Whether sitting down for a gala dinner or gathering in the breakroom, food brings communities together in many ways. In a year when advancement offices were forced to connect with each other and their constituents virtually, food was still a present theme in many 2021 Circle of Excellence Award-winning projects.
Like many team members in 2020, the University of Maryland, U.S., Alumni Association staff members were spending more time than usual in the kitchen. A discussion about what they were baking at home sparked an idea to collect recipes and create a cookbook. Through strategic outreach with alumni networks across the country, celebrity chefs, individual alumni, and others, staff curated recipes submitted by Terps around the world.
The recipes represent not only the state of Maryland but also UMD alumni—their cultures, families, and communities where they now live.
Terps Together: The University of Maryland Alumni Association Cookbook won a silver Circle of Excellence Award in the Design, Publications category.
UMD wasn’t the only institution that turned to a cookbook when figuring out ways to connect with alumni.
Dinners for 12 Strangers is a beloved, 53-year University of California, Los Angeles, U.S., Alumni Association tradition that connects students and alumni in small gatherings of around 12 participants over the course of three evenings.
