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June-July 2008
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ALUMNI NEWS |
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Alumni want more ways to leverage the value of the AU network. They want assistance in taking advantage of both the quantity (100,000+) and quality of AU alums living around the world. They want to see more students using alumni as resources for internships, jobs, research, and career advice. These are just a few of the points that came from the series of online chats cohosted by Alumni Association President Brian Keane, SPA-SOC/BA ’89, and Director of Alumni Programs Tara Sherwin in May and June to gather alumni input into the Strategic Planning process. A wide range of alumni from different class years and parts of the country participated, voicing strong feelings about areas in which they would like to see AU improve. Chat participants also said they would like to see greater collaboration between the Alumni Programs office and other campus departments, specifically Admissions and the Career Center. They said they want to see a renewed focus on an outstanding overall student experience, which comes from offices working together. Alumni chat participants also discussed their desire for AU to achieve its rightful place in the pecking order of American colleges and universities. AU boasts internationally acclaimed faculty, award-winning students, high-achieving alumni, and an enviable location in the nation’s capital. It should be any high school student’s dream school and No. 1 choice, not a back-up school to Georgetown or the Ivies, more than one alum agreed. While AU’s strategic plan served as the primary focus of discussion, participants also took the opportunity to share their ideas about ways the Alumni Programs office could better serve its constituents – you! They would like to see a renewed concentration on regional chapters and programs, including training for chapter leaders. Chat participant Gary Gurner, SOC/BA '73, noted, “I’d love to see the chapter leaders retreat re-instituted to coincide with Alumni Weekend. Those meetings really helped to reignite various chapters around the world. That’s invaluable, despite the expense.” Alumni would also like more opportunities to return to campus. While Alumni Weekend is great, alums would like to see additional programs as well, such as an Alumni College or guest speaker series. For the Alumni Programs office, the online chat format was a new approach to engaging alumni. The response was extremely positive. “The online chats are a great way to foster input and discussion among far-flung alumni,” comments three-time chat participant Chip Griffin, SPA/BA ’94, who writes a blog called beyondwardcircle. “These group discussions allow for interaction between fellow graduates that simply isn’t possible for those who do not live in D.C. While we can always e-mail or phone in our thoughts, bouncing ideas and opinions around in a collaborative environment has real benefits. It’s fantastic to see an AU office taking advantage of technology to improve the quality and availability of alumni communications.” On the whole, the online chats definitely served their purpose. The ideas generated have already been shared with the strategic planning committee and will serve as reference points as the plan takes shape. “This has opened up an entirely new avenue for interacting with AU alumni,” notes Keane. “We are starting to develop real relationships with and get real input from AU alums who have never before been active in the alumni community. I hope we can keep these online chats going long after we have completed the strategic planning process.”
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