Leah Clevenger

No matter how many years an Anderson University student takes to complete a degree—or multiple degrees, for that matter—the greater part of his/her association with this institution will be as an alumnus/alumna.

The University wants to maintain that relationship for life.

That’s why the Anderson University Office of Development in general—and its Alumni Engagement team specifically—works hard to keep alumni connected and True to AU, whether through Homecoming and reunion events, the magazine, tailgating, you name it.

It’s a big job, one for which Leah Clevenger, recently hired as the new associate vice president for alumni engagement, is ideally suited.

Clevenger attended Gardner-Webb, a private university in North Carolina and received her degree in religious education with a minor in sociology.

She later received her M.Div. in Christian education from GWU’s M. Christopher White School of Divinity. So, she’s very passionate about Christian higher education from personal experience.

While at Gardner-Webb, she also met and married her husband, Gabe, who was completing his M.Div. at Gardner-Webb at the same time; together they became fully engaged in ministry, including church planting and later in higher education.

Their first ministry was helping launch Forest Pointe Church in Belmont, North Carolina, a church plant with more than 1,000 members. They served there until the fall of 2007, when they moved to Tampa, Florida, to assist with another church plant for a few years.

When an opportunity arose for them to move back to the Upstate, Leah took a few years off to “minister at home” to her first two daughters. She was very active at their school and church, continuing to live out the call God had placed on her life as a young teenager to serve others and lead them to Christ.

Clevenger eventually joined the staff at USC Upstate as a residential life coordinator and later as assistant director. During her time there, she was one of six faculty/staff named to “Doc’s List” by the Student Government Association for exemplary service and dedication to students and in her last year there was awarded their “Employee of the Year” recognition—just more evidence of her desire to serve others.

“While I have not gone back into vocational ministry, I have never felt like my calling to serve others through ministry ended,” Clevenger said. “When I accepted my position at USC Upstate, God gave me a daily ministry to care for my fellow staff members, my student workers and the residents in student housing. I look at my work as ministry and as my offering to God each day.”

And she carried that servant’s heart with her back to her alma mater in 2014 when she became the director of alumni relations for Gardner-Webb and served there for the next 10 years. She gained a lot of experience in planning alumni events and networking opportunities as well as overseeing their social media channels—all efforts designed to keep alumni informed and engaged.

That leads us to Anderson University today. Clevenger began her latest role on November 1, 2024, just in time for AU’s Homecoming event last fall. Since then, she has fully immersed herself in all aspects of the Anderson experience and culture and is excited about what possibilities there are for more engagement with alumni of all generations.

“I am focused on building relationships with Anderson University alumni and inspiring an active lifelong relationship with AU, beginning with further developing an Alumni Board that represents alumni that live in communities along the I-85 and I-26 corridors. With the assistance of the Alumni Board, I want to continue to care for you, provide opportunities for you to connect with fellow AU alumni and make you proud that you are a Trojan,” she said.

“I will work to connect with you on campus and in your part of the region. The Alumni Board and I will invite you to return to campus for Homecoming, reunions, as well as cultural and athletic events,” she said. “We will make plans in the region that you will enjoy, too: alumni clubs, networking hours and service opportunities.

“In turn, as an alum, I hope you will look for ways to support your alma mater. This could be through recommending future students to AU, returning to speak to a class at a professor’s request or assisting with an alumni club in your area. You may consider mentoring an AU student, offering an internship or joining a board. As your personal means allows, consider supporting AU financially.

“As you invest back into your alma mater through event attendance, campus visits, student referrals, continuing education, volunteerism and even financially, you are ensuring that your University continues to advance in the strengthening of academic programs, athletic competition and service to the greater community. When this happens, the value of an Anderson University degree increases. That is good news for everyone.”