The document describes an alumni program at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management called "Alumni Adopt-a-Team" which allows alumni to mentor and educate current students. It provides details on how alumni can volunteer to participate by adopting student teams from a career management course and having virtual conversations to share their career experiences and advice. The program has grown significantly since it began in 2013 and received positive feedback from students who appreciate the networking and career guidance opportunities it provides.

1. 11ert Drawing Room
You’ve heard of …Want to get involved?
Alumni “Adopt-a-Team” Program: Help
students learn about networking and virtual
communication! If interested (program described
in this brochure), please contact Maureen Huffer
Landis at mhuffer@purdue.edu.
Employer Mock Interview Program: All
MGMT 301 students go through a practice
interview to learn how to articulate their
professional interests and skills. We conduct
these interviews “live” with professionals such as
you. If interested, please contact Maureen Huffer
Landis at mhuffer@purdue.edu.
Workshops & Special Events: Are you an
educator at heart and want to share your
expertise? How about partnering with Career
Services to develop a workshop or participate in
a special event? To discuss the opportunity,
please contact Maureen Huffer Landis at
mhuffer@purdue.edu.
Krannert Student Organizations: Get
involved with one of the over 20 Krannert
student clubs/organizations. Clubs often look for
alumni engagement opportunities, company
sponsorship, or a variety of other ways to get
you involved. For more information, please
contact Amber Perkins at anperkin@purdue.edu.
On-Campus Recruiting (Career Fairs,
Interview Schedules, Job/Internship
Postings): Our students have great skillsets,
experiences, and work ethic. Consider getting to
know them when you have internship or full-time
positions to fill. You can do this through our Fall
and Winter career fairs, on-campus interviews,
job and internship postings, and resume
collections. For more information, please contact
Erik Props at props@purdue.edu.
Undergraduate & Alumni Career Services
Krannert Professional Development
Center (KPDC)
A Student Perspective
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: Would you mind sharing your positive experience?
Going into MGMT301, I had not heard about the
“Alumni Adopt-a-Team” project…I had never
completed a project like it, but I went into it with an
open mind...took charge and made the initial contact
with our alumni [partner], Frank Williams.
During the last project we spoke on the phone and he
asked all of us what our career plans were. When I
mentioned my interest in Real Estate
Investment/Development, he immediately let me
know that he had contacts at one of the largest
Chicago real estate investment firms, and that he
would be willing to help me out if I was interested in
the company…I sent a follow-up email thanking him
for his time and letting him know that I would contact
him in the future about interning for the firm…
A week before the career fair, I sent an initial email to
reconnect with Frank. Not only did he promise to send
my resume on to a VP and recruiter at this firm, but he
invited me to stop by his booth at the Krannert career
fair. After meeting him in person for the first time I
could tell that he was truly interested and invested in
my success. He gave me numerous pointers on how to
impress recruiters, as well as advice on my future
career. He exchanges emails about once a week, and
he never fails to remind me that he is there to help me
with anything career/intern/school related.
Without the “Alumni Adopt a Team” program I
would not have had the chance to meet Frank or be
introduced to a highly regarded company that does not
recruit at Purdue. My one piece of advice from this
whole experience is to take advantage of the
relationship that you build with your alumni
[partners]. If they weren't willing to help you with
your career, they would not have agreed to be a part
of the program. Good luck!"
Patia Storms (Krannert, class of 2015)
but what about
Alumni Adopt-a-Team?
Krannert Professional
Development Center (KPDC)

2. Alumni Adopt-a-Team and
the Classroom Connection
Through adoption of a “MGMT 301:
Professional Career Management” team, you
have opportunity to
educate, mentor, and inspire
current Krannert students. You enhance their
abilities to network, explore career paths,
learn about industry trends and issues,
The time needed to participate is
minimal… .
All you need is a phone or Internet
connection, a comfortable chair, and a spirit
of enthusiasm to support Krannert’s next
generation of young professionals.
Look How We’ve Grown!
The “Alumni Adopt-a-Team” Program began
in the Fall of 2013 to make the skill of
networking “come to life” for the students of
MGMT 301. During that fall, 39 alumni
adopted 48 teams of students (typically 6
students/team) and shared experiences about
their majors, career paths, graduate work,
work/life balance, and hobbies. In addition,
they provided “words of wisdom” and
encouragement for our Krannert students.
Today, four semesters later, the program has
grown in number of alumni/professional
volunteers to 76 volunteers! To
accommodate the interest, passion, and
expertise of these individuals, we sub-
divided student teams (2-3 students/team) to
encourage more personalized and focused
conversations.
A Quick Overview
Volunteer Partners and Team Adoption
 39 partners adopted 48 teams: Fall 2013
 38 partners adopted 48 teams: Spring
2014
 38 partners adopted 48 teams: Fall 2014
 76 partners adopted 89 teams: Spring
2015
Out of 107 Individual Alumni Partners …
 12 have volunteered for 4 semesters.
 15 have volunteered for 3 semesters.
 20 have volunteered for 2 semesters.
 60 have volunteered for 1 semester
(many of them new in spring 2015!)
What happens with a team?
After being assigned to a team(s) you will
participate in:
CAREER CONVERSATIONS: in a
“virtual” (via phone or Skype) session, the
students and alumni partner will have an
interactive conversation about the career
pathing (skills, values, interests, experiences)
of the partner and the career interests and
development of the students. This should
take about 45-60 minutes.
FEEDBACK: using our evaluation form,
you will provide feedback on how the
students interacted with you and planned for
their conversations. This form is easy to use
and takes anywhere from 5 minutes to X
minutes depending upon the amount of
feedback you would like to provide.
What do the students learn?
The project typically occurs over a seven-
week timespan. During that time, students
work on developing/refining basic skills in:
 team work
 timeline management
 project follow-through
 written and oral communication
 work delegation
 networking
 meeting management