How do you go about building or rebuilding your alumni careers services program?

In this episode of The ACSN Podcast, host Michael Steelman interviews three colleagues from Suffolk University, Vassar College, and Stony Brook University. They share lessons learned from the pre-conference session that can be applied to any program.

Produced in partnership with Alumni FM.

Montgomery Thomas - Suffolk University

Lisa Tessler - Vassar College

Marie Parziale - Stony Brook University

Developing a post-pandemic action plan

05:57 [Marie]: We are completely looking at what we've done and how we're going to do it in the future. We do a really great job of servicing our alum, and we have a really tight connection, the career center and the alumni relations office. But the thing that we really want to build now is our mentoring program. 

On providing networking support to your community

14:23 [Marie] : We brought back our student and alumni networking mixer that we did this past March. We needed to cancel it two years previously, and we had about 200 people in the room. We had 80 alum and about 120 students that came together to network in person. And it was successful. I think for the students, it was exactly what they needed in this, post-pandemic time, for sure. And, it was so successful that we're looking forward to doing one each semester. 

The value of alumni career services in the higher ed community

12:37 [Monty]: I think having the resources and the experience and the support that is needed to really make this successful is definitely a value of the university. So, really looking forward to continuing to work with everything that I have and can utilize with some of the goals and outcomes that we have, not only within our office and also individually for myself, but also at the university, too. 

19:10 [Lisa] : Alumni are the most valuable human resource available to our students. And I think what makes the work of our particular—areas or offices and role within our institution so vital is the ways in which we connect alumni back for the purpose of supporting current students, and where I think students need and want that help most is in their career development.