Alumni Mentoring Program launched at Chapel

By Stefanie Leiter

ANDERSON, IN - With the launch of the Alumni Mentor Program (AMP) initiative, Director of Alumni Relations, Ben Davis, and the AU Alumni Association hosted chapel on Thursday, April 9, to encourage interaction between students and alumni and invite students into their “extended family” at AU.

The idea behind the initiative was launched a few years ago before Davis worked at AU. Now with Ed Fry, Alumni Connections Coordinator on staff through the Lilly Grant, Fry serves as a liaison to alumni through Career Development Center, other departments on campus, and the Alumni office.

“We want students to know that they have a common bond and a common experience with alumni,” said Davis.

During the chapel program, Davis and Fry introduced students to different alumni across the country including video testimonials, career highlights and maps showing where in the United States and Indiana alumni are located.

The initiative creates a connection with students and alumni, and even alumni with other alumni to network professionally in their given industry and region. Students are able to have “on-going relationships” with fellow alumni to receive info on their chosen vocation, internship opportunities, or to seek guidance during a job search.

With the AMP, Fry hopes to “connect the dots” with current students so they have a greater preparation of what goes on outside life as a college student at AU. Through e-mail to alumni, enews, homecoming, and alumni events, Davis and Fry have been able to “connect with fellow alumni who are excited to reconnect to AU by giving back in a tangible way.”

“The Alumni Mentor Program offers alumni and students to connect based on vocation or region, which makes it a unique opportunity,” said Fry.

The AU Alumni Association hopes current students begin to realize how vital the Alumni office is to life after college. Through alumni events, AndersonAlums.com and other social media, enews, Signatures, alumni opportunities and various benefits, students have the opportunity to utilize their future status as Anderson University alumni with a network of 25,000 plus.

According to Fry, many current students he has met with on campus are searching for alumni in areas outside of Central Indiana. His goal is to partner with departments on campus to connect these students to a mentor.

“It is sometimes not what you know but who you know when searching for a job,” said Davis. “We are hoping this program connects the two.”

During chapel, a “sophomore mugging” (an initiative to welcome sophomores into the AU Alumni Association) launched giving sophomore students AU mugs with the Alumni Association logo. Beginning in their sophomore year, students usually reach the 24 hours of class time necessary to become official alumni. Seniors were invited to join the AndersonAlums.com social networking web site launched in August of 2008.

“We wanted to provide a new tool for alumni to communicate and network in a way that is fresh and relevant,” Davis said. “We’re especially excited about the interactive nature of social media, meaning that alumni will be providing their own content by posting videos, photos, blogs and discussions.”

Features of AndersonAlums.com include:

• Social and professional networking opportunities with other alumni
• Special AU and alumni news that you won’t find in Signatures or on the official AU web site
• Alumni event announcements and photos

For more information on the AMP, contact the Alumni Office at ext. 4100 on campus or 765-641-4100 off campus or e-mail Ed Fry. Visit the Alumni web site to update records or to view alumni events.

Stefanie Leiter is the Web Content Manager at Anderson University.