We asked, you answered By MATTHEW STINSON Vice President for Institutional Advancement
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his time last year, I discussed how you could help our efforts to recruit new Titans, establish professional ties with our students, and help advance the mission of Westminster through your time, talent, and treasure. The response has been overwhelming, and every aspect of our growth and advancement can be traced back to our alumni and friends. 1. Extension of our admissions team This fall, we welcomed almost 400 new students to campus—an 18% increase over last year’s numbers. While there are myriad reasons for the boost in enrollment this year, Dr. Thomas Stein, our vice president for enrollment and marketing, specifically cites new curriculum, targeted marketing efforts, and strong alumni engagement as key factors. When Dr. Stein polled students about their reasons to consider and ultimately select Westminster, “alumni and friends of the College” was the number one response. Your personal influence is the best marketing tool we have in terms of introducing potential students to Westminster, and we hope you continue this practice. Educate students and parents alike about the benefits of a liberal arts education and Westminster. Bring a prospective
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student to campus for a visit or to attend an event. Nominate a high schooler for one of our awards such as the Jerb Miller Scholarship. Keep Westminster College in the dialogue. 2. Extension of our alumni and Career Center teams Our alumni and friends continually step forward when it comes to helping our students accomplish their career objectives. Through mentor programs, networking opportunities and internships, our students have a host of connections at their fingertips. The Professional Networking Symposium continues Will Armentrout ’12 speaks to students at the to grow and the spring Professional Networking Symposium 2016 event was the largest ever comprised of 166 alumni and 158 students. Our alumni heard the call and returned to campus with the primary intent of helping students make necessary and important connections in their anticipated fields. Many other opportunities exist throughout the year for alumni wishing to engage with our students through the Career Center. Examples include serving on topical career panels, teaching basic networking techniques and practices, reviewing resumes, and conducting mock and actual interviews. See page 28 for more on the Career Center’s student and alumni engagement. 3. Extension of the Office of Institutional Advancement Our Office of Institutional Advancement works to cultivate meaningful relationships with our alumni and friends
