Jessica Lee
But you know, when you think about what has been the most surprising, at least for me, when working with alums, honestly, it’s that alumni are very similar to students, they’re just a little bit older. So when you think about, you know, working with different alumni boards or alumni volunteers, or even, you know, you think about our board of governors or Board of Trustees, those are pretty much students just a little bit older and maybe have some more life experiences. And I think that’s important to always keep in mind, because sometimes we can get caught up in the weeds of, you know, what it what an event needs to be, or what it should be. And sometimes we just have to go back and think about, you know, what are the core things that folks really care about?

Heather Shea
Welcome to Student Affairs now the online learning community for Student Affairs educators, I’m your host, Heather Shea in today’s episode Student Affairs. Now we are diving into the transition from student affairs to alumni affairs, with three panelists who have made that shift themselves, we will explore how their student affairs background shape their work, the unexpected challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered, and what student affairs professionals should know about this career path before I introduce our panelists, Student Affairs now is the premier podcast and learning community for 1000s of us who work in alongside and adjacent to the field of higher education and student affairs. We hope you’ll find these conversations make a contribution to the field and are restorative to the profession. We release new episodes every week on Wednesdays, and you can find us at Student Affairs now.com on YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcasts. This episode is sponsored by evolve. Evolve helps senior leaders release fear, gain courage and take action for transformational leadership through a personalized cohort based virtual learning experience. Today’s episode is also sponsored by Huron. Educational and research experts help institutions transform their strategy, operations, technology and culture to foster innovation, financial, health and student success. As I mentioned, I’m your host for today’s episode, Heather Shea. My pronouns are she her and hers, and I am broadcasting from the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinabek, three fires, confederacy of Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples, otherwise known as East Lansing, Michigan, home of Michigan State University where I work. So let’s get to today’s conversation. We’re going to do some introductions to begin with, and so I’d love for you each to tell us a little bit about what your title is, what campus you work at, and then anything you would like to talk about your initial inspiration from moving out of Student Affairs into Alumni Affairs. And Jessica, I think we’ll start with you.

Jessica Lee
Yes. Thank you so much, Heather for having me on this podcast like Heather mentioned, my name is Jessica. I also go by Jess. My pronouns are she her. And I am currently the director of engagement and outreach over at the University of Maryland in College Park, which is on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway people. And so in terms of my transition from student affairs to alumni affairs, I like to also take a little step back and think about the fact that higher education was not generally in my plan for my future. I started out as a biology degree, and that was what I ended up getting my bachelor’s in, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with that, and so my mentor at the time, you know, really pushed me to apply for the job of coordinate, coordinator for student engagement, which was in the same program that I was involved with as a student, which was a Honors Living Learning Program. And so at the time, I kind of was using that opportunity to figure out what I, quote, unquote, really wanted to do. And then, of course, I stayed in higher education, but my first job, working in that honors program was really rooted in academic and student affairs, and it’s really where I learned pretty much almost every life skill that I’ve had to this day. So everything from, you know, learning how to respond to crises, engaging and advising students, creating and executing events, like pretty much everything I attribute to that first job and my shift to Alumni Affairs specifically came really at a good time. I had been working in that program for about over six years, and so I was itching for some change. Well, I love the program. I was kind of feeling myself at a place of, you know, I don’t know how much room there is for me to grow, and so I knew that I really wanted to expand and make a larger impact on more students, and so not just working with the Living Learning Program. So luckily, this position opened up, and so it’s been really, really nice because I’ve been able to combine my passion for working with students and alums and as an alum of the University of Maryland, it really combines all of that really nicely for me. And of course, I am a proud Terp, so Go Terps,

Heather Shea
awesome. Thanks so much. Jess, it’s nice to see you. Nice to meet you, Josh. We’ll go to you next. Yeah. Hey everyone.

Josh Leidy
Josh lighty, I currently use him pronouns, and I am the Director for LGBTQ plus initiatives within the Office of inclusive engagement and philanthropy at Virginia Commonwealth University, which is on the ancestral home. Lands of the power tan and Monacan people. And I think my like, first taste of Alumni Affairs was in undergrad. Originally, I will actually have probably a very similar answer here. Our main student involvement was in the Alumni Association. And so I always just viewed it as like, I get to plan things for my friends, and then would volunteer for reunion committees and stayed involved as as a young alum, but I always viewed it just kind of as a volunteer thing, right? Like, I love my alma mater, and I’m just doing it because I get to see my friends more and plan things for them. And so after graduating my master’s program, took a job in orientation, and was there for a little bit. I was like, I don’t know, like, I feel like I’m putting more time and passion into this volunteer work. And the real big switch came after I started getting involved with the foundation, with ACPA. And I’ll never forget this will be like a core memory for me, and I think for a lot of people, is we had these little dip jars where we had to got we had to do some grassroots kind of one to one peer fundraising. And I walked around the hotel lobby raffling off re registrations for the next convention. This would have been in 2022 I was like, Oh, I think I like this. Like, this is fun. Like, this is this is a good time. And so I think at that point I was like, Okay, I’m going to make the switch and say I wasn’t getting that fulfillment from the Student Affairs side, like I saw some of my colleagues and peers, but saw the impact that doing engagement and philanthropic kind of work, especially within higher education, can have if you do it in a way that is kind of aligned with values and ethics and things like that.

Heather Shea
Awesome. Thanks so much, Josh, I feel like I have a memory of you doing that 100% super fun. Rachel, welcome to soon, awesome.

Rachel Clark
Thank you, Heather. Hello everyone. My name is Rachel Clark. I use she, her, hers pronouns. I currently serve as the manager of new alumni and student engagement for the Georgia Tech alumni association, which is an affiliate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. And our campus and the association are located on the ancestral homelands of the mus COVID peoples. So yeah, moving into Alumni Affairs, Josh already hinted at it. I have a very similar starting point as Josh does. Attending the University of Virginia. Was very involved with student groups, class council that was run out of the alumni association there. But leaving undergrad very much wasn’t was not sure what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I wanted to as a native Virginian, wanted to get out of Virginia so and see somewhere else. So I decided to take some time. I moved to Madrid, Spain, and I taught English to third and fourth graders over there for a while, knowing education was of interest, but wasn’t quite sure. Is it K through 12 that I you know, I’m finding a passion for higher education. And while I was over there, after conversations with some mentors and supervisors from undergrad, decided I think I want to pursue a master’s of education. So applied, took my GRE in Spain, and ended up getting an assistantship at Clemson University. So moved to Clemson, and then my experiences there, I actually didn’t end up doing a practicum or an internship, anything in alumni relations, but when I was job searching, this position popped up for Georgia Tech, and in looking over the position description, I just thought it was the coolest intersection of what I had been doing already with students that advising, piece, event planning, piece, but then also getting to work with a population that I was like, I am kind of familiar with what this looks like from years ago, and I’m wondering what it would look like to go and work in that space now. Um, so ended up applying for that job, and here we are, almost three years later. So it’s been, it’s been an interesting transition, for sure, not one I think I would have predicted for myself, you know, five years ago. But it’s been really great so far, and I’m excited for all of us to get to talk more about our experiences, too.

