporating natural materials, terraces and large windows facing the lake.

The Alumni Center will include a history room, board room, reception area and lounge with a view of the lake. A banquet room will accommodate seated dinners for more than 200 people. The $5 million building is being constructed with private funds through various levels of naming and gift opportunities.

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper graduated from ASU in 1964. “I am grateful for the opportunity and education that attending ASU has afforded me,” said Mr. Cooper. “Many of the buildings and programs at ASU bear the names of people who I never knew, and they never knew me.  Yet they contributed to help make an educational opportunity for me and others.”

With the number of ASU alumni approaching 60,000, the Cooper Alumni Center will give them a place on campus to call home. The personalized brick campaign will allow a large number of individuals a convenient and affordable way to be part of it. Online purchases are available at the Alumni website by visiting http://www.astatealumni.org.  For more information, contact Todd Clark of the Alumni office at 870-972-2586 or e-mail tclark@astate.edu.

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