The Link

10/17/2012
COLUMBIA COLLEGE

Columbia College hires new community and alumni relations coordinator for Illinois campuses

COLUMBIA, Mo., Oct. 17, 2012 - Columbia College is pleased to announce the addition of Patrick Snyder as the community and alumni relations coordinator for its campuses in the state of Illinois.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Patrick to our team," said Susan Davis, Senior Director of Alumni Relations for Columbia College. "We feel our four campuses in the state of Illinois will benefit greatly from Patrick's expertise in the areas of public, media and client relations."

Snyder is no stranger to organizational growth. As the former Executive Director of Visit Illinois, the Illinois Travel & Tourism Association, he transformed what had been a 30-member club into a federation of tourism associations with membership in the 100s of thousands, all while increasing the budget six fold. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Operations for Steve Kaplan Live and as an adjunct professor in hospitality, marketing and operations at Kendall College. Snyder holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Eastern Illinois University and an IOM designation from the US Chamber Institute Program at the University of Notre Dame.

As the community and alumni relations coordinator for the Illinois campuses (which are located in Gurnee, Crystal Lake, Elgin and Freeport), Snyder will be responsible for developing and building relationships with community organizations and area alumni as well as working with the local media to increase awareness of the college and its programs.

Columbia College of Missouri features four campuses in the state of Illinois, located in Lake County (Gurnee), Crystal Lake, Elgin and Freeport, and offers a variety of in-seat and online degrees. In 1974, the college entered into an agreement to provide post-secondary education opportunities for sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes. Today, over 38 years later, the Columbia College of Missouri campuses in Illinois serve more than 2,250 students annually. There are more than 4,700 Columbia College alumni in the state of Illinois, the third largest college alumni population in the nation.

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Founded in 1851 in Columbia, Mo., Columbia College has been helping students advance their lives through higher education for more than 160 years. As a private, nonprofit, liberal arts and sciences institution, the college takes pride in its small classes, experienced faculty and quality educational programs. With more than 30 campuses across the country, 18 of which are on military installations, students may enroll in day, evening or online classes. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Columbia College educates more than 30,000 students each year and has more than 74,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit www.ccis.edu.

(CONTACT: Brandi Herrman, Associate Director of Public Relations, 573-875-7731, blherrman@ccis.edu)

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	Patrick Snyder