Heather Shea
That’s great. Well, you all are inspiring me. Maybe this will be the next step on my student affairs pathway, and Rachel you and I will have to talk about Madrid at some point I was there too, phenomenal. So let’s talk a little bit about the skill sets, because it sounds like that transition was actually relatively easy. And my guess is because there are. Some transferable skills. So Jess, why don’t you tell us a little bit about some of the some of the things that you gained from student affairs that have made their way into your practice in Alumni Affairs?

Jessica Lee
Yeah, absolutely. And so when I think about all the different skill sets, you know, I’ve mentioned a few earlier during my intro about how, really, Student Affairs has set me up for pretty much what I believe, ending job in this, whether it’s in higher ed or not, but truly, when I think about the specific skill sets, you know, when working in student affairs, we’re really thinking about the students, right? You know, what things do the students need? What stood what are they interested in? What are they not interested in? And so I found that, especially translating that into Alumni Affairs, you know, we talk about alumni that’s a very broad, broad constituent base, right? So you have our young alums, you have our kind of mid level, you know, mid career alums. We have our older alums, not to age anybody, but, you know, and all of those constituent groups require and have different interests, different needs, you know, what caters to a young alum may not cater to someone who graduated in, you know, the 70s, right? And so thinking through all of those things and taking the time to really understand the constituents that you’re working with, I think, has been one of the most valuable aspects of that transition into Alumni Affairs, because, you know, as you’re creating programs or thinking about what the alums need, it’s really thinking about, you know, what, what does that specific constituent group need, and then kind of planning your programs and engagement around that. And we all know, you know, with Gen Z versus millennial and all the different generational types too, like things like technology and what’s quote, unquote trending like, those things are important for our younger alums. They may not be as relevant for some of our older folks. So really taking the time to understand the constituents that you’re working with. And then I would say another big skill set that I’ve kind of learned and leaned heavily on from my student affairs background is really creating effective partnerships and collaborations. So when I was doing my work in Student Affairs, you know, I was always constantly working with our folks in academic affairs, you know, working with folks in resident life, working, you know, student affairs, all of those different departments and units. And so when you think about working in Alumni Affairs, when you’re engaging and creating programs, whether it be for students or alums, how can you work with other departments effectively and not constantly be recreating programs? You know that every other office is already doing. And so really being able to hone in on what makes an effective partnership and collaboration has been really helpful for us. And my motto is always, I’m trying to work smarter and not harder. So really trying to take it, you know, think about what the needs are, and figuring out ways to either collaborate with other groups to all get at the same goals that we all probably have.

Heather Shea
That’s awesome. Josh, are there things that you had to unlearn from student affairs? I mean, there’s certainly, you know, cultural differences across different fields and functional areas within student affairs. But what? What did you have to unlearn?

Josh Leidy
Yeah, I think a little bit less about what I had to unlearn and more about what I had to modify. Like, I think to Jess last point, like, the spirit of collaboration is looking really strong in student affairs. And because of that, people know what everyone else does right. Like, if I when I was in orientation, I could go to an academic advisor, could go to someone’s housing and like I generally come know it is like what your day to day looks like, right? I think what I’ve learned as I’ve been a little bit deeper into the Alumni Affairs world is that the work’s a little more segmented, and so we have to spend a lot more time doing a lot of kind of ground setting about what it is people actually do with their jobs. And I still feel like even, even, even me, because we’re kind of stuck. It’s a little more siloed than I think student affairs or student enrollment and management services divisions usually are. And so can’t go in with that assumption that everyone knows exactly what it is based off my my job title or my job description. And so I think that took a bit of a learning curve that, and then culturally, I was so it was so ingrained, like, student learning and development, right? Like, what is the end goal here? What are the learning objectives? Like, what are we hoping that our students, even if it is just a pizza party, right, are walking out of here with, like, what’s the end goal where is sometimes within Alumni Affairs, it’s like the end goal really is just like bringing people together. And so sometimes, and I think it depends on the institution that you’re at, that the work is more focused on the deliverable, not the kind of process to get there, of the whole user experience, right? Like we want to be good. Kind of stewards with our alumni. We want them to have good times when they come to our events and stuff. But it really is like, what is the what is the end goal? And that’s the focus, not necessarily the process. And so I think that just kind of took a moment to kind of learn or unlearn or modify my thought process.

Heather Shea
Yeah, that’s really well said, Rachel, as you’re kind of thinking about some of the things you learned in grad school, right? Or some of those kind of tenants of Student Affairs. And I’m thinking about like we do a lot of programming or event planning, we do a lot of advising of student organizations, and then certainly our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and the ways in which that’s kind of woven into all of those experiences. Does that Tran do those three things? I mean, I imagine the the event piece definitely translates, but how do those things translate over to alumni engagement?

