Centre News

Centre’s alumni blog, The Flame Run, has recently undergone
a major transformation. Check it out daily for updates on
alumni events, Centre news and more.

The Flame, the oldest of Centre’s outdoor sculptures, was installed
in 1969. On a plaque on the base of the sculpture is a quote from
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: “Where the light is brightest, the
shadows are deepest.” The College held a 40th-birthday party for
The Flame last year.

Several years ago, Adam Johnson ’97 and Thomas Wobbe ’97 created The Flame Run. Not the late-night campus tradition; instead, a newsletter that shared news about the College with its loyal graduates.

In its first days, The Flame Run was a printed, class-specific newsletter sent to various classes in the nineties; later, it took e-mail form.

As technology advanced, however, Centre’s alumni office began brainstorming ways to revive the newsletter. The outcome? A blog, named, of course, The Flame Run.

“Using a blog makes content more immediate and allows reader interaction through comments and sharing to sites like Facebook and Twitter,” says assistant director of annual giving James Barnard.

“Social media is a great way for alumni to engage with Centre and keep it a part of their lives,” he says. “People are busy and find it hard to keep in touch with their own friends, let alone their alma mater. But social media allows Centre to be a part of their daily routine as they check Facebook or Twitter—getting a quick update from campus at the same time as updates from the friends they made there.”

The Flame Run, he adds, offers a little bit more depth for those who want to know more about Centre happenings.

Since beginning the blog, the alumni office has been working to discover “what works and what doesn’t,” Barnard says. “It took a while to figure out what we were and what we wanted to be, and once we finally started to figure that out, it seemed timely to re-launch The Flame Run with a bit of a face lift.”

The new concept is built on the idea of more consistent output of content.

“The new mix will feature regular updates from the Offices of Alumni Affairs and Development, as well as an assortment of special features including alumni book reviews, interviews, off-topic humor and guest contributors,” Barnard says.

And on Fridays—beginning on August 6—there will be a regular feature called The Run Around, which will be a list of satirical headlines based on the week’s campus news stories.

To visit The Flame Run, click here. Anyone interested in contributing to the blog, either regularly or as a one-time contributor, should email james.barnard@centre.edu. “We’re always looking for new authors and new ideas!” Barnard says.