The force of Northwestern alumni is growing as new Web-based efforts by the Northwestern Alumni Association have created a virtual community. A new Web site, launched Sept. 4, introduced features to foster interaction between students and alumni.
“Being an alum at Northwestern is having an immediate connection,” said Pat Bak, Weinberg ’74 and Law School ’78. “It is a valuable thing and is something to be nurtured, through things like (the online community) that keep you connected to the university.”
New initiatives by the alumni association and the Office of Alumni Relations and Development — such as online discussions, mentoring current students, financially supporting new programs and volunteering their time — are symbolic of a greater effort by university organizations to bolster NU community.
A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY
Jim Kaczkowski, the alumni association’s director of marketing and communications, said the new site added myriad special features. There is an “Alumni Gallery,” where alumni can upload photos from vacations, weddings or other events. There is an “Alumni Bookshelf,” where alumni authors can upload a thumbnail photo of the cover, its title and description, and even link to Amazon where the book can be purchased.
Another addition to the online alumni community are the “Alumni Forums,” an open means of discourse where alumni can start up conversations with former classmates and current students by posting comments online.
As a whole, the community’s reception to the Web site has been tremendous. Kaczkowski said in September 2003 there were 53,000 user sessions. After the launch of the new Web site in September 2004, the user sessions leaped to 89,000 for the month.
The feature is expanding to bring an alumni perspective into the classroom. McCormick Prof. Bill White is experimenting with engaging alumni in his organizational behavior class by creating forums on topics ranging from Dusty Baker’s management of the Cubs to Martha Stewart’s prison sentence.
The newly revamped communication tools are benefiting students on campus, as well as their professional counterparts.
VIRTUAL REALITY ON CAMPUS
The virtual community also has been extended to current students with the creation of “Freshman Diaries.” In this section of the Web site, freshmen post anecdotes of their first year of college to share with alumni. Kaczkowski said these stories will be archived for future reunions so alumni can look back at what they were thinking and feeling as freshmen.
“(Freshman Diaries) sound like a great way to see how much you’ve grown and to better appreciate our wonderful years at Northwestern.” said Brittney Lower, a Communication freshman. “I think it is really cute.”
With an enriched online experience for both alumni and current students, the new web efforts created an entirely new kind of virtual community that has an immediate impact for students on campus.
“(The Web site) is a new community we created out of nothing,” Kaczkowski said.
“Everyone just thinks that we are here to deal with alums, but we want to bring their real world experience (to students) to provide answers,” she added. “(We also want) to provide career advice and connections and networking in general.”
Real world experience and networking opportunities are about to be upgraded for students. Kaczkowski said next month the alumni association will announce an improved externship program — a one- to two-day program, during which sophomores accompany alumni to investigate careers.
This year the process will be entirely online, and alumni will post personal descriptions so students can match up with graduates in their hometown for one of their breaks.
“I think it is awesome that they increase the community for people here and those who have moved on,” said Jenna Morgan, a Weinberg senior. “Since the (new alumni intiatives) didn’t exist when I was a freshman, I would say this has changed significantly.”
Although some students said they believed the new features would not change the community, other students and alumni believed the new Web site will dramatically alter the way the NU community interacts.
“I think it is terrific to have an interactive, virtual community set up for the alumni,” said Bak, an alumna and a resident of Potomac, M.D., and attorney for the Federal Trade Commission. “It is enriching for people at the school and (community) members, who are at least virtually connected.”
Bak volunteers as an interviewer for the admission office, and also as a mentor for law students who are seeking new jobs. She noted that staying deeply involved with NU is both fulfilling and benefits her professional life.
“Your ongoing professional career is very dependent on a vibrant undergraduate and graduate community,” Bak said. “It is a symbiotic relationship you have throughout life with these institutions, and it pays.”
COMMUNITY IN TRANSITION
Beyond an online presence, alumni partake in more traditional means of connecting with students. Events such as the all-campus picnic, where new and returning students are invited to feast in front of the John Evans Alumni Center, demonstrate the Alumni Association’s direct impact on the community. In addition, graduates engage students as they flock to Evanston for Homecoming and also to aid students in career-building discussions.
More traditional alumni involvement also takes the form of financial support or volunteer work for NU, as devoted alums give back to current students.
Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development Sarah Pearson said alumni give back to their school because they have affection for their alma mater. Pearson explains that most alumni have a common thought: “I still love this place, and I want to support it, through contributions or volunteering.”
With these refocused goals the development office has launched a new slogan being promulgated across the university: “Give every year. Make a difference every day.”
In addition to financial support, many alumni volunteer their time in the form of alumni clubs to better retain the sense of NU community, even years after graduation.
Jeff Green, Weinberg ’79, works as the vice president of the NU Alumni Club of Washington, D.C. He plans alumni events and keeps graduates attached to NU through various community activities and social gatherings.
Green said the regional clubs impact NU’s community as faculty visit graduates to give seminars, and clubs travel to Evanston to participate in alumni programs and be briefed by the administration on future university goals.
“We had no career services five years ago, no online services, no career networking and we had a reunion program that was primarily class parties,” said Aspasia Apostolakis, Communication ’94 and director of alumni relations. “Now we have students and alumni getting together. There is just so much more programming. The internet is hugely important.”
Reach Robert Stein at [email protected].
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Alumni Association unites past, present online
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Grads give back to students with mentoring, networking
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Avelino Cortez III, Education ’04, throws out the first pitch for a Cubs game during NU Day at Wrigley on May 18. The annual event for NU students, faculty, staff and alumni brings the campus community, both past and present, together for fun and networking.
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daily file photo
