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Dinner With 12 Strangers
- 1. Dinner With 12 Strangers A three-course presentation: How dining in good company can help shape the student experience
- 2. Agenda (À La Carte) 1. The Premise 2. The Outcome 3. Conclusions and The Future
- 3. 1) The Premise • Dinner with 12 Strangers: – 12 Strangers sit down to dinner – Each stands up at the end with 11 new friends • Local alumni host dinner for students, faculty, and alumni, in their own home
- 4. 1) The Premise, cont’d Students Alumni Dinner with Faculty 12 Strangers • Mix of students, alumni & faculty offered participants a unique and inclusive experience
- 5. 1) The Premise, cont’d • Establish connections – Students with students • from diverse academic streams and cultural backgrounds – Students with faculty • to exchange insight and experiences, to increase comfort with faculty – Students with alumni • to experience engagement with the broader U of T community
- 6. 1) The Premise, cont’d • Benefit to Students: – Meet alumni and faculty in a relaxed, informal setting – Establish connections beyond immediate peer or academic group – Develop a higher comfort level with faculty and alumni – Experience the broader U of T community
- 8. 2) The Outcome • 5 Dinners hosted in 2006-2007 • 150+ students signed up for invitation list despite limited promotion • 10% of registrants were through word-of- mouth or student referrals • 60 participants in total
- 9. 2) The Outcome, cont’d • “It was one of the best evenings I’ve had since I started university.” • “We were all impressed by the effort Michael and his wife Jane put into preparing the meal (which yes, was fantastic…) and being invited into someone’s home was a very welcoming experience.” ! Students met alumni and faculty in a relaxed, informal setting
- 10. 2) The Outcome, cont’d • “I got to meet so many interesting people – even people who were in the same class as me, whom I had never met.” !Students established connections beyond their immediate peer or academic group
- 11. 2) The Outcome, cont’d • “I like that there were professors and alumni and students… It created a very stimulating atmosphere and wasn’t just a typical dinner for students.” !Students developed a higher comfort level with faculty and alumni
- 12. 2) The Outcome, cont’d • “The conversations about why each of us came to U of T and what makes us come back as a student or as an alumnus were eye-opening.” • “U of T is as cosmopolitan inside and outside the classroom.” !Students experienced the broader U of T community
- 13. 2) The Outcome, cont’d • Benefit to Students: !Meet alumni and faculty in a relaxed, informal setting !Establish connections beyond immediate peer or academic group !Develop a higher comfort level with faculty and alumni !Experience the broader U of T community
- 15. 3) Conclusions & the Future • Students were touched by the personal and intimate nature of these events • Impressed that faculty members attend • Appreciated hosts’ efforts and generosity • All participants were highly receptive to this all-inclusive, community-building approach
- 16. 3) Conclusions & the Future, cont’d • Next steps: – “Dinner With 12 Strangers” Kit to be made available to all Divisions – Will help even small alumni offices to run the program – Will help expand the number of dinners, participants, and the impact of the program
- 24. Last Word • “I thoroughly enjoyed the Dinner with 12 Strangers and would recommend it to anyone in the U of T community.”