FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Two scoops of Clay
31 flavors and then some
Remaining in Clinton after graduation, Clay
began his career by selling insurance, dealing with Medicare supplements.
This job allowed Clay to do much work with the elderly. Unfortunately,
Clay became disconcerted when some of the old women who were his clients
began to hit on him. In one incident, an 80-year old widow invited Clay
over for cake and coffee. However, the invitation did not end at
an afternoon meal; the meeting turned out to be a clever ploy to ask Clay
on a date to see “Carols by Candlelight” at First Baptist Church, Jackson.
Luckily, after consulting his daily planner, Clay discovered that he had
a “family reunion” scheduled for that day.
After nine months of insurance sales, Clay
changed jobs, beginning work at Lamar Outdoor Advertising in downtown Jackson.
Then, in July 1999, Clay was hired by his alma mater to fill the position
of Director of Alumni Affairs.
Since
being hired, Clay has given new personality to the Alumni Affairs department.
His experience in sales has prepared him for dealing with older graduates
of MC while his age allows him to relate to younger alumni and current
students. His work in advertising has also paid off: “In a way, I’m
still selling and advertising-I’m just selling MC,” explains Clay.
In December 1999, Clay instituted the Student-Alumni
Association (S.A.A.), which allows current students to get involved in
alumni affairs and relations before they even graduate. Clay asserts that
if you get students involved now, it is much easier to keep them interested
in the school after they graduate.
Currently, Clay is looking forward to launching
the Class Agent program in January 2001. This program is designed to increase
participation among alumni of the 35-50 year old range across the state
of Mississippi by establishing eight districts led by three to six individuals
(“class agents”) who endorse higher alumni attendance in chapter meetings.
Also,
in the future, Clay is hoping to develop an eye-catching e-mail newsletter
for alumni.
Clay maintains that much of his success is
due to the wealth of talent that already exists here on campus in the student
body. Many of Clay’s projects could not be executed without the help of
students.
Clay is also a former member of the Clinton
Nature Day Committee. While on the committee, Clay specialized in fundraising
and is known for his work on Nature Day “A Celebration of Trails and Snails.”
[Yes, it’s true. Trust me. I saw the brochure.]
A member of Colonial Heights Baptist Church
in Jackson, Clay comments, “a church alive is worth the drive.”
Having an old-fashioned personality, Clay
claims that he enjoys “taking time to smell the flowers” and prefers an
eight-ounce glass bottle of Coke to a can. In his free time, Clay enjoys
backpacking, camping, and grilling out. He is also still pursuing “Mrs.
Right” explaining, “Well, I don’t think I’ve found her yet, but I’m still
looking.” -- E.Z. Mac
The above
article was intended for parody purposes only.
Comments?
E-mail us. © Copyright 2000
