To the editor:

The recent Journal-World article and editorial may have led some to believe that the Kansas University Alumni Association has a renewed interest in reopening the Learned Club, a private club it operated from 1983 to 1998.

In 1998, the association evaluated many options, but no scenario could remedy the fact that a restructured club would continue to lose upward of $200,000 annually.

In 2005, the association formed a committee of board members, university faculty and staff to re-evaluate food service in the Adams Center. After a thorough review, the committee recommended that the Alumni Association not pursue food service for the same reasons the club was closed in 1998.

Engaging more than 180,000 graduates and 40,000 members of the association is no easy task, yet KU has never needed their support more than it does today. In many ways KU’s storied success can be attributed to the leadership and support of its alumni and friends.

On a long list of association impact opportunities, food service is not a key priority. Goals include recruiting the best students, influencing state government and hosting events that make graduates feel as they did the day they walked down the Hill.

The KU Alumni Association appreciates the university’s desire to have a faculty dining club, but such a club would need to be operated elsewhere. Using the Adams Center for strategic programs and events will help ensure that future generations of students and faculty have opportunities to benefit from the impact of KU’s loyal alumni and friends.

Kevin Corbett, president,

KU Alumni Association,

Lawrence