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connections Off -campus Student services inspire alumnus to support Libraries To this day Jeff Meyers refers back to textbooks from the classes he took through CMU's Off -Campus Programs center in Auburn Hills 20 year ago. Because of this Meyers annually makes a gift to the CMU Libraries, putting him among the top annual CMU Off -Campus Programs alumni donors. "I want to see the library continue to thrive and be accessible to all CMU students, Meyers says. "The library is invaluable, and it provides the resources and staffi ng that enable students to be successful. " " Meyers earned his undergraduate degree at Wayne State University and was working at Chrysler when he realized he needed a graduate degree to be promoted to a management position within the company. When he started investigating his options, he learned of several colleagues who were enrolled in CMU's off -campus M.S.A. program. This was the fi rst he had heard of the off -campus program, but Meyers already was familiar with CMU. His mother, Geraldine Williams, attended CMU and was 1951 Homecoming queen. They often come in handy when he's developing job descriptions for hiring new members for his information technology team that provides technical support to nearly 400 employees at the Metro Detroit- based Chrysler headquarters. While the textbooks are great resources, and Meyers applauds how well the CMU Master of Science in Administration program enhanced his professional endeavors, these aren't what fi rst come to mind when he thinks of his graduate experiences. What he remembers most is the assistance he received from the CMU Libraries. "Whenever I needed research materials, I'd submit a request and have everything I needed within one or two days, " who graduated with his M.S.A. in 1991. "The library service was really impressive and helpful to me completing my degree, and I still appreciate that today. " says Meyers, program I thought, 'I can do that,'" says Meyers, who completed his degree within "I wanted a good, solid program, and when I heard about CMU's M.S.A. I want to see the library continue to thrive and be accessible to all students. two years while working full time. "I was apprehensive about going back to school, but CMU really paid attention to the details of helping working professionals through the program." Meyers lives in Bloomfi eld Hills with his wife, Ann. The couple has two sons – Adam and Alex. While Adam attends Oakland Community College, Alex is a junior theatre major at CMU who also is involved with the student vocal groups. • Friends to host NPR's Don Gonyea Annual luncheon is May 14 NPR national political correspondent Don Gonyea is the 2011 CMU Friends of the Libraries Luncheon speaker. The invitation-only event is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in the Park Library Auditorium. Gonyea spends much of this time covering major campaigns, elections and the political happenings throughout the country. His storied career includes reporting from the White House on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, reporting the Bush administration's prosecution of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other stories worldwide. In 1986 Gonyea got his start at NPR reporting from Detroit on labor unions and the automobile industry, Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted-suicide crusade, and the 1999 closing of Tiger Stadium. Gonyea, a native of Monroe, Mich., and a Michigan State University graduate, has won numerous national and state awards for his reporting. He was part of the team that earned NPR a 2000 George Foster Peabody Award for the "All Things Considered" series "Lost & Found Sound. To learn more about this event or how you can become a Friend – for which, eff ective March 1, 2011, the minimum annual donation will be a single gift of $75 – contact Megan Moreno, director of library development and community outreach, at • 989-774-1826 • megan.r.moreno@cmich.edu 7 "

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