Presentation given by Geoff Seber at the 2014 CASE Student and Young Alumni Conference

1. 1
Student-Alumni Societies
Geoff Seber
Manger, Alumni Programs
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

2. About Me
• Higher Education for 14+ years
• Advisors for the Red & White Student
Organization for 11 Years
• Advisor/Creator for weR: The Spirit of
Rensselaer Society (3 years)
• Overall student programming and engagement
• CASE Faculty – Student & Young Alumni
Conference (2013)
• CASE ASAP D2 Host (Spring 2013)
• CASE ASAP D2 and National Advisor of the
Year (2013)
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3. Advancement Talks
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4. About Rensselaer
• Located is always sunny Troy, NY
(Upstate NY)
• 5,000 Undergrads, 2,000 Graduates
• Primarily Engineering, but degrees in 5
schools
– Architecture
– Engineering
– Science
– Business
– Humanities Arts and Social Science
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5. What Are You Thinking?
• I’m not a small/large school, this won’t work
for me.
• How do I get started?
• I wish I had a budget for a student-alumni
organization/society.
• I am a school with mostly graduate students
or medical students, what can I do?
• This is great, I will have some new ideas to
bring back to my campus/organization.
• Will he cover some of the latest trends?
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6. A Student-Alumni Society
• A group of students that are very prideful of their alma
mater
• Understand the power of alumni
• Understand they will be alumni very soon
• A group of students that are willing to put in significant
amount of volunteer time to build their organization to
be highly recognized on their campus.
• A place to educate and grooming your future
volunteers and advocates
• Your department/division - student connection to your
institution or university.
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7. Culture
• “Culture Eats Strategy For
Breakfast,” a remark attributed to
Peter Drucker and popularized in 2006
by Mark Fields, president of Ford Motor
Company
• When creating an organization and or
program, it is important to recognize
your culture
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8. Our Brands
Our Brands
• Involving Students in RAA Activity
• Specialized Programming
• Interaction with Alumni
• Leadership Development
• Inspirational, Feel Good, Pay it
Forward Programming
• Larger Student Exposure
• Great Campus Reputation
• Promote Overall Spirit and Pride
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9. Red & White Student Organization
• Started in 1995
• 70 Member Organization
• Organizational Structure
• Defined Recruitment
• Membership/Professional Team Building
• Leadership Positions
• Innovative Programming
• Alum101
• Traditions
• Campus Relations
• Corporate Relations
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10. • Attend alumni events to interact and network with
alumni
• Provide campus tours as a 1-1 way to interact with
alumni
• Corporate Relations – Working with companies to
brand their imagine (New 2014)
• Special events with the President/High Level Alumni
• Interaction with RAA Board of Trustees
• Special event help with departmental programs
• Programming for entire student population
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Red & White Student Organization

11. weR is a student organization
that builds spirit on campus
through unique, fun, and
special programs.
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weR: The Spirit of Rensselaer Society
The group strives to foster school spirit as an
inherent and exciting part of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute by promoting student
involvement, support, and unity through
unique programming that embraces the
existing culture in an effort to ensure that
“tradition never graduates.”
The organization focuses on celebrating
the great talent, programs, and
activities of the student population.

12. • 30 - 40 Members (AGENTS)
• Open to all students
• Have programmed over 20 events
– Engaged over 1,200 students in
just under 1 year.
• Different than any of the rest
• Provide Pay it Forward type
programming
• Just say thank you
• Showcase uniqueness
• Be inspirational
CASE ASAP Student
Engagement and Philanthropy Day
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Who weR

13. weR HERE
weR SWAGGER
weR OPEN
weR PROUD
weR SLIMED
weR WELCOMING
weR FANS
weR FROZEN
weR SWEET
weR 188
weR BRIGHT
weR INSPIRED
weR ON ICE
weR FOOLISH
Powderpuff (2013)
weR PROUD
weR SEMI SWEET
weR Gold
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weR PROGAMMING

