coa alumni network?
may jensen | March 8th, 2011
This past weekend I went up to NYC for interviews. While there I learned of three Tech grads that were working in different firms in the city - DS+R, BIG and Grimshaw – too bad I didn’t know about them before I arrived. [image courtesy of graduating class 1950]
Georiga Tech, the institution, is known for its strong alumni association. But to be honest, I don’t feel like the Architecture College has maintained its ties to graduates. At no time during my stay in the program have I been connected to alumni. I am forced to build my own network through generous faculty and fellow students. It is frustrating to be interviewing at a firm and only after find out that someone form your institution was already working within the office. As an interviewee, it would be great to contact alumni to ask them questions about the firm and to maybe get tips for the interview. Alumni, handled correctly, could be a critical source of information for who’s hiring and what they’re looking for. They could also be a good resource for maybe housing students while they are traveling for interviews or helping them find a place to live.
In my 3 day trip to NYC I met two and heard of another person working within the city. Combined, the two I met had worked for OMA, Piano, Shop, Office dA and Bjarke! When I asked them about their communication with the college they seemed surprised. They said they don’t receive any information from the CoA, none. I ended up being their news source- informing them of our new chair and our new building. It would be reasonable to excuse them as old alumni- people that may have moved so much that they’ve fallen off the radar- however their story is similar to another. A good friend of mine [recent graduate, super dedicated student, and Alpha Rho Chi winner] Leeland McPhail has been complaining to me the COA’s lack of communication. He told me that he was on the chair search, but was only informed by students about the College’s final selection and was not formally invited for Dr. Johnston’s reception. He has also emailed the department numerous times, with no success, asking to be included in the lecture email reminders.
Even a motivated alumnus cannot keep tabs on what is going on within the school. Imagine the thousands of other alumnus we must be missing. What is going on here!?
I will do my proper research and report back in my next post.
A few questions in case any readers have answers: Who runs these alumni organizations? Is the institution very protective or strict about how to handle alumni? Could students/alumni be in charge of their on organization? What does Susan Sanders or Teri Nagel have to say on the matter?
[ alumni, COA ]
While I cannot deny the seemingly sleepy condition of the CoA alumni specifically, I do have to wonder what the best approach would be for the college. With LinkedIn and Facebook carrying much of the burden of maintaining valuable peer relationships and within the context of Georgia Tech’s larger institute-wide alumni association, what should the CoA be doing to add value to the lives of alumni and not merely be another voice in the noise, another email in the junk?
(Just to say it, anyone can sign up for the college e-newsletter, alumni or not, and receive weekly updates on all the happenings within the CoA.)
Besides the few pockets of perceptible alumni engagement – the Ventulett Chair, the Portman Prize, Niles Bolton’s sponsored courses, and local architects serving as jurors and faculty – what kind of involvement should we hope to formulate upon our graduation? One that mentors current students and actively seeks to help develop their careers? One that hosts networking events? One that maintains peer contact so we can communicate opportunities and news? How could we do all this?
Hmmm…..
i am most interested in the potential employment and or idea network for CoA alumni. it is true, the alumni association for the institue does facilitate some networking and job hunting- but when i looked at all they had to offer i was disappointed. i’m in the process of writing a better follow up post that explores what’s out there and suggests some other options. check back in 2 weeks to see my findings.