PHOTO BY JOHN KEATLEY These alumni were part of Seattle Pacific University’s Young Alumni Council in 2005. Current YAC President Alex Thomason (top left) appeared on Donald Trump’s show “The Apprentice” and is an attorney. Current Vice President Katrina Sharpe (bottom right) works for the nonprofit Families Northwest. TheKids By Erin Peterson Are All Right As the number of young alumni grows, alumni offices must get creative to keep recent grads engaged. universitybusiness.com NCOURAGING YOUNG ALUMNI TO STAY INVOLVED at Wartburg College (Iowa) has presented a thorny challenge for Todd Coleman. Coleman, the school’s director of alumni and parent programs, would love to see recent graduates take advantage of all the school has to offer them, but many of the approaches used for older alums aren’t relevant to the younger generation. “They don’t want to sit down for long dinners and listen to speeches. They don’t want propaganda thrown at them, and they don’t have the time to take off for golf outings or other events,” he says. On the other hand, young alumni have been eager for any assistance they can find as they get their fledgling careers off the ground, notes Coleman—and that’s where Wartburg has taken advantage of opportunities. The college began hosting alumni events in companies where a large E May 2007 | 61
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2007