Alumnus and retention
At my school we try to have guest lectures and seminars hosted alumni. Think shows the students possible outcomes for all the work they're doing as well as the impact of a good attitude and perseverance on someone's future.
I think adding more activities to keep the students involved helps with retention. I plan an event to engage the students interest in their field of study. It happens twice per year. I would like to see more events done by the campus, but money seems to be an issue with planning.
Our programs are 2 year associates and 4 year bachelor’s degrees. The graduates come as their work schedulesm allow on a voluntary basis. They speak to one class at a time in their academic area, and as such attendance is not specifically mandatory.
How long are your programs, Surfiene? Do the graduates come into regularly scheduled classes? If not, is attendance mandatory?
We have past graduates come and speak to those students who are about 1/2 through their program, a time when retention is most at risk. The success of the graduate, who will most times admit they thought of dropping out half way through, helps the students see the end of the road.
Most of the lectures and seminars are held on our campus, but there are some that require a field trip to another facility, hosted by the guest.
Essentially the alumnus would be responsible to give a lecture on topics that have been discussed and cleared with the Head Instructor. Lectures generally concern issues and experiences that lie beyond the scope of the course work, but can be expected and appreciated by present students. Seminars are open only to students and their guests.
We tend to have weekly seminars but those hosted by outside alumni (not presently employed by the school) may happen only a 2 or 3 times during a 9 month course. Alumni who are working in our industry and show active interest in giving back to the school tend to be in contact with our placement officer on a regular basis.
Alumni range in age, race, employment history, even in the industry focus. This allows us to give examples to the students how the things they're learning apply to more careers than they might at first believe.
Where are the lectures and seminars held? What are the responsibilities of the hosting alumni? How often are these events held? Who attends? How do you choose the alumni? What are their demographics?
