Paul Meierant
B.A. 1994
photo: Terry Faust
President and Chair, Executive Committee; Member, College and Alumni Relations Committee
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Current occupation: Merchandising, Marshall Field's/Macy's
Previous occupations: Admissions, University of Minnesota
Favorite U of M or near-campus landmarks: The quad in between the residence halls on the Super Block and the McNamara Alumni Center (the spot of my wedding reception!)
Favorite CLA class and/or professor: Intro to Rhetoric Criticism 3601 with Karlyn Kors Campbell
How did your student experience with CLA shape you as a person and/or professional?
My liberal arts background taught me how to think across multiple disciplines and find solutions from uncommon sources. In merchandising, I combine ideas from mass communication, psychology, statistical research and economics every day to drive business in an ever-changing retail landscape. It is this variety that makes my job a different adventure everyday and why a liberal arts degree is the perfect preparation for so many different careers.
Why did you become involved with the CLA Alumni Society?
This is how I give back to my college and university. It's about helping out the college in ways you saw were opportunities when you were a student and now have the luxury to donate your time and energy. My hope in joining the society was to help bring together alums to volunteer and have fun doing it. We've started some great programs that offer a variety of levels of involvement as well as reasons just to reunite with fellow students. Hopefully we’ll continue with the successes we've had in building this network that's right in front of us and can become a powerful asset to our members; past, present and future.