Staying Connected

Andy and I were talking the other day about the number of presentations we have made to various college alumni groups, and the thought occurred to me that alumni associations and related clubs are a great way to remain involved with people of often similar interests and shared experiences.  We know from our experience over the past few years that colleges and universities are placing increasing emphasis on reaching out to and engaging older graduates from their institutions, rather than just asking for contributions to their Alumni Fund.  In fact, the more enlightened institutions with which we have worked know that it is in their enlightened self-interest to provide older alumni with meaningful opportunities for engagement BEFORE they start asking for money. Of course, there are many beneficiaries to this growing trend:  alumni have the opportunity to become  meaningfully involved with their alma maters and the alumni associations build good will, which in turn, generates increasing levels of financial support for the institutions they represent.

The upshot of all this is that one’s alumni chapter provides a wonderful—and easy—way to stay (or get) involved with others who share common loyalty to their colleges and universities.  What an excellent antidote to the social isolation that can become the opposite of making retirement…work.

Rick Hearin