Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Calling all Sun Devils: Your university is calling you back.

Starting this month, membership in the Arizona State University Alumni Association is free for all ASU grads.

The removal of mandatory dues expands the association to include the more than 400,000 ASU grads around the world.

All members get benefits such as access to online and in-person career fairs and networking opportunities; opportunity to join one of the 160 alumni chapters and clubs around the world; access to ASU Travel & Tours trips; discounts on hotels, insurance and more; and receiving the ASU Magazine. See the full list here.

For those who want even more benefits

The new membership program also includes three paid levels for those who want to donate to the association and receive more perks.

Sparky level costs $30 to $75 per year , and members get benefits such as career counseling, invitation to private events, free access to Maroon & Gold Professionals networking events, and more.

, and members get benefits such as career counseling, invitation to private events, free access to Maroon & Gold Professionals networking events, and more. Maroon level costs a one-time donation of $400 to $700 , and members get Sparky benefits as well as a 20 percent discount at both ASU Karsten Golf Course and Sun Devil Campus Stores.

, and members get Sparky benefits as well as a 20 percent discount at both ASU Karsten Golf Course and Sun Devil Campus Stores. Gold level costs a one-time donation of $750 to $1,050, and members get Sparky and Maroon benefits as well as the ability to enroll children for free in Sun Devil Generations, a program for kids through eighth grade that offers them fun events and opportunities such as homecoming and Grandparents' Day Brunch with Sparky.

The previous cost for a basic individual membership was $50 per year, which now will buy an alumnus Sparky-level benefits, according to ASU. The cost for a Maroon membership (formerly Life) is up $100 per individual, and a Gold membership is up $300.

The membership costs are considered a gift to the university and are tax deductible. ASU faculty and staff as well as recent graduates (within three years of their graduation date) are eligible for the cheaper membership rate.

Alumni who previously paid for a membership will transfer to the new level closest to the prior level.

Shared memories and future goals

Beyond benefits, the university is promoting the change as a way to increase degrees' value through increased university prestige, as well as a way to financially support association events such as homecoming, football tailgates, alumni awards and reunions.

“Whether you received your degree a year ago, or more than a half-century ago, two things connect all of us who call Arizona State University our alma mater — shared memories and a stake in our university’s future,” Christine Wilkinson, senior vice president of the university and president and CEO of the ASU Alumni Association, said in a news release.

“It is through our new philanthropic membership model that, beyond membership giving, alumni will have additional opportunities to contribute — to the Traditions Fund, alumni scholarship programs, and other gifts that support and advance the mission of ASU.”

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