Jessica Lee
A great question, and I will preface this question by saying, I actually I hold a slightly unique role at the association in that I do actually still advise a group of students. So certainly, how I was a student who was involved with the Alumni Association, I get to be a staff advisor to a group of students at Georgia Tech. So I still am actually using a lot of my degree with Student Affairs in being their advisor, supporting their, you know, professional development, their leadership development, serving as a resource and just a support system for them, while also still doing a ton of alumni engagement too. So it’s a really unique crossover there. I don’t, not everyone in Alumni Affairs still gets to say they have face time with current students. So it’s a unique balance I get to to shift there so, but anyways, yeah, so I’m definitely seeing at least in my role, I’m still employing a lot of those things. When it comes to supporting those students, I’ll give them a shout out. They are the Georgia Tech student ambassadors, a brilliant group. They give personalized campus tours, and I mean, to your point about collaboration, they also serve as event hosts for other departments and offices on campus, as well as just organizations in the Greater Atlanta community can request them to help out at dinners and galas and serve on panels and some really, really cool opportunities. So they’re, they’re an important part of of my job. And I really do get to see them. I mean, they graduate, and then they become, hopefully engaged alumni, right? Um, they’re, they’re definitely some folks that we want to make sure we’re staying in touch with and not letting go too easily. Um, when they graduate. So I’m definitely seeing some sort of tie in there, event planning. I think absolutely it’s, I mean, the same thing goes, it’s, it’s the coolest thing about like, in my role, I really do get to see the students. A lot of my work is preparing soon to be grads for that transition to alumni hood. So what are we doing to celebrate them? How are we getting them to update their contact information when we come to grad fest or host a big graduation celebration for them? You know? How can we make them feel special and say, you know, thank you to them before they leave, so they hopefully don’t forget too much about us and then become those volunteers that we so desperately need, and then, obviously, right? You know, I always am thinking about how, you know, this is the same this is essentially the same person, right? I saw them four months ago. Now they’re an alum. Not that much has changed, except for the fact that they crossed the stage and received a diploma from the institute. So there’s a lot of those things of like, well, how right to just Jess point earlier, what were their needs four months ago? They probably haven’t changed a whole lot in that time frame, granted, yes. As they get farther and farther out, things may start to shift. But when it comes to thinking about events, and what I try to do a lot is rely on some of like, we have some really cool strategic pieces that we rely on in my office, we’ve got a great mindset report, which I’m actually, I’m happy to share out there too. It’s called the Georgia Tech under 40 mindset report based on the 2020, attitude survey. I think we’re doing another one here this year or next, but that’s a piece that had some key things my team is often relying on for these types of, you know, planning in terms of what are they thinking about, what matters to this population? How can we talk to them in a way that’s going to resonate, right? Just knowing who they are and knowing this is an increasingly diverse population, knowing that at Georgia Tech, a lot of those graduates are online now, even more so too, and then other strategic pieces there as well. So I’m definitely seeing I get more than I thought, more than I thought. And again, it’s probably because. I still get to see current students. I’m still getting to, like, be in the weeds with them sometimes, of like, here’s how we’re feeling on our campus. Here’s what’s going on. Here are the here are the problems. Here’s what we love. And then watching them turn right around and become alumni, and then continuing to serve them and try to stay in touch with them in ways that are ultimately making strategic sense.

Heather Shea
Yeah, you know what? You’re kind of naming, I think really gets into one of my maybe core misperceptions, and we’re going to get to more of those in a moment, but that there’s this, like, hard line, you’re a student or you’re an alum, right? And, like, never the two shall meet, right? And what you’re talking about, Rachel is like, really, there’s a lot more integration and relationship building that happens absolutely and So Josh, I’d love to hear on your campus, like, how have you kind of created opportunities for for students and alumni to connect? Obviously, there’s some natural connection points around careers and networking and that kind of thing, but I can also imagine alumni going to go back and share what my experience was, or that kind of thing.

Josh Leidy
Yeah, I’m, I’m so glad you asked me first. This is my favorite things to talk about. I think was really kind of when it like for me. Like, why this? Why Alumni Affairs was really the thing that I was passionate about, and what kind of really got me going. And because I think that relationship, especially for minoritized populations, which is the area that my team really serves, is so critical, critical for students, is the main driver of motivation for alumni. And I think admission critical to the institution, right? Like we talk about mentoring programs, and you Heather mentioned kind of career stuff, and yes, we have them kind of blanket, but we know that, especially the work that I’m doing with my alumni and students is LGBTQ students want to be paired with LGBTQ alumni, right? They don’t want they might want that big tech job, that law job, or their job in whatever field, but they also want to be able to pair, be paired, with someone who has similar interests to them, similar experiences, and can connect on that deeper level, right? It’s not just how I get this job, right, and it might be for some students, and that’s fine, but we know with students of color, with LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, like they want to see themselves. And there’s a article, I think, written by Noah Dresner and Jason Garvey about queer and philanthropy, right? And how do we engage LGBTQ alumni back with the institution? And it’s those specific experiences, right? I get to talk to alumni all the time, and that is their thing. They’re like, I didn’t know that this opportunity existed for me to support either financially or come back on panels or be on a volunteer board to specifically impact LGBTQ, LGBTQ students on VCU campus, I’m like, Well, that is what I do. I am happy to create that pipeline for you, like, let’s get talking like, how we can do this. And so I think that’s why I love it so much, because I get to connect my really strong belief that higher education can transform communities, not only kind of the individual student, but their families and their in their communities back home, we just have to give them those resources, which I think are alumni. And when you bring alumni and students together, it’s just a really magical thing of intergenerational sharing, and especially right now, being honest like, those are the biggest voices that our institutions are going to listen to. Right as a staff member, they’re like, great, you’re getting a paycheck, keeping your thing. But if, like, students and alumni come together and say, like, No, we’re going to demand better of our institutions, they’re going to listen, because students have that’s who they’re there to serve, and alumni are going to empower them.

Heather Shea
That’s a really good point. Well, let’s keep that kind of thread going, because I think I’d love to hear from Rachel, and also from you, Jess, about what are better ways that we can integrate alumni and students, either in the student experience or in the alumni experience. And then, are there any really great models out there? So Rachel, you start maybe, and then just, and then we can all,

Rachel Clark
yeah, I can definitely think of a few examples that I think are working well on our end over at Georgia Tech. So, I mean, I’ll name an obvious one. We do. We do have a mentoring program. Josh, you’ve mentioned this. You’ve covered this. A program is called mentor jackets. It’s very robust. I mean, we have hundreds of alumni who are interested in mentoring current students, hundreds of students who are very interested in getting a mentor while they are still on campus and for all sorts of reasons. Again, Josh, you were touching on so many that just why. You know, folks are interested in connecting with one another and. And what that end goal is there. But I think it’s, I mean, I think it’s, it’s really, it’s really important to be thinking about, not only the, you know, obviously, the really big ways that you can get, you know, hundreds of alumni and students to be talking to one another, get them in the same room. That’s, that’s awesome. But there are definitely some smaller instances where I’ve seen things work really well. And then also again, it’s maybe a more unique experience that then encourages someone to say, I’ll come back again. That was really meaning. That was very meaningful. I mentioned the student ambassadors. We, in our recruitment process, have an interview round where alumni are invited back to help select the next class. I’m sure there are other like scholarships, or you will utilize this model a lot too, but that is fantastic. I never have a problem getting enough alumni who want to be back in the room to interview current students. And the students love it too, especially if someone was a recent grader. Oh, you were also the Vice President of External Affairs. How cool we get to talk about that while also having this interview experience so less of that, like, you know, a mentoring relationship, or being at a talk, you really get to be sitting at a small table, like conversing in a very small group. So that’s one of my favorite examples that I really get to see firsthand, of inviting alumni and students to be in that same space with each other. But I will say too, we, we’re pretty intentional. If we’re ever getting alumni volunteers together, you know, whether it’s our board of trustees or members of our gold which is our graduates of the last decade, advisory council, or some of our affinity groups, our Black Alumni Organization, does a great job of always making sure we have current students at their events, graduations, celebrations and ceremonies, tailgates. They’re always asking to have some of our students there, not only as you know, like, it’s great to have a student perspective, but also to, like, be connecting with them again while they’re students. So again, it’s something that they can remember when they graduate. Oh, I had this really great experience with this group. I’m maybe I, maybe I could be on gold someday and things like that. So I’ll pause there. I’ll let Jess I want you to share some examples too, but there’s, there’s, there’s lots of there’s lots of different ways to get folks all together. So I’ll pause there.

