The Office
of Alumni Relations continues to expand an initiative designed to
increase opportunities for alumni to participate in St. John’s
student engagement activities. Known as the Alumni Insider’s View…Program, it is
comprised of a variety of unique opportunities that enable current
students to obtain real-world knowledge about a chosen profession
and/or field while drawing upon the professional experiences of our
alumni.
During the 2010-2011
academic year there are more than 60 Alumni Insider’s View…
Programs scheduled to take place both on- and off-campus, an
increase of more than 100% from the 25 events of the previous
academic year. Each is intended to address a particular aspect of
student’s time at St. John’s, from adjusting to residential life
and choosing a career to developing business etiquette and
sharpening their interview skills.
“The Alumni Insider’s View…Programs are great opportunities for
both our students and alumni to benefit from interacting with each
other,” said Victor Ramos ’91CBA, ’93MBA, Associate Vice President,
Division of Institutional Advancement. “From the students’ point of
view, they’re mentored by some of our most successful and committed
alumni, and the information and guidance that they receive is
really priceless. On the other side, the alumni get to meet bright
students with a great work ethic who are eager to do whatever is
necessary to succeed in college and in their future careers. Those
are the students they’ll keep in mind when they’re looking to hire
new employees for their own firms. These programs are a win-win for
everyone.”
Since a
goal of each of these programs is to foster student engagement, the
University is assisted by a select group of students who have
embraced the role of Student
Insiders. They attend Alumni Insider’s View…Programs,create
video interviews with participants and share everything with their
fellow students through postings on social networking sights such
as Facebook
and Twitter. Student to
student communication is an important aspect of all student
engagement initiatives, and the Student Insiders provide immediate
and direct feedback that offers students the firsthand information
they need when deciding on which programs to attend in the
future.
“When you’re a part of the Alumni Insider’s View…Programs you
get to meet and learn from the people who have already gone through
what you’re going through and have succeeded,” said
Student Insider
Nicole Apps ‘14Ed. “That’s really amazing! I try to get as many
other students as I can to get involved in them as well. These
programs can help us succeed right from the start, and we really
need to take advantage of them.”
Ultimately, the success of these programs rests upon the
willingness of our alumni to come forward and share their expertise
with the students who are today where they were a number of years
ago. As we look to increase the number and scope of our offerings
in the future, the participation of alumni mentors will become even
more important.
If you would like to take part in an Alumni Insider’s
View…Program or have a suggestion for a future event, please
contact the following:
Queens Campus
Mark Andrews
Associate Director, Office of
Alumni Relations
Tel (718) 990-5897
andrewsm@stjohns.edu
Staten Island Campus
Nicholas A. Legakis ’97SVC,
’07MPS
Director, Institutional
Advancement, Staten Island
Tel (718) 390-4146
legakisn@stjohns.edu