Once or twice a week, John Chancellor hangs a hammock between trees on the north side of UAB’s Campus Green. It’s the perfect perch to relax, listen to music, and watch the university and city change before his eyes. “I can see the new student center under construction, people walking across the Green, and the Birmingham skyline,” he says. “It’s everything I love about UAB in one view. It’s dynamic and always evolving.”

Chancellor is excited to be part of that change as the newest co-chair of the Student Alumni Society (SAS) and as Mr. UAB 2014. The organization, which helps students build a professional network through the UAB National Alumni Society before they graduate, also helps its 1,300 members forge bonds with each other and contribute to the campus and community. Over the years, the group has gathered supplies to aid recovery efforts from natural disasters, and members volunteer with Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm. Last year, the SAS played a key role in bringing the iconic statue of Blaze back to Bartow Arena.