Jessica Lee
Totally notes. I was even as you were speaking, I was like, Oh my gosh, there are literally so many things that I could talk about. Like, what are some highlights that maybe I want to share. But you know, at the University of Maryland, so our Alumni Association, a few years ago, redid, our strategic plan. And so one of the really awesome things about our strategic plan right now is that one of our four pillars emphasizes engaging every student from day one. And so part of that plan involves integrating, you know, this, connecting students with alumni in different capacities. And so you know, from the second that students get admitted to the university, we want our alumni to have, you know, a relationship with our even newly admitted students. So for example, one of our biggest initiatives that we do, and I’m currently in the process of running right now, is our Terp for life postcard campaign. And so we’ve been able to collaborate with our admissions office here on campus, and we actually have alumni volunteers writing postcards to our newly admitted students as just another touch point to not only try to, you know, convince the students to come to Maryland, but also gives an opportunity for alumni to just, you know, say, Welcome to someone who just got admitted to Maryland. And so right now, we have over 300 alumni volunteers participating this year, which is crazy, but yeah, it’s it really has skyrocketed. We’ve been doing it for the past three years, and alums love it, and I think it’s just a really nice way to integrate some of that pieces. And what’s really exciting about this, again, it’s even before they’re on campus. They haven’t even necessarily committed to Maryland yet, but we’re already thinking about, you know, how can we engage these students? And so they’re hearing from an alum at that at that point when they’re admitted, and then, you know, once they get onto campus, and we continue that relationship on. And so we really want to make sure for us, and I’m sure other institutions see it the same way. You know, we don’t want the students to feel like they’re hearing from the Alumni Association for the first time, like around commencement, right? We really want to be integrated into that student experience. Yeah, you know, we get the feedback like you. We always get hounded for money, you know, how do we, how do we mitigate some of that? And so really, I think that’s all about establishing a relationship with the students while they’re on campus, so that way they’re less turn. Off, potentially once they leave. And so we also have a student ambassador program. There are Student Alumni Leadership Council, otherwise known as SALC, and so they help, you know, create programs that connect students to alums, whether that’s through networking events, panels, fostering Terp pride, creating this culture of philanthropy. We also did a senior class gift program starting last year that has gone over really well with the graduating class, and so really just providing opportunities for students to see the value add of what it really means to be an alum at the institution that you’re you’ll be graduating from, and showcasing that to them while they’re on campus has been really, really impactful. And then as far as thinking of other ways to kind of integrate alums into the student experience, I think, you know, alums are always wanting to hear more about the student stories, and students are always wanting to learn more from the alums. And I think something that a student reminded me of a few years ago, you know, we were trying to figure out, like, what kinds of events or programs to be doing, and the student shared, you know, sometimes, yes, they do want to hear from the really famous alum that went to the school and, you know, hear about their journey and their story, but at the same token, they also want to hear just from the, you know, the typical, average alum who got their degree and is working, you know, in some consulting job and like, what their their journey was, right? And so it’s not always about, like, let’s get the most flashy alum in the room and have an event in that regard. But also, I think there’s a benefit and a value add to just really showcasing just the typical alum story, because that’s what a lot of students can also resonate with, right? They want to see the pathway of how they got from A to B to maybe Z, right, and so how that journey went, I think, has been really helpful for students to hear, and they really appreciate hearing those stories.

Heather Shea
That’s great. You know, it’s interesting. I’m going to turn to the conversation about misconceptions. And you kind of cued this up. Also, Jess, I’m thinking about one of the misconceptions I have as an alum of two different institutions. I have two degrees from Colorado State University and my PhD from Michigan State is that the only time I hear from them is when they need money, right? And I know that that’s not true. You know, state, I love you, I am engaged with you, but, and I, of course, I work at MSU, but I, you know, I think that’s a misperception, that Alumni Affairs is akin to development and advancement, and that it’s only about the fundraising. Josh, can you talk a little bit about are there other misconceptions? I mean, the money piece, of course, you could probably elaborate on as well.

Josh Leidy
Yeah, yeah. When Jess said, I was like, oh, there it is. There’s the thing I’m not

Josh Leidy
But I think even it’s interesting that, like on this call, like it doesn’t sound like Jess has any fundraising responsibilities, and I know that Rachel doesn’t. I it’s about 50% of my job is I’m pretty split evenly with engagement and fundraising. So I think there’s this idea that, like everyone is out there who works with alumni affairs is like walking out with their hand out, just like asking for money from random people, right? And I would be lying if I said like that is not an end goal within my division of Development Alumni Relations, right? Like that is a portion of what we are tasked with doing from the institution is to raise dollars, because not everyone’s job. And so I think Rachel, I actually did a presentation at New Orleans for a CPA on this transition from student affairs, Alumni Affairs, and that was one of the first things that we said was like, This is not a thing that you have to do, right this. There are so many other other things going on. I think the other misconception too, and this is just, I think, done by some bad actors and by the traditional forms of viewing philanthropy, is that student affairs professionals view alumni affairs folks as wanting to just kind of show pony and show about students as a way to get money right. And that’s, I think it’s gross, it’s icky. It is not a way that that students should be used. And again, like I said, I think it’s in a more traditional way that philanthropy has been viewed as we have to have these deserving students, or these needy students, come and be so thankful for the riches that these wealthy donors bestowed upon the institution, and it’s gross, and no one wants that, and the students don’t want it. It’s the mix that it’s uncomfortable for them and like, the donor shouldn’t be doing it for that recognition, right? They should be doing it at the goodness of their heart because they care. And so what my team does at. VCU is our tagline for our office is trying to modernize the way philanthropy is viewed at VCU and beyond, because there are so many ways to be philanthropic. We talk about the 70s of philanthropy, and people know, time, talent, treasure, but there’s also testimony, right? How can you as an alum come and say, Hey, this was my experience, both good or bad, and here’s why I’m now an engaged volunteer like Rachel was talking about kind of that student, alumni volunteer. There’s trust that the institution has to build, especially with minoritized populations and folks that I work with that experienced really harmful moments of homophobia and transphobia, and I have to build that relationship back with them. We talk about ties, right? How can I I’ve done this with Rachel, right? I bring Rachel. I’m like, Hey, Rachel, you’d be a really good person to do this. Like, let’s go do it with me, right? That’s a form of philanthropy. And then just the seventh one that is a new one, is transparency in the way that institutions talk about what philanthropy looks like, and so I think this is, there’s this misconception that it’s only got dollars, the care is only about dollars. But I’ve seen a really big shift, and we’re about to enter a campaign, and one of our goals really is also engagement. How do we bring people back? Right? How do we have touch points with alumni and the institutions?

