Universities Connect with CE Alumni

by Susan Goewey Carey, Director of Publications for UCEA
Reprinted from the December 2002 issue of UCEA's newsletter, Infocus.

It pays for universities to stay connected to alumni and alumnae, particularly continuing education (CE) alumni(ae). Unlike younger students, many adult continuing education students are already part of important business networks and are near the top of their earning power. Moreover, upon completion of degree and certificate programs, many receive promotions and better job offers--often through contacts they meet in CE programs. Organizers of CE alumni(ae) activities recognize that the best way to group CE graduates is probably not by the year they graduate, but rather by business networks. Inviting cohorts from several years of a program can result in broader networking opportunities for all attendees. Here are some of the ways universities are leveraging their CE alumni(ae) connections for the benefit of students, alumni(ae), the university, and local economies.

Benefits of Harvard Alumni Status
Extend to Extension Grads, Too

Dean Michael Shinagel of Harvard Extension School notes, "When I became Dean in 1975, there were about 500 members of the Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA). Today there are more than 6,000 members. Whereas there were only two degrees available in 1975, today there are four degrees and seven graduate certificates. Graduates of all these academic programs are eligible to become members of the HEAA."

Among the perquisites of membership in HEAA are the use of the Post.Harvard e-mail forwarding service that identifies the sender as a Harvard alumnus or alumna; access to online Career and Networking Services/Professional Connection (www.haa.harvard.edu); library and athletic privileges; and participation in the many social and cultural activities sponsored by Harvard alumni(ae) associations throughout the world. Many Extension alumni(ae) stay in touch through participation in regularly scheduled HEAA events. In 2001–02 the HEAA sponsored five such events. Political commentator David Finnegan, ALM '99, Senior Partner of Finnegan, Underwood, Ryan & Tierney and a one-time candidate for mayor of Boston, addressed an October crowd on "The Changing Landscape of Boston Politics," highlighting his public sparring matches. In December, the Harvard College a cappella group, The Callbacks, entertained members. On Valentine's Day, dinner guests at the Harvard Faculty Club were treated to enactments of Shakespeare's love sonnets and love scenes from classic plays, performed by members of the American Repertory Theatre. In May, the sixth annual Sunset Cruise took place along the Charles River and out into the inner Boston Harbor. An Alumni Banquet was held on June 4 and featured addresses by Dean Shinagel and the 25-year honorand, Professor C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky.

Chris Queen, Dean of Students and Alumni Affairs at the Division of Continuing Education, adds "We are exploring a way of using the Post.Harvard connection more tightly to network our graduates. By striving for 100 percent participation in the e-mail forwarding service--urging participation during the candidates' last term--and by gaining participants' permission to place their addresses on a listserv along with simple career survey data, we hope to facilitate an interactive directory of Extension alumni(ae). While this will also provide a simplified way to contact our members, we are most interested in facilitating networking among graduates by providing them with information about career paths."

This excerpt is reprinted with permission from the University Continuing Education Association's newsletter, Infocus, December 2002. UCEA is a national association of continuing higher education professionals headquartered in Washington, DC. For more information see www.ucea.edu.