Relationship-building Strategies
We have student events on campus very consistently. We also recently held an Alumni and community event, where we presented Alumni T shirts with a special Alumni logo design to all Alumni that attended the event.
We also have a career publication that I use to go out into the community with that highlights the skills obtained through each of our programs. Department heads, including myself, are also very active in community events, such as parades and festivals. Additionally we belong to many committees, and work closely with the Chamber of Commerce.
Ronda,
Fantastic! You have buy-in all the way around, which is key to any successful program. This might be an excellent way to transition into an Alumni Association Facebook Page as well.
Ann Cross
We have created a photo album on our Facebook page that spotlights a successful graduate and their employer. One way I know this is successful is to look at the number of "likes" "comments" and "shares" we have, another way of knowing this is successful is when we have students stop in the office to ask when we will be posting another one and that when they graduate, they will be featured, but the best was when an employer contacted me and said "I have one of your graduates working for me and he needs to be featured, do you want us to take the pictures or would you like to come out to take the pictures and allow us to show you around our facility?"
Identify additional strategies that your institution already uses to improve relations with students, employers, alumni, or the community.
Hi Victoria,
Graduate surveys and advisory boards are typically required by accrediting agencies. Beyond these standard requisite practices, institutions should be implementing strategies that align with the unique needs of their population. I'd be curious to learn what other strategies your institution implements beyond these requisite ones.
Robert Starks Jr.
Two strategies our University uses to improve student and employer relations are graduate and employer surveys, as well as seasonal Advisory Boards.
Surveys are sent to graduates upon completion of their academic program, requesting feedback on their overall academic experience. This feedback is used to improve services for new and current students, as we strive to continually improve the college experience and graduate outcomes. Employers are sent a survey upon verification of a graduate hire, allowing the University to gauge employers' satisfaction with the training and education of our students.
Seasonal Advisory Boards welcome employers on campus for a review of our facilities and curriculum. The meetings provide an ideal setting for discussion of industry trends, graduate readiness, and overall employer satisfaction with our offerings.
Each quarter we hold a student appreciation day by serving refreshments, hot dogs, etc, to the students. We have refueling stations during mid term and final exams. Awards are given out for perfect attendance, Deans list and Presidents list each quarter.
There are several open houses each year for employers and the community with food and activities for all.
Students participate in different community events such as health fairs, habiat for humanity, and fund raisers to benifet the community.
Alumni are asked to come in as guest speakers in the classroom.
FACULTY AND STAFF REFERALS HAVE POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON STUDENT PARTICIPATION WITH THE CAREER CENTER THEY DO POSITIVE JOB FOR HELPING STUDENTS, THEY ALSO RESPOND PROMPLY TO STUDENTS CONCERNS WHEN RAISED AND COLLECT STUDENTS FEEDBACK
In addition to what was listed in the course, I regularly offer alumni events once per quarter, campus career training once per month, attend Chamber of Commerce meetings, and offer program nights. We do a lot of community events in general, but nothing specifically through career services, necessarily. I also work with MPACE in order to obtain other ways in order to stay in contact with alumni and engage students.
Carolyn,
I agree maintaining relationships with alumni is critical and it is very strategic to identify and engage your advocates particularly. You are so right - often, there is a perfect blend of strategic outcomes that can be achieved through a single event. The ones you mention all can converge and all are important. Thank you for sharing how you developed your relationship with the Chamber - it's wonderful! The only reason I asked about any form of measurement is because I wasn't exactly sure of the nature of the relationship - such as a formal program that was developed or something of this nature. Your observations of the impact the relationship has on your institution is evidence and measurement enough to know the value. That's great targeted advertising to the business community and I'm sure there are or will be residual benefits such as new program advisory committee members gained, guest speakers, or even perhaps new adjunct instructors who have heard of your institution through the Chamber or Word-of-Mouth advertising resulting from your relationships/partnerships.
Keep up the excellent work!
Robert Starks Jr.
I planned the event initially to focus on building relationships with our Alumni. So many of them are such terrific advocates for our school, and in addition to saying "thank you" for being a part of our Alumni Association, I want to support that message over the long-term. However, soon into the planning process, I realized it would be an excellent opportunity for PR, and to promote retention, and admissions. So I enlisted the support of all those departments, and we additionally invited the students and community. The "why" for most of our events are to boost the students morale, promote our positive image in the community, and by association, create opportunities for admissions and career services by doing so. All of these objectives are in line with our overall institutional objectives.
I have built a relationship with the Executive Director of our Chamber of Commerce by reaching out to her after attending a Chamber event. I was able to get her to come to out to our school for a visit, and I was able to go into detail about what new things have been happening with our school lately. After the meeting, she indicated that she would look forward to hearing about our school in the future, and so I started sending monthly emails detailing our recent events, community outreach, awards, etc. She now includes them in the Chamber Newsletter. Additionally, one of the committees I am on in our community is hosting an Educational Fair this summer, and to help get the word out, we contacted the Chamber to see if they would send fliers on the committees behalf to Chamber members. They agreed, and now we have additional promotion for the event, in addition to the obvious support of the Chamber. At this point, I do not measure the results of the partnership.
Carolyn,
What strategic goals did you have in mind when deciding to engage alumni and in the manner in which you did in this example you provide? Can you discuss the "why" behind the types of events in which your institution has strategically decided to participate. How do these specific examples align with institutional objectives? When you say you work with the Chamber of Commerce, I'm curious if you could also elaborate here for the benefit of other participants. How was this relationship established and how do you specifically work with the Chamber? Can you share any evidence of effectiveness for your partner programs (such as the relationship with the Chamber) and your means of measurement - is the evidence anecdotal or do you have a measurement system in place from which others can learn?
Thanks in advance for sharing!
Robert Starks Jr.