Heather Shea
Yeah, Jess, what would you add about misconceptions? And then, and then, maybe any of those things that really surprised you when you moved over,

Jessica Lee
yeah. I mean, I think Josh covered a lot of the misconceptions pieces. And, you know, the University of Maryland is also enter, about to enter a campaign.

Jessica Lee
But you know, when you think about what has been the most surprising, at least for me, when working with alums, honestly, it’s that alumni are very similar to students, they’re just a little bit older. So when you think about, you know, working with different alumni boards or alumni volunteers, or even, you know, you think about our board of governors or Board of Trustees, those are pretty much students just a little bit older and maybe have some more life experiences. And I think that’s important to always keep in mind, because sometimes we can get caught up in the weeds of, you know, what it what an event needs to be, or what it should be. And sometimes we just have to go back and think about, you know, what are the core things that folks really care about? Right? They want to come back to come back to our events. They want to give back to the university, because at the end of the day, they either had a really good experience during, you know, their undergraduate or graduate careers, or they just really love the institution itself. And so they want to be able to give back in that way. And so I think what’s been the most surprising, I think when I initially made that transition, I thought that a lot of my skill sets would have I would have to rework them a lot more drastically. But I’ve come to realize, like I’ve actually been able to use a lot of my student, you know, whether it’s student advising skills that are just a little bit shifted to working with alums now, but really, the core pieces of it have have remained the same. And I think there’s also this other notion between, you know, when we think about misconceptions between student affairs professionals and what they may have on Alumni Affairs, sometimes, I think there’s this idea that, you know, because we are the Alumni Association, we have all the answers to the data issues, or we have every possible list. Yep, you know, we have at Maryland, we have so many different programs, and I feel like sometimes we get, you know, it’s like waving a magic wand, and all of a sudden we can, just like, click a few buttons and pull out a report that has every possible alum from a very specific program. And I’m sure that is everyone’s dream in Alumni Affairs. But unfortunately, you know, data is a big, a big thing just and it’s really hard to keep up with. And I know other institutions hopefully feel similarly. But you know, at a large public state institution, when you’re trying to figure out, like, which emails are actually working, mailing addresses, contact information, it’s really hard. And so I think for student affairs professionals out there who may be wondering the same thing, it’s just not a quick and easy method for us to always do sometimes. And so I’m always happy to work with folks that you know come my way and need some assistance, you know, reaching particular alums or wanting assistance in that way. But I wish it were a quick and. Easy, you know, a few button clicks. But the reality is, data is there’s so much data out there, and we are also trying to figure out what is the best way to manage it and share those out. Yeah,

Jessica Lee
oh my gosh, nailed it. Oh, you nailed it. Oh my gosh, that. That is just probably the root of right people reaching out. That’s how these collaboration or collaboration relations get started. They ask for Yes. They say, how can you help us reach these Seattle? And we say, oh, might not be only for you.

Heather Shea
That’s the Oh my gosh. That is great. I mean, I just worked with a student group that was trying to assist with a 75th anniversary of a graduate program, and there was so much, like, one kind of, like, how do we even know what’s accurate? We don’t even know, like, the last 10 years, like, we’re going back 75 Yeah, it was, it was, that was wild. Rachel, we’re going to shift for just a second, because I want to, I want to hear your perspective, and I know you went right into Alumni Affairs after your student affairs degree. But if you were to give somebody advice for somebody who’s looking forward to potentially shifting careers, what? What would you say? What would you suggest they consider

Rachel Clark
that’s another that’s a great question. And I think one Josh that we probably tried to think through a little bit in that presentation a few years ago too. I mean, again, knowing that my perspective was I did kind of just come straight in. I hadn’t had any other higher education job experience besides just those graduate sort of experience, experiences I got to have for a limited amount of time. But for someone who say is has been in student affairs, or is just kind of hoping to switch, has been in there for a year, a few years, I mean advice, I will say, I do think it’s important to keep in mind, if someone’s been listening to this episode so far, we have named a few of the challenges, I think already, and just knowing there is almost, there is kind of a different set of of challenges. I think, when it comes to being in Alumni Affairs, right, that I think maybe the number one being, Josh, you were naming it so so well, but just that perception of Alumni Affairs as the money askers, just the fundraisers, because that is such a switch from a student affairs, where that is it’s, I mean, yes, you’re, you are the ones who actually probably need some funds. You’re probably the ones that have really small budgets, and then all of a sudden it’s a different, it’s just a different it’s a different world. So I think knowing that, like that’s just that’s a new sort of light that people are going to see you in, especially when you’re coming to, you know, events that have students at it, or, as you’re talking to soon to be grads, or especially like the new alumni populations, they are very that’s a very sensitive thing. That’s a very sensitive topic for a lot of them. And so right that ability to sort of coach around, this is what you know philanthropy is. This is how we approach it. But here’s also why. Again, this is important, Josh, to your point. Again, transparency, I think, goes a really long way there. And then, of course, at the other challenge, being right, this whole like data portion that just just brought up, too, I think that’s another challenge to absolutely just be aware of that we’re always striving to get it. People are going to ask for it, and you might not have something to give someone, and that’s okay, but I will say that. I mean, there’s, there’s plenty, I think, of less. There’s plenty of lessons and values that come from student affairs that, again, just very much tie right on in. Again, just keeping in mind that piece we’ve mentioned earlier, of they are students who just become alumni. They’re still the same person, but they’re just classified to us a little bit differently in our databases and in our in our systems. So that same level of you know, wanting to ask about you know, who they are and what they want and what they need, and how we can best support and ultimately help them achieve what it is they want to achieve. Right? Just because they’re no longer maybe physically on campus and living the day to day doesn’t mean that they still don’t care whatsoever anymore, it might look a little bit different. Some might care a lot. Some might care very little, but there’s still all those those pieces there of just what it looks like to be engaging and caring about other folks, that building relationship. Piece you’d mentioned that Heather, that’s really, I think, the biggest thing that I see in my job, and that was something I was doing all the time in every experience in student affairs, was just getting to know people. People and building that relationship with them that 100% carries over. So that’s probably the most important thing to remember. There is, if you’ve had an experience relationship building, I think you can, you can do more about this than you think. You think totally, I love

