Goal 3: Objective 3.6 | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Goal 3: Expand, Diversify, and Support Our Community

Objective 3.6: Extend and deepen engagement with our alumni community.

Action Item 3.6.1

Extend and expand programing and communication/outreach targeted at alumni.

Implementation Tasks

Capitalize on acceptance of virtual events during pandemics to continue post-pandemic and continue to explore the integration of new platforms, such as Remo, to enhance and strengthen the overall virtual experience for participants.
Extend access to other College programming (e.g., Dean’s Lecture Series) to alumni, friends and parents.

Responsible party: HHD Alumni Relations

Metrics: Virtual alumni events incorporated into regular alumni event calendar; access to college programming routinely extended to alumni.

Start and end dates: Fall 2021 – Fall 2022 then ongoing

Action Item 3.6.2

Create more issue-oriented programing for alumni that highlights the research and service work of our faculty and students, and connects these themes to the work being done by, and issues of interest to, our graduates.

Implementation tasks

Develop a three-part virtual alumni-institute series focusing on one specific theme within the college (nominal charge for this type of programming)
Partner with other colleges, campuses, or alumni chapters to broaden the reach of alumni-focused programming.

Responsible party: HHD Alumni Relations and HHD Communications

Metrics: Institute offered; partnerships cultivated.

Start and end dates: Fall 2021 – ongoing (planning); first alumni-institute by end of AY2023

Action Item 3.6.3

Continuously engage with academic unit alumni mentoring and classroom visitation programs (e.g., alumni in the classroom), promulgate resources for successful models across academic units, and support extension of these programs across academic units.

Implementation Tasks

Identify someone in each academic unit (liaison network) to assist with Alumni in the Classroom and other alumni visitation initiatives.
Develop processes/mechanisms for sharing information about alumni with ongoing interest in student engagement between Alumni Relations and academic units.
Develop other resources that support broader alumni engagement with students across our academic units
Develop a processes/mechanisms for tracking. activities that feature alumni in student engagement at the college level.

Responsible Party: HHD Alumni Relations Team; Undergraduate Education Mentoring Group; academic unit designated mentoring liaison

Metrics: Liaisons identified, processes/mechanisms developed.

Start and end dates: Fall 2021 (liaisons) Fall 2022 (processes/mechanisms)

Action item 3.6.4

Consolidate and share best practices used by academic units locally to engage alumni, including specific populations of special interest (e.g., young alumni, alumni from diverse backgrounds, parents and family members).

Implementation Tasks

Hold a meeting each semester for Affiliate Program Group (APG) faculty liaisons and academic unit heads
Help better align APG goals with academic unit priorities (e.g., securing internship sites, mentors, being responsive to Dept. priorities) through the development of an annual APG engagement plan that includes goals related to these special populations.

Responsible Party: HHD Alumni Relations; APG faculty liaisons; Academic Unit Heads.

Metric: Meetings with APG faculty liaisons/dept. heads held; APG engagement plans developed.

Start and end dates: Fall 2022 and ongoing

Key Performance Indicators

Increased alumni participation in issue-oriented events and increased alumni involvement with academic units focused on student engagement and local academic unit priorities.