Making the Connection

In keeping with our ongoing efforts to forge connections among alumni, students, and our College, the Council initiated two new
programs this past fall: Welcome Events for recent graduates held in Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., and the Alumni-in-Residence program, held during Back-to-Bates weekend at the College.The Alumni-in-Residence program was a great success. During the last three years, the Council has worked closely with the Office of Career Services to bring students and alumni together. The goal is to help students with their career planning through career panels and networking gatherings held prior to recruiting consortiums in Boston and New York.

To build on our successes and involve more alumni and students, we created the Alumni-in-Residence program. Back-to-Bates provided the perfect backdrop for the first program, whose theme was “The Practical Value of a Liberal Arts Education and Strengths of a Liberal Arts Degree.” The Council, OCS, and the Alumni Office identified alumni in six career fields to serve as alumni fellows. The career fields included consulting/marketing, law/government, financial services/banking/insurance, education/non-profit/health and human service, medical services/sciences, and communications/arts.

The program kicked off on Friday afternoon with two forty-five-minute seminar panels for each career field. Council members, OCS and Alumni Office staff, and Bates faculty joined alumni fellows as panel facilitators. The panels were followed by a networking dinner and dessert.

How did we do? The program attracted eighty-plus students and thirty-three alumni fellows from the classes of 1951 to 1996. When we asked students to complete a brief evaluation, the feedback was very positive. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, evalutations were distributed as follows: 31 percent gave a seven, 25 percent gave an eight, 25 percent gave a nine, and 19 percent gave a ten. Enthusiastic comments included “Thank you for putting together such a great program,” and “Those who were on the panel were tremendous! It was encouraging to see how helpful alums can be.”

Alumni feedback was also positive, and we have identified several areas of fine tuning for next year’s program. The Council looks
forward to continuing to involve alumni in
the career planning process through the Alumni-in-Residence program, career panels, and internships. We would encourage you
to become a part of this terrific experience!