Heather Shea
it. Josh, what would you add as far as advice, yeah,

Josh Leidy
I think just I would go, I would encourage people to look at the structure of their alumni affairs offices and see like, what job titles exist like, and talk to those people about what their day to day looks like. It might not be immediately clear, but like in my office, we have a team dedicated to career and personal development, and so their only focus is putting on events that focus on how to buy your first home or within that is also the mentoring piece that we’ve talked a lot about. Or they just did an event called historically VCU, where they brought back influential Black Alumni to talk about their high avcu and how they help kind of change and make push forward progress. And so I think going and looking really deeply and right down into what folks do and talk to them, and I think that will help kind of demystify this idea that all people alumni fairs are asking for money.

Heather Shea
One other thought, and maybe Jess have thoughts of this. Since you are an alum of Maryland College Park, I guess one of my other misconceptions is that you have to have been an alum of the institution in order to work in alumni. Yep. Is that true?

Jessica Lee
Definitely not true. I just happen to fit that narrative. I will say, personally, for me, it has been helpful, but that’s also because I had a obviously very great undergraduate and graduate experience at Maryland. But also, I think when it comes to, you know, having some of those connections and continuing to build relationships, because I went to school there, you know, because I already have friends who are also alums, you know, I rely on them often. And so sometimes there’s an event idea or something going on, I’ll just message our group chat and say, Hey, like we’re thinking about doing this. Like, would you come? And sometimes they’re like, yes, and sometimes they’re like, Absolutely not. You’re asking me to go. And so then I have some basis, right, of knowing, like, oh, maybe I should, like, reconsider what the actual thing is. But all that’s to say, I think, you know, there is this misconception that you have to be an alum of the institution to work in Alumni Affairs, and that is absolutely wrong. You don’t have to be an alum to work at, you know, in that alumni space, and I think, like both Rachel and Josh have mentioned already, it’s really thinking about how to take the skill sets that you may already have from student affairs and really finding ways to translate that into the work that you may be doing in Alumni Affairs, whether that is specifically related to development and philanthropy, you know, whether that’s in a marketing context, whether that’s on the event team or, you know, program managing. I think there are lots of transferable skills in that way. And so for anyone that’s looking to make the shift, definitely agree with Josh, like, finding having those, like, informational interview calls, just to figure out, like, what people actually do. Because, you know, sometimes titles can be misleading. I mean, my title is very broad. It’s like, really, what does that mean, right? And so being able to have some of those more intentional conversations, and, I mean, I always loved working in Alumni Affairs. So far, if you like, you know, events and engaging with folks. I think you would love working with alums.

Josh Leidy
I’ll add to Heather. I think it’s also almost a benefit to not being an alum sometimes, because you can go out and brand new ideas, right? Just talked about the relationships, you know, the institutional history, and so you that you can really draw on that. And other times you can go in and be like, This doesn’t make any sort of sense. Like, we gotta be worth this. We are rooted in hundreds of years. Like, tradition and like, what does that mean? Is it actually serving this brand new student body. I didn’t go to VCU. I’ve known about it, just being a Virginia native, but I love it. And people are like, they come to me and they’ll say, I might talk about this later, but they’ll say, like, really disparaging things against institution, and they’ll apologize to me, I’m like, I didn’t do that to you. This is not my school. Sometimes it can almost be a benefit. You can use it to your advantage. Can use it to

Heather Shea
your advantage, yeah, well, and I was also thinking, just having been an alum of the institution does not make, you, know, necessarily a great alumni association employee, right? I mean, there is more to the skill set that. You all have, and maybe Alumni Affairs need Student Affairs people you know to kind of think so that might be another misperception. Is that I graduated in 1993 and now I and I’ve done anything in student but I work at the Alumni I said, right. So there’s that’s kind of an interesting misconception. Where do we see this field going in the next five to 10 years? I mean, I think this is the big question for lots of areas of higher ed and student affairs. But I’m really curious about, if you had to imagine Alumni Engagement five years down the road, 10 years down the road, or even further, Rachel, what? What would you say are some of the like, trends or things we should be looking out for.

Rachel Clark
One thing, I’m thinking of of two of two things. One I I’m really curious to see how volunteer models continue to evolve. I think volunteerism especially, I mean, this is, I think, been kind of new, especially after the pandemic. People were like, my time is valuable. What am I doing like over here with this, or spending time commuting or like? So I think people really took a hard look at what it where it is. They’re spending their money, their energy, their effort. And I know especially when I joined the association in 2022 so not quite in the throes of 2021, and 2020 but we were really struggling with like we lost, you know, network leaders, affinity group leaders, like it really was like these folks are not wanting to be engaged with us in this way anymore. But then obviously, our constituents, alumni elsewhere, are still expecting something in their cities. They’re still expecting us to deliver on resources and services and and, you know, and in some ways, I mean, some some associations are lucky in that they have really huge staff and lots of resources to be able to send folks all over and be able to pay for events and not have to rely on volunteers. But the reality is, I do think they’re still really important. I don’t think they’re going anywhere, and so I know that’s something we’re always thinking about, is like, how are we continuing to get, like, we call it kind of that pipeline. That’s, that’s something, you know, I’ve doubted a little bit of time too in my role. But again, what we call this, like Student Alumni pipeline. How are we curating that? So we still have individuals that are willing to be engaged with us and willing to volunteer, and also for what, like, right? Some folks are really interested in volunteering at an event. Some folks are really interested by just, they want to volunteer and give some advice real quick in a survey and that, and that’s enough for them. You know, they really love to come back and physically talk to folks. Or they just want to give some input, some anonymous input somewhere. And again, what does the structure of that look like? Too. Some have more of, like, the official sort of hierarchical leadership looking we really had to take a hard look at maybe having presidents of our networks doesn’t work so well, because it really just falls on one person, yeah, and then that one person gets burnt out, and then they’re trying so hard to get out of that role, and then they can’t. So I think just seeing how maybe things become just more unilateral, it’s a more horizontal sort of model that will end up working for leaders or volunteer leaders. So we’ll see that. I’m very curious to see kind of how we see that, and especially as newer graduates age out a little bit more, take some, maybe some time away from their institutions, and then maybe think about getting more involved again, and how they would want to be plugged in in some of those roles. And the other piece on, in quickly, I think, is just that whole digital space we have a How can we not talk about like technology and all this, and being able to engage online or asynchronously with with institutions? So we have a whole platform called Georgia Tech Connect institutions I know have probably very similar platforms, basically just an online networking platform that is solely just for the Georgia Tech community. And I’m not too, too involved on like the parent company side, we use people Grove to host Georgia Tech Connect, but so

