See those smiling young UMBC alumni in the wine-tasting photo? Very soon, that could be you! Read on to find out the many benefits of staying in touch with UMBC after you graduate.
Ten Excellent Reasons to be an Active UMBC Alum From Day One
10. UMBC needs you.
Each and every university relies on the talents and resources of its alumni community. One of the many reasons is that alumni help the university to stay strong and continue to develop even when state funding for education is lean. Because UMBC is such a young institution, we have a smaller and younger alumni population than older colleges, so we need each of you. This also means that each alumnus/a has a significant opportunity for making a difference and having an impact on the lives of current students. If you'd like to make a donation to UMBC check out our online UMBC GiveCorps site that has a number of scholarships, projects, and groups that you can choose to support.
9. You can have an impact on the future direction of the university.
One of the benefits of becoming an active alumnus/a is participating in the many opportunities to share your experiences and insights with campus leaders. You can be part of conversations about things like: the direction of athletic programs, campus expansion, naming opportunities for campus buildings, access to campus resources, and much more. By getting involved with the UMBC Alumni Association or one of the different alumni chapters and communities, you have an opportunity to stay connected to UMBC in a new and exciting way. To get more information about joining the Alumni Association and becoming active in the alumni community, email UMBC Alumni Relations at alum@umbc.edu.
8. You can help younger generations of students to succeed.
Are there things you wish you had known when you were a freshman? Many of our alumni enjoy giving back by donating their time and volunteering to help current UMBC students. Alumni serve as an incredibly valuable resource by sharing their knowledge and skills by:
•meeting with prospective students during a spring admissions reception,
•attending a skill development or networking event during career week,
•sharing graduate or professional school experiences,
•providing students with information about internships, and
•promoting job shadowing opportunities with their employers.
Be on the look out for emails and updates from Alumni Relations about volunteer opportunities and events throughout the year. You can also check out our UMBC alumni calendar of events by visiting our alumni website at alumni.umbc.edu.
7. You can enjoy coming back to campus to celebrate milestones, like the 50th anniversary in 2016!
You won't want to miss out on the party. The fortieth anniversary hoopla was really fun, so count on the fiftieth to be even better. When you come back you’ll see how the campus landscape has changed, what new buildings are under way, and whether it is still impossible to find any given room number in the Fine Arts building. For many alumni, whether you graduated one year ago or ten years ago, coming back to campus will, in a way,feel like coming home.
6. You will benefit from keeping up ties with your former classmates, professors, and university staff.
We want you to keep in touch! After graduating, stay in the loop by updating your e-mail address at alumni.umbc.edu/update. We hope that by staying connected to us we can better serve you as a UMBC alumnus/a. Keeping an up to date UMBC network can help you in the long run by providing references, job leads, advice, and help to grow or continue friendships. Some say life is all about who you know and our UMBC network is full of people who can help you. Did you check us out on Linked In yet? Connect with us by searching for UMBC Alumni Network.
5. It is particularly fun and rewarding to keep up ties with a subgroup within the UMBC community that was important to your experience here.
What happened outside the classroom is just as important as what happened in it. Becoming an active alumnus/a can help you stay in touch with the many groups and friends that made your UMBC experience unique. Did you play Rugby? Were you Greek? SGA officer? Theater major? Keeping in touch with UMBC and the many groups that made your UMBC experience meaningful is not as difficult or time consuming as you might think. You can keep up to date on alumni events by keeping your contact information up to date and checking out our alumni website, alumni.umbc.edu and liking our Facebook page at facebook.com/umbcalumni.
4. You can use the library, join the RAC, use the Career Services Center, get help applying for a Fulbright grant, and enjoy a lifelong subscription to UMBC Magazine. There are also several discounts for being an alum.
Did we mention that it's awesome being a UMBC alumnus/a? UMBC does not forget you when you graduate; certain services are available not just to current students but also to alumni (for some services there may be modest fees). Also, UMBC alumni can get discounts on life insurance and unlimited free cakes from Duff Goldman’s Charm City Cakes (not really, but we wish, since Duff is a UMBC alum). Read all about Duff here. And for a complete list of alumni perks and services check out our website here.
3. You can attend social events planned just for alumni, such as Orioles games, harbor cruises, wine tasting socials, networking receptions downtown, and more.
As an alum, you will be amazed at the VIP invitations and event promotions landing in your mailbox from UMBC. These events allow you to meet other UMBC alumni, have a blast reconnecting with old friends, and embark on new adventures. Past alumni events have included glass blowing seminars, bus trips to NYC, brunches in the city, financial planning seminars, and so much more. See what’s coming up here.
2. There is a group of young alumni that host events just for you!
As graduates of the last decade, the UMBC Chapter of Young Alumni (CYA), is a group of young alumni who help other alums stay connected to UMBC through social events, volunteer opportunities, career networking connections, meaningful volunteer and philanthropy opportunities and more.
CYA plans and hosts several events each year. Last year’s events included a Baltimore Harbor cruise, a late night ghost tour of Fells Point, a rowdy kickball game during homecoming, and a wine tasting and fundraising event to support the Alumni Association Scholarship. At any CYA event you can be sure there will be fun with fellow alums.
If you're interested in attending one of the many CYA events, visit the CYA website, or like them on Facebook. To apply to be a member of CYA or to get more information about getting involved with the board, email Jessica El-Zeftawy '08 '12, UMBC Alumni Programming Coordinator, at jbard1@umbc.edu or call (410) 455-1678.
AND, FINALLY:
1. You know it is the right thing to do!
At any university, Presidents, faculty, and staff will come and go but our alumni are forever. You'll never forget your time at UMBC and you'll never regret becoming an active alumni community member. There are so many ways to give back, so just do it!
Stay connected by visiting any of the following websites:
UMBC Alumni Community: alumni.umbc.edu
UMBC Magazine: www.umbc.edu/magazine
Search for us on Facebook: “UMBC’s Alumni Association”, “UMBC Chapter of Young Alumni”, "UMBC Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni"
Search for us on Linked In: UMBC Alumni Network
Search for us on Twitter: @UMBCalumni
UMBC Alumni Association Contact Info:
UMBC/Alumni House
1000 Hilltop Circle (actual address: 5451 Wilkens Avenue)
Baltimore, MD 21250
410-455-ALUM
EXTRA CREDIT DISCUSSION QUESTION:
What activities are you looking forward to participating in as a UMBC Alum?