14. Why
• Engagement, mentorship, interaction,
educational, and provide leadership opportunities
for our students
• Develop our future alumni leaders
• Build a prideful base of students to help carry the
tradition and reputation off campus
• Add to the student experience with more impact
and quality
• Millennial Student - Want to network, have access
to anyone, always connected, excited for
tradition.
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15. What are some simple steps advancement leaders can take
to get a student-alumni society off the ground?
• Staff person tasked with at least 70% of his/her job being
responsible for advising this organization.
• Designate a solid budget for the group – having a group
of students available to your office is so helpful –
consider them volunteers
• Find some key students that understand the value of
connecting with alumni/and or are well balanced and
have great leadership qualities.
• Don’t compare yourself to the other schools that have
well established organizations.
• “Culture will eat strategy for breakfast”, don’t try to build
an organization that doesn’t fit within your culture of your
institution.
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16. Budget
• Estimate - $100 - $150 Per Year, Per
Member
–Investment as volunteers
–Organization Shirts
–Food/Travel/Thank You Gifts
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17. How
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• Develop relationship with Student Life
Partners
• Participate/Volunteer for Student Orientation
• DO NOT try to find student leaders on
campus (to busy)
• Have an application process
• Have members find members

18. How
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• Greek Life is a good source of involved
students.
• Time and commitment questions on the
application
• 3+ interactions (application, face to face,
interview)
• Attractive Brand
• High Quality Programs
• True leadership experience

19. • Student-Alumni Organizations/Societies
• Dinner with 12 Strangers
• TEDx or TED Talks Style Programming
• Traditions Programming
• CASE ASAP National Convention
• CASE ASAP Student Philanthropy Awareness Day
• Young Alumni Programming
• Career Services for Alumni
• Social Media Connections
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What’s #trending

20. Alum101
Series of programs about the student – alumni
transition
• A recognizable brand created to build a future
of young alumni programs
– Culinary Engineering
– Investing in the Long Run
– Career Services
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Programming Idea

21. • Tried and True (Traditions Programming)
• Traditions Tour
• Collaboration with Student Life (Specifically the
Office of the First-Year Experience
• Insider tour of campus
• Alumni Docents
• Members of R&W Student Organization as guides
• Amazing Race afternoon programming
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Programming Idea

22. Programming Idea
• Crowdfunding / KickStart
program
• Small project initiative
• Raising money for different
affinities from students and
alumni of those groups
• Call for participation from organizations
• Programs Selected
• Additional selected as replacement programs once
the initial programs’ goals were reached
• weR.rpi.edu/gold
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23. Example Metrics
• Number of members in your organization
• Number of uses of your organization
• Number of engagement programs per year
• Number of overall vs number of engaged
– Poster vs. a poster with someone talking to a person
• Number of organization members that are
engaged as young alumni
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Measuring Success

24. Social Media Fun
Connecting Outside the Organization
• Growing and difficult for Advisors to manage
• Updating regularly
• Pictures, programs, events, contacts
• Simple way to start an organization website
Public Pages
Red & White Student Organization
weR: The Spirit of Rensselaer Society
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25. Social Media Fun
Internally
• Great resource for communicating
• Cut back on emails to your organization
• Have fun
• Pictures, videos, fun, hilariousness ensues
Internal Pages
Red & White Student Organization
weR AGENTS
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26. If I Knew Then What I Know Now
• Take a group picture every year
• Create programs that you can manage, don’t over
commit
• Empower senior members of the organization to take on
advisory roles
• Brand all of your programs through your organization –
Students connect your organization to an alumni
connection
• Work hard to keep in touch, follow up with alumni
members (LinkedIn Sub Groups)
• Send a thanksgiving email updating about what is
happening in the organization
• Empower your members to be leaders and decision
makers
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27. If I Knew Then What I Know Now
• Attend CASE ASAP Conference –
Bring your students
(August 7 – 9, 2014 – St. Louis)
• Host a CASE ASAP District Conference
• Create committees early
• Have a strong professional development curriculum
• Host member activities to connect other members
together. Many times our organizations are made up of
leaders from all over campus.
• Attend all of the meetings
• Get on their level – Where the rubber meets the road
• Program within your culture!
• Keep it fresh
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28. Thank You
The “Questions” Slide
Contact
Geoff Seber
Manager, Alumni Programs
Office of Alumni Relations - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1301 Peoples Ave.
Troy, NY 12180
Office: 518-276-2324
Website: http://www.alumni.rpi.edu
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