Heather Shea
sponsor, shout out. Shout

Jessica Lee
out. People. People grow

Rachel Clark
so I mean, that’s so that’s a whole space where we are like, Okay, we have this. How do we make this thing work? Where’s the most value we can get out of this? Is it, you know, those one to one sort of quick interactions that an alum and a student can have, that an alum and an alum can have together, a new feature? That I don’t do too much about, but I know has been rolled out, is this whole ask an alum feature where, very similarly to just kind of like a chat feature, you just plug in a question, it sends it out. You’re not sending it to anyone in particular, but someone, someone in the platform, will get back to you with an

Josh Leidy
answer to

Rachel Clark
that alumni, which is a really cool feature. And so I just especially at Georgia Tech, I mean, we have so many students who are entrepreneurial and have this, like, interest in technology and AI and so so much so that I’m like, they’re always blowing me away with their knowledge. But I just know that that is something they’re probably going to be looking for more and more, especially as they then graduate of like, well, how can I be pulling in all of what I get to do in my jobs and my knowledge and my expertise, and how can I be using that to engage with others who also went to my institution? So that’s I’ve talked enough, but yeah, I just, I mean, there’s, there’s so many things when it comes to just the ability of technology that I just, I know we’re going to be seeing that more and more. I just emphasis on, how can we be using that effectively and strategically to be connecting our networks all together?

Heather Shea
I think we should set up a embedded cell phone chip situation where we always update the alumni location. That’s not at all creepy, tracks your location, your location, so you can, like, instantly send an alumni news that would

Josh Leidy
make our jobs so much.

Jessica Lee
Oh, my god, yeah. What the point of a database? If we just,

Heather Shea
we know they are all joking aside. I do think technology is really where you know I think about so my ex husband still gets the University of Arizona alumni magazine at my house, right? So he has clearly failed to update his, his his Alumni Profile and and yet, like I worked at the U of A so I love looking at this magazine, but my guess is that magazine is really expensive and probably outdated technology at this point, because it’s also just one way communication. Jess, what other what things do you think about when it comes to technology? Facebook groups are also probably for a certain age of alumni,

Jessica Lee
I think the interesting thing with technology broadly, you know, to your point, Heather, is that a lot of these platforms that we’re seeing, especially when you think about like social media, they all kind of have different audiences in some ways. So, you know, when you think about Facebook, that tends to be our older alums, right? Because that was really their generation. And you know, using that platform, the Gen z’s. They don’t really have Facebook. They’re not really on it. They don’t check it often. And same goes for you know, some of those like print magazines. Maryland also has a print magazine that our alums love. But I’m curious to know, like, if our younger alums value it as much as some of our other different alumni constituents. And so I did look up a I was like, let me just fact checked myself before I say this out loud. But I did look this up. And according to the Pew Research Center, just over half of just us adults are saying that they receive some type of news through social media. So I think when you are thinking about, you know, alumni stories or alumni highlights, and what information that you want to share out there as a form of engagement, really thinking about what that looks like in the social media context, I think is something that we should all be thinking about as we head on into the future with AI and all of these other platforms. But how do we best really leverage social media to get the impact that we want to give out to our alumni? So, you know, we are sharing a story. How are we telling that story? Right? Is it through a curated graphic? Is it through a video reel? And you know, the thing with video reel is also, is that you don’t want them to be too long, because we know that as the generation, as we consider the generations, like, no one’s really paying attention to like, a five minute long video anymore, right? We want, like, short content that is, you know, attention grabbing at the beginning, because it really just brings the viewer in. And so considering all of those things, I think, you know, technology will always continue to help us, help guide, I think alumni engagement in general. I mean, we saw this with COVID, when we had to move everything virtually, and like no one knew how the heck we were going to do that, and we were able to do that for two years. And that meant that we had to think, really, think strategically and create. Creatively about how we were engaging alums. So we were doing a lot of virtual programs, online mentorship, and so there are ways to continue doing that, I think, even in a post COVID context. But I think for us, it’s also, you know, considering where can we make the most impact? Is it through in person engagement, or could this be better suited online? So one example that I’ll share. You know, we used to do a in person kind of Terp admission symposium, and so we invited alums to campus. They were able to, you know, with children, alums, with children who are interested in applying to the University of Maryland. So we had, like, a day long program for the really great program, but obviously during COVID, we had to flip that. And so during COVID, we switched it to more of a webinar series, and that has actually turned out to be a much better use of our time, because we’re able to capture, you know, alums that live in California that want the same content, right? They can get the same content through a webinar. And so when you think about the impact of a program like that, we’re able to actually reach more constituents by moving it virtually. And so I know not every program can be easily translated like that, but really thinking about the impact of, you know, Virtual Engagement, in person engagement, and also just social media engagement, and what that looks like,

Heather Shea
yeah, and I think about those social media engagements, I often think about like, we all just want a place where we belong, right, feel included, and we feel like, you know, people understand maybe part of our lived experience, whether it was at our undergrad institution or masters or or whatever. And it sounds like, you know, based on your role specifically, Josh, like there’s a lot that has to do with that. Where do you see that type of engagement going in the next five to 10 years around involvement with belonging and inclusion.

