Jerry Iwanus, ’83 BA, ’86 MA, is a longtime alumni volunteer, having been a dedicated U of A Senator and volunteer at Augustana. He was also awarded the Alumni Citation Award, given by Augustana to non-Augustana alumni to recognize their contributions. Since he has recently moved to New Brunswick, he is now volunteering his time to start an Atlantic Alumni Chapter with support from the Office of Alumni Relations. 

After being mayor of a small town for many years, Jerry decided to apply the skills he gained while working in municipal government to the U of A. He had really enjoyed his time at the University (so much so that he got a tattoo to commemorate!), found it informative to his life and wanted to give back. Once accepted into the Senate, Jerry began forming connections with local governments and the university, mainly at Augustana, as he was living in the Camrose area at the time. He says that everyone brings something different to the Senate and this made for a rich and wonderful experience. During most of his time on the Senate, Jerry also coached junior high basketball for many years, which he integrated in several ways with Augustana’s Athletics program.

Jerry has many fond memories as a volunteer, but one particular highlight was a surprise Ukrainian Christmas dinner. After attending a regular Tuesday Chaplaincy soup supper for students at Augustana, Jerry, being Ukrainian himself, wanted to organize a special Ukrainian Christmas dinner for the students. With the help of many others, including the Chaplaincy and volunteers, to cook and serve food, this special dinner became a reality the first Tuesday in January 2016. The students came in for their regular dinner, but were surprised with a 12-course Ukrainian meal. For some of the students, it was their first time eating Ukrainian food, and it became an evening of community and culture.

Now that Jerry lives on the East Coast, he is still connecting with the U of A and fellow alumni. He says that no matter where you live, you can always find other grads to connect with.