The recently completed academic year was one of significant
milestones for the Alumni Insider’s View…Program (AIV).
Students were presented with a greatly expanded series of events
created to help them obtain real-world knowledge about a chosen
profession and/or field while drawing upon the professional
experiences of our alumni.
The nearly 60 programs, offered both on and off-campus during the
school year attracted more than 2,000 students, with close to 450
alumni participating as panelists, discussion leaders, mentors, or
on-site hosts at their individual business locations. It was the
exceptional willingness of our alumni to give generously of their
time and talents that was the deciding factor in the unprecedented
success of these unique initiatives.
“Our alumni have been sharing their expertise with St. John’s
students for more than 30 years,” said Victor Ramos ’91CBA, ’93MBA,
Associate Vice President, Division of Institutional Advancement,
“and when we decided to more than double our programs this year, we
were certain that the alumni would be there to support the effort.
Needless to say, they responded wonderfully. The AIV Programs allow
our students and alumni to engage each other in ways that simply
wouldn’t be possible otherwise, and we’re looking forward to
building on what we’ve done this year for even greater success in
the future.”
Many alumni agree that they are in a unique position to make a
difference for the students who hope to follow in their footsteps
after graduation. For them, participation in AIV events is a
practical way to show their appreciation to the University that
played a role in their own success.
“When I was a student, I had the help of professors, but not as
much help from alumni who had recently graduated,” recalled Lisa
Dixon ’07C, who served as an alumni panelist at a recent AIV event.
“It’s the alumni who can best help current students figure out what
is involved after you graduate, what’s available to you and what
paths you can take.”
The vast majority of AIV programs that occurred throughout the year
took place on the Queens and Staten Island campuses. Alumni
offered students practical information on a wide variety of topics,
such as the development of telephone
interviewing skills, the acquisition of professional
etiquette behaviors, the necessity of developing
career-oriented personal
connections prior to graduation, the ways to make a positive
impression in face-to-face
interviews and the successful use of business-oriented
social networking sites.
Paul Bailo, Ph.D. ’86CBA, Founder and CEO of Phone Interview Pro
and the author of The Official Phone Interview Handbook,
shared his expertise and provided students with valuable pointers
at the
Alumni Insider's View… Phone Interview Pro event.
"A lot of college kids are anxious because the economy got so bad
around 2008," he said. "But things are starting to get better, and
I hoped to show students how important their phone communication
skills are in terms of landing a job. You'll never get hired if you
can't make a good first impression. So if I can help these students
get jobs, then I'm happy to do it."
There were also a number of special signature events that took
place during the Spring semester, each a unique experience that
allowed students to gain valuable insights from alumni eager to
share their personal and professional knowledge. Plans are
already underway to add even more of these popular and highly
successful student / alumni engagement activities for the coming
academic year.