Brittany Milan champions collaboration between campus and community

A community thrives when its constituent parts are connected and in harmony. 

Brittany Milan plays a large role in promoting these connections within the Mt. Pleasant community. 

As the director of alumni and donor engagement at Central Michigan University (CMU), Milan knows the value in maintaining CMU’s position as one of the cultural focal points of Mt. Pleasant, as well as improving the university’s connection with Mt. Pleasant community members—many of whom are alumni. 

Originally from Vicksburg, Michigan, Milan came to Mt. Pleasant to attend CMU, eventually earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. A year after graduation, Milan returned to the area to work for her alma mater, where she has now been for over a decade. Her current position allows Milan to give back to the university that she says has given so much to her. 

Milan is far from the only CMU alumni who claims to have been changed for the better by the university. 

“Getting to connect with alumni is one of the most rewarding pieces of my job,” she says. “Every time we have a conversation with [an alum] it’s not necessarily about finding ways for them to donate, it’s finding ways that CMU made a big impact on their life.”

An important part of Milan’s role is connecting people who value their time at both CMU and Mt. Pleasant with others who share the same sentiment. In doing so, Milan is able to foster a continued appreciation for all the community has to offer, to residents and visitors alike.

“Whenever I go to alumni events and meet new people, [I’m reminded why] we’re creating memorable experiences and finding different ways for alumni to stay connected and meet other alumni that are in their area that they might not otherwise get to know. We want to encourage CMU spirit wherever they’re at,” Milan explains. 

In addition to providing a space for alumni to connect with each other, Milan’s work also helps to promote collaboration between CMU and Isabella County businesses. 

“One of the things I love about the Mt. Pleasant community is that it’s so intertwined with CMU,” Milan says. “The university supports the local businesses in any way we can, and then when we have these big alumni events at CMU, the businesses are supporting CMU too.” 

Milan speaks to a sense of collaboration and mutual aid that ensures neither party will struggle while the other succeeds. 

On this, she says, “I think everything is very intertwined. Our success is the community’s success, and the community’s success is our success. If we have an event like homecoming and we bring hundreds of alumni back to campus, they’re going to stay overnight in Mt. Pleasant, they’re going to eat at local establishments, and continue to make memories here.”

While promoting community growth is important to Milan, on a more personal level, her position allows her to see the successes of people she mentored. 

“Nothing is more rewarding to me than when I have a student reach out to me and ask if I can be a reference for them and then I get to watch them land the job,” she says, speaking on the more personal intraoffice connections she has made. 

“I think the most rewarding part of this position is that not only have I had the opportunity to connect with alumni, but also to be able to connect with and coach all of these students and encourage them to flourish as well,” she says.

It’s no surprise that the most rewarding part of Milan’s job is closely aligned with what she considers to be her favorite part. 

“My favorite part about my job is all the different groups of people I get to connect with,” Milan shares. “I feel super fortunate that I get to work with our students and my team on the daily, and that I get to connect with such incredible alumni who are passionate about CMU and want to see the university succeed.”

Milan has a strong passion of her own for her job, which extends itself beyond the borders of her professional life and leads to a general sense of contentment and gratefulness for her role within the community. 

“I feel very fortunate that I have found a way to blend my passion for [my professional role] with working at the university I graduated from, in a town that has been super supportive to me as a young professional and where I’ve called home for the last 15 years.”