Q&A with Alumni Association Past President Kevin Nesselhauf, BA ’08, MBA ’13
Why did you choose SIUE
In high school, I was focused on an engineering career. My math teacher said, “I went to SIUE, and it has a good engineering program. You would love it there.” I decided to take a look and was blown away by the facilities. I also didn’t want to be too far from home (Festus, Mo.) where my family and my girlfriend—now my wife—Nicole were.
What were some of your most memorable experiences as an SIUE student?
I was an RA in Prairie Hall. It was an interesting experience. I once had to break up a toga party. It was a Saturday night, and I saw people wearing only sheets. When they opened the door to the small room, 20 students were wearing only sheets and holding cups of beer. I wanted to congratulate them on doing something nobody ever had, but I had to split up the party instead. I occasionally run into some of those residents, and we laugh about it.
I spent a lot of time, when not in classes, playing football. The most positive experience I had was serving as president of the club football team. Until that point, I really did not have a group of people I was hanging out with. Club football gave me a sense of belonging. We were a “rag tag” group; we’d practice at 6 a.m. my freshman year and only 5-10 guys would show up. Over the four years, we became a real football team and bonded together. I learned a lot about business management while serving as club president, and it was a great bonding experience with a lot of guys.
How did SIUE help you get where you are today?
I got a great internship at McCarthy Building Companies at the end of my sophomore year. That was an excellent experience for me. Observing the real-world applications of classroom work helped me see the big picture for my future career. The people at McCarthy were incredibly kind and patient with me, and I learned so much.
Fortunately for me, the Phillips66 Wood River Refinery was expanding when I graduated. I started as a field coordinator and then advanced to the position of turnaround coordinator. I earned my MBA from SIUE in 2013 and was named planning and scheduling supervisor for routine maintenance in 2014.
How did you become involved with the SIUE Alumni Association?
Our biggest supporter during my time in club football was the Alumni Association. They really embraced our efforts. After I graduated, I wanted to get involved with the Alumni Association to give back and stay involved at this wonderful place. It is so important to recognize alumni and welcome them back to campus. This has been a great opportunity to meet people and network within the local community.
What are your thoughts as your term as president of the Alumni Association comes to an end?
I have mixed emotions, because we have a lot of unfinished business. We still are only engaging a very small percentage of our alumni. We need to find ways to reach out to more people. The thing that sticks out to me the most is the collaborative relationships that we are making with individuals and groups across campus. Those have the most potential for mutually beneficial impact.
“Cougars on the Move” has been strengthened. We are reaching out to more alums. We are engaging more people with events such as “An Evening With” the “Always a Cougar Cook-Out” graduation celebration and Trivia Night. I can’t claim to have been a driver of any of them because there are so many other people who have been the critical pieces for these events. But I am proud of the fact that these events have either been created or strengthened during my presidency.
I am so proud to be a graduate of SIUE. It was an amazing opportunity to represent our 100,000 alumni. This university is such an amazing place filled with so many wonderful people. We are all truly blessed to have been impacted by SIUE at some point in our lives, and I know that this university will be an important part of the community for many years to come.
