Earlier this month a joint board meeting was held between the Alumni Board of Directors and the Board of Overseers.  Our objective was to identify the intersection of our mutual work for the college and to increase our joint capacity in support of the Emerson College mission.  We identified several areas where our work together would make a difference. 

The first joint initiative discussed was The Board of Overseers Mentor Program.  This initiative is quite unique in that students apply to the career services office for an alumnus to serve as a mentor during their tenure at Emerson. The Overseers Mentor Program was established as a way for industry professionals to work individually with students early in their time at Emerson to guide and connect them to their own industry. 

Mentors assist students in their career choices and options, meeting with the students face-to-face at least one time per year, connecting regularly with the students via phone and formally introducing the students to people and organizational resources in their field of study.  The relationship extends throughout the students stay at Emerson and, in fact, many times transitions well into their career after graduation.

The Overseer Mentor Program is a high-value initiative for the ten students selected from a growing pool of student applications each year.  At the conclusion of the acceptance process by the Overseers, both the mentors and the students  sign an agreement to support their commitment to the process.  The results have been quite powerful and the Overseers are always looking for more professional Mentors to support the diverse group of students accepted into the program.  If you are interested, please contact Carol Spector in the Career Services office for more information.

Another area of focus at our joint meeting was the idea of developing our "Emerson Story" as ambassadors to the community. Patricia Peyton '84 and Jon Derek Croteau '98 led both boards in a conversation of how we might present our unified voice to prospective Emerson students, prospective major donors to the college, and reconnecting alumni back to the college.  We learned that our conversations in the field must express not only our personal experiences at the college, but also present a picture of Emerson's position as an institutional leader in the performing arts and communications industries. 

We broke into small teams and simulated "real-time" scenarios with prospective students, donors and detached alumni.  Each group developed a shared "Emerson Story" that encompassed our personal perspective of the college along with talking points on the current and future planned growth of the institution locally, nationally and internationally that is propelling the college forward as a leader in the educational community. 

It was an extraordinary conversation that allowed us to get a start on crystallizing a conversation for our extended family of supporters.  And, it is our hope to expand this dialogue further into the Emerson community and enhance our unified voice to the growing infrastructure that can support the college's mission now and in the future.

Over lunch, we had an opportunity to sit down with a group of Emerson student leaders from scholarship recipients, prospective student mentees, members of the Student Alumni Association (SAA), and Student Government Association (SGA) leadership. The discussion was moderated by SGA president Scott Fischer '10 and was one of the most powerful moments of our meeting.

The conversation provided both boards the opportunity to connect with the pulse of the on-campus student issues of the day.  These issues included the growing need and interest in implementing gender-neutral housing on campus, the ongoing dialogue on campus diversity, and issues surrounding the economy and the challenges continuing students face in acquiring sufficient financial aid from the College.  Having this dialogue not only placed each board member directly in front of  the issues, but also provided us with a sense of the students' passion and commitment to their education and surroundings. We were so proud to hear their strong voices and look forward to seeing each of them transition to alumni in the future.

One of the final highlights of our meeting together was the report on the Alumni Board's success at the alumni auction during Alumni Weekend. The Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, which benefits from the proceeds of this annual event, currently supports an undergraduate or graduate student with a scholarship during each year of their stay at Emerson.  Due to the success of this year's auction, the Alumni Board voted to add a second scholarship gift commencing with the 2010/2011 academic year. This success means that your Alumni Association Scholarship Fund will now provide two scholarships per year for both an undergraduate and graduate student for the duration of their stay at Emerson.

Our goal is to continue growing scholarships at Emerson, one of the most critical needs at the College. As you plan your philanthropy to the College, please consider making a gift to towards Emerson College scholarships, and help us continue and grow our support of students, by visiting www.emerson.edu/giving.  Please contact Cheryl Crounse, Director of Leadership and Annual Giving at cheryl_crounse@emerson.edu or 617-824-8543 if you wish more details on this giving initiative.

And, as always, please feel free to drop me a note or an email with your thoughts, comments and ideas.  Meanwhile, I look forward to staying in touch and keeping you apprised of our continued initiatives and work for the College.

With warm regards,

Robert Friend

President, Emerson Alumni Association

rfriend@alumni.emerson.edu