American Magazine, July 2015

ANDREA AGATHOKLIS
MURINO, SPA/BA ’98, partner
and co-chair of Goodwin Procter’s
Antitrust Practice, is president of
the American University Alumni
Association and the university’s
Alumni Board. “It’s an honor to
work with such a dedicated group
of volunteers and AU ambassadors
who work tirelessly to engage other
alumni in the life of the university.”
I OWE SO MUCH OF WHO I AM IN MANY IMPORTANT WAYS TO AU. I look back not
just on the academic learning that happened here, but also on the personal relationships I
developed while I was a student.
I experienced other cultures, met different people, and came to understand new ways of
thinking. I learned not to take myself too seriously. I learned about my strengths and, just as
importantly, about my weaknesses. I don’t think that could have happened just anywhere.
AU was a specially calibrated laboratory that enabled me to grow into the person I am today.
Now that I’m in a position to give back, I’m thrilled to donate my time, energy, and resources
to try to make what was a wonderful institution for me even more wonderful for others.
As president of the Alumni Board, my role is twofold. First, there’s an obligation to
make sure I know what’s going on within the university, to understand the academic and
extracurricular priorities.
But the most important job is to be an ambassador for the university beyond campus.
That means making sure that my fellow alumni are informed about all the great stuff that’s
going on at AU.
Under any metric, AU is a school that’s on the rise. It’s fantastic that our admissions rate
for the Class of 2019 was only 35 percent—down from 46 percent last year. You can look
at the diverse work of the faculty and know that we are expanding beyond what were our
core strengths.
Our administration is incredibly strong, and the vision for the university has never been
stronger. This year, under the leadership of former vice president Tom Minar, 8,695 alumni
made gifts to AU. Along with parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends, alumni gave
$2,065,673 to the annual funds alone—exceeding our goal by more than $100,000.
There are many ways alumni can give: volunteer, attend an event with current students,
go to a summer sendoff event in your city. Whatever you can do to spread the message of AU
and share your time and experiences with future generations helps strengthen our legacy.
This is important work that we do together. Thanks to all of you who give back to AU in
so many ways.
38 AMERICAN MAGAZINE JULY 2015