Josh Leidy
Had you asked me maybe October 31 I may have or November 4, that would be a different answer, but I think, yeah, I think there is, I think that actually is, has been a cultural shift within Alumni Affairs to really focus on, what does it mean to engage folks around their identity and develop those spaces. Now they’ve been doing it forever, right? Like our Black Alumni Council has existed for 36 years, and so this is not new, but I think they’re expanding what that looks like, right? This is the we have tried LGBTQ engagement at VCU before, but this is the first time that someone’s like entire role is dedicated to that. And so I think it’s actually, it’s a shift that’s that’s coming. We’re seeing more conference presentations, more webinars, more pressure, development opportunities, and more offices like mine popping up around the country. What I think is going to be a challenge is, and where I think student affairs folks can actually be a huge asset for alumni theorist folks is having tough conversations about folks identity, specifically, not the identity, right? This isn’t just a gripe with the institution about like, Oh, you’re always asking for money, but it’s like, how are we asking fundraisers and alumni engagement officers to go out and talk to people about some really hard topics, right? I have meetings with folks who tell me some really terrible things that happened to them while they were a student and until they saw my job title in the work that I was doing, they were like, I was going to write off the institution, and I didn’t want any part of it. But being able to take those skills of I mean, I view it as just common human decency and empathy, but the ability to like, have someone in front of you telling you some really hard things, and then how to move forward, I think, is where student affairs professionals can actually be really good asset for people. And just that mindset of, how are we centering minoritized people, or how are we doing? I mean, I do presentations on pronouns and how to use them, and I’m really grateful for my colleagues that come and ask really thoughtful questions that I would never even think about. And so I think just we talk, even talking about that partnership between student affairs and Alumni Affairs, and I think that’s a really important one that’s going to be critical in the next couple of years. Yeah,

Heather Shea
wow. This, this conversation has been fantastic. I am so excited about my future career in Alumni Affairs. But this podcast is called Student Affairs now, we always ask another signature question at the end, what are you thinking about? Troubling you know, pondering now, and if you would like to share how folks can get in touch with you, whether that’s LinkedIn or other form of social media, that would be great too. Well, we’ll keep this part brief, since we’re running up against the hour and so Rachel, we’ll start with you final thought and in touch with you. Yes.

Rachel Clark
Um. Um, I mean, this, this was so great also, I mean, it’s so it’s always so great seeing some familiar faces. And just to shout, Josh is also, not only started as a friend, but has been a supervisor and a mentor to me in my career so far.

Heather Shea
So yeah, which

Rachel Clark
is, which is so great. But I’m definitely just thinking about, I mean, I I’m loving, I mean, Jess, it’s clear you just like this strategy piece. I feel like just your time, you are, you are getting it like you’re getting the full picture. And I really want to stay in touch with you after this, yes, and then Josh, too. I mean, just like you, like you’re what the work that you are doing, in particular, especially in this space, is so important. And I think in light of these, whatever the next few years hold is just going to be even more so. And I’m really thinking about again, what this is going to end up looking like institutions for our students that are going to graduate. But folks who want to get in touch with me again, I am at the Georgia Tech alumni association. My email, super easy. A very responsive. Rachel dot Clark, alumni, got Tech, we say, goth, GJ tech. And of course, I’m also on LinkedIn. Rachel Clark, and then welcome to follow me on Instagram. I’m not super active, but I am on Instagram. Rachel dime, so this has been really great, and thank you so much for the invite. Heather,

Heather Shea
of course. Thanks. Rachel, all right. Jess, what about you? Final thoughts?

Jessica Lee
Yes, I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspectives. I think it’s always refreshing to hear from other institutions and just see what you all are up to, something that, I mean, I know I already mentioned this before, but it’s always, it’s really in my brain right now, because I’m working on a lot of graduates, graduating student programming, because it is, you know, senior spring right now, but data and how to best collect it, you know, and that and that transition between, you know, You graduated from campus and then you become an alum, and how we’re able to still continue that engagement intentionally while also being strategic about what that engagement looks like is, you know, the current kind of conundrum for me right now, but I think In general, you know, Alumni Affairs is a really amazing space to be in. You know, you get so much experience working with other constituent groups, you know, alums, whether it’s students, you know, working with development officers, and again, as I mentioned earlier, we’re about to enter a campaign. So I’m curious to see how all of this kind of unfolds in the larger University of Maryland’s campaign. So yeah, if you want to get in touch with me, feel again. I’m at the University of Maryland, College Park Alumni Association. My direct email is also pretty easy. J, L, E, J, Lee 1020 one@und.edu I am also on LinkedIn, although my LinkedIn is currently having some issues. So if you cannot find me on LinkedIn right now, hopefully you will be by the time this episode airs. If not, feel free to send me an email. But I’m also on Instagram, if you’re interested in following, and my handle is at just for success. Thanks, Heather, thanks

Heather Shea
so much. Jess, all right. Josh, final thoughts from you.

Josh Leidy
Yeah, I touched on this earlier, but I really think about the role that alumni are going to have in ensuring that our institutions stand on the right side of history. I think that is what it is. I think they hold a lot of power. Maybe they hold more power than they think that they do. And so the ways in which they can empower students and they can hold our institutions accountable. And so I really it gives me chills thinking about it, but I it’s yeah, something I think about daily, especially with the populations and the constituents that I work with. But as is probably very clear, I love my job, and so would love to talk to people more about it and the way in which they can make that transition to Alumni Affairs. And so my email is my last name, l, e, i, d, y, j, w@vcu.edu, also on LinkedIn. And then my instagram handle, which I’m kind of embarrassed to say on this podcast, but it is what it is at bud underscore, lighty and so, yeah, would love, would love to connect.

Heather Shea
Oh, I love it. That’s great. Well, I am so grateful for the three of you for spending time with me today, I’m so glad we were able to get this episode onto the Student Affairs archives, because I have no doubt there are folks out there who are, you know, need their next passion project, and maybe turning to Alumni Affairs is going to be it. I also want to take a moment. Express our gratitude to Nat Ambrosey, our fearless producer. She does all of this amazing work behind the scenes to make us sounding and look great. Also, thanks to our sponsors of today’s episode here on and evolve. Evolve helps senior leaders who value aspire to lead on and want to unleash their potential for Transformative Leadership. Our own, Keith Edwards, along with doctors Brian Rao and Don Lee, offer a personalized experience with high impact value the asynchronous content and six individual and six group coaching sessions maximize your learning and growth with a focused time investment, greatly enhancing your ability to lead powerfully for social change. And Huron collaborates with colleges and universities to create sound strategies, optimize operations and accelerate digital transformation by embracing diverse perspectives, encouraging new ideas and challenging the status quo. Huron promotes institutional resilience in higher education. For more information, please go to all of our listeners, if you are tuning in today and not already, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, please take a moment to enter your email on our website. You will be able to stay in the loop with our latest episodes and new format content. We have two new formats coming to your airwaves. We have a new program called Here’s the Story, where we are looking for your stories about working in the field of student affairs and higher education. And then for the next several weeks, we are going to be sponsoring a limited series called current campus context, where I’m going to sit down with two correspondents to talk about policy, governmental relations and how we can take needed steps to conserve our institutions and our values. Once again, I’m Heather, Shea, thanks for everybody who is watching and listening. Let’s make it a great week.

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