Alumni-in-Training?

Attention all students: The Alumni Association wants you.

"Every student who is matriculated in Tufts is considered a future member," Alumni Association Vice President Ann Palmieri said. "You are a member, this is who you are, we love you, and we want you to be here."

In an effort to reach out to current students as well as former ones, the Association is initiating numerous programs, events, and opportunities that offer students the chance to get involved.

According to Director of Alumni Relations Timothy Brooks, students' attitudes towards the Alumni Association have changed "dramatically" over the past ten years. "Before, students would leave Tufts having loved the school and their professors, but not finding the student services very supportive," Brooks said. "There has been a great effort to upgrade these services and make them more accessible to students so that they feel like a part of the alumni network immediately."

"I believe that the Association has become increasingly relevant to younger alumni," former Alumni Association President Elliot Lerman (E '65) said. "As Alan likes to say, we view students as alumni in training."

The "Alan" to which Lerman refers is Alan MacDougall, the current President of the Alumni Association, who gives several examples of outreach to current students.

According to MacDougall, the Alumni Association sponsors several on campus events, including "First Night" for freshmen, the "Welcome Back Seniors" receptions, career nights, and several others. The Association has also published a "full color walking tour of the campus booklet" for new students, Mac Dougall said.

"There was recently a Tufts on Wall Street day, where current alumni working in some of the top nine firms in the industry held a reception to network with students and help them get a foot in the door," Brooks said. "Many alumni have found that giving students information about the industry before they graduate gives students a tremendous advantage.

The Association also sponsors a program called "From Backpack to Briefcase," in which alumni share stories and wisdom with students about life after college, including how to manage finances and how to find a place to live, Brooks said.

Another student outreach program is the Tufts Career Network, which, in conjunction with Career Services, offers internships and guidance to current students.

"The Tufts Career Network is where alumni serve as mentors for students looking for their first jobs," Brooks said. "It is a very important resource."

In additional outreach efforts, current seniors have recently begun to serve on the Association's various committees. Each year the senior class now elects four members of their class to serve five year terms as "transitional members".

[Transitional members] sit on committees for five years and fully participate," Palmieri said. "The hope is that those [four] people will involve others in the Association."

The Association also seeks to reward current students for service, academics, and other areas of achievement. "Each year we honor the most distinguished members of the graduating class with our Seniors Awards and an outstanding 'legacy student' with the Tufts Alumni Association academic award," MacDougall said.

This award ran into controversy last year, however, when the Association revoked Liz Monnin's Senior Award for her actions during Former President George H.W. Bush's Issam Fares lecture.

The Association viewed the revocation of Monnin's award as a difficult and controversial decision, especially in light of its efforts to promote honest expression from students regarding their experience at Tufts.

"Tufts offers a lot to young men and women and I hope to see these opportunities grow for students," Palmieri said. "Hopefully we will see each other for the resources that we can provide because our lives are so interconnected."

"Students really do have a big impact on the future of this institution," Brooks said.