By Mike Gincel, contributing writer
“There are over 67,000 alumni from all fifty states and from all around the world and Eddie Kenny is the director of Alumni Relations here at Saint Leo University. Kenny hails from Zephyrhills, FL and attended Florida International University for his undergraduate in Communications and attended Nova Southeastern University for his Masters in Sports Management.
Kenny first came to Saint Leo in July of 2006, as the assistant Head of Athletics for Athletics. He left the position in 2008, to take a Head of Athletics position at nearby Bishop McLaughlin High School. He still kept his ties to the University and came back to Saint Leo when he was recommended for and applied for the position of Head of Alumni Relations. He is very active in networking and communicating with our alumni of the past, present and even our future alumni. Kenny believes that the current students can be great future alumni.
“The current students are our future alumni. They can add great things to our community long after they leave,” said Kenny.
He also goes on to say that there are many things that the alumni can do after they leave Saint Leo University and become alumni.
some of them are doing great things in their community, such as hosting events and having networking events that really do help our alumni connect and find new career opportunities.”
One of the many things alumni can do is donate money for the future of Saint Leo University. It is seen as one of the more common and easiest way to donate. Many students believe that since they pay tuition for our university, that we do not need to donate any money. But what students need to realize is that, a lot of current and future infrastructure have been built using alumni donations.
“What students don’t understand is that, the donations we receive helped build the School of Business and the new residence halls. We appreciate any monetary donation and I absolutely understand where the students come from on this issue,” said Kenny. He also recommends that the alumni of present and future can donate time and talents to help our University.
“Many students come back to our university to guest lecture, host events and some even host our alumni events at their restaurants and homes, many alumnus volunteer for our board, for events and many network for these events.”
Many students can be active as alumni without donating a dime of their own, if they so choose. Kenny mentioned that a new guide has been made for alumni to explore options on how they can contribute back to the University in more ways than one. He also asks current students to visit the office of Alumni Relations in St. Francis Hall, Room 110.
Eddie also practices giving back to the community on a regular basis. He is an adjunct professor in the Sports Business department teaching classes on communication within Sports Business. He also helps out by hosting alumni events throughout the semester within the Tampa Bay area. One popular event was a night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where he hosted an alumni event that included a night watching the Tampa Bay Lightning. Over 100 alumni from the Florida area came and watched the event. Kenny also lends his voice over at his old stomping grounds, Athletics. He is an announcer at the Lion’s home games. His voice earned him the nickname “The Eagle”. Kenny explained that while working at Nova Southeastern, as an announcer, two English soccer players made up the nickname for him as he was announcing and hosting the radio broadcast of the game.
“It came off as a joke, but I like it. It’s just a part of me.” Stated Kenny regarding his nickname.
Kenny believes that the Alumni Association can help any alumni with finding a job and helping build networking and communication skills.
“Eddie can always get the job done. His communication and networking skills are absolutely amazing and is an asset to our community,” said Evan Ortiz, Sports Information Director, when asked about his colleague.
Kenny’s office is in St. Francis Hall, room 110. He welcomes any student to come on by and learn more about the alumni association. A friendly, courteous and well-spoken man of our community, Eddie Kenny helps the students of today become successful alumni of tomorrow.
