By Hannah Rom
Alumni Membership and Records Supervisor Suzy Norwood has been a part of the Alumni Association staff for almost 12 years, holding her current position for the last eight years. She creates and maintains biographical records on all alumni and friends, ensuring their records are accurate and up to date. She also supervises the operation and maintenance of the data entry section of the alumni office, which consists of her and two alumni records assistants.
“We update just about everything,” she said. “That includes addresses, phone numbers, emails, employment information, marital records, children and awards. We add any organizations our alumni may belong to and their degrees, both from Ole Miss and any other schools.
“With over 150,000 living alumni, and over 300,000 records in our database, there are plenty of updates every day.”
The Alumni Records department also updates travel information for Alumni Assocation- sponsored tours and Ole Miss Sports Travel as well as participation on various boards, committees and clubs.
Norwood is known as the “queen of research” around the office. The Vicksburg native can find almost anyone with little information. That critical skill is necessary to help make over 175,000 record changes a year to the alumni database.
Norwood utilizes numerous tools in her research, including various online sources, mail, email, phone, other campus offices and Alumni Association staff.
She also supervises the receipt and processing of Alumni Association membership dues and oversees the creation of member packets for new graduates, graduating class brick orders, life memberships, sustaining life member contributions and M-Club memberships.
“Suzy’s love of research and her genuine interest in our alumni has led her to find many remarkable facts about them,” said Associate Director for Information Services Rusty Woods (BBA 01). “The information she finds and the stories she has learned through personal interactions with our alumni are amazing.”
Norwood says the most enjoyable part of her job is discovering all of the exceptional things Ole Miss alumni have accomplished. Some of her favorite alumni finds include Katy Perry’s manager, the father of the keyboardist for the band Phish, a researcher who helped create the test for tuberculosis and the man who spotted the plane that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was trying to escape in during World War II.
When she is not busy researching alumni and administrating the Alumni Association’s memberships, Norwood enjoys attending as many Ole Miss sporting events as she can – particularly men’s basketball games.