Last week, the University of Denver community came together on One Day for DU, an annual campaign to help the University attract 1,000 donors in one day. Almost 1,700 students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends showed their support and raised over $130,000 for scholarships, academic programs and emerging opportunities University wide.
Alumni and community support comes in many forms, and there is no doubt that our University is a better institution because of the continued engagement of our alumni. Here at Daniels, my team is focused on building lifelong relationships with our alumni and engaging them in a variety of ways. We’ve spearheaded a number of efforts to do just that:
Alumni Advisory Board
In the past six years, this board has grown to a group of 30 active alumni who are dedicated to building a vibrant Daniels community here on campus and around the world. These 30 individuals are ambassadors for the University and the College and work to enhance the alumni and student experience by facilitating meaningful engagement. These members are dedicated role models who give their time and include the College in their philanthropy.
Alumni Engagement Committee
A subcommittee within the Alumni Advisory Board, this group of alumni creates events that appeal to a large number of alumni, but it also works hard to foster a culture of involvement among students while they are at DU and Daniels. A rich and rewarding student experience is the best way to motivate a recent graduate to stay active as an alumnus. My team and this committee are identifying ways to get students involved, introduce them to the alumni network and encourage them to stay connected after they graduate. There are many mutually beneficial results of such engagement—a robust network that Daniels graduates can rely upon throughout their careers, networking opportunities for both students and alumni, and career opportunities for students, to name just a few.
Partnership with Career Services
Many alumni work closely with Daniels Career Services to assist students with their career searches. Alumni serve as mentors, conduct mock interviews, participate on industry panels and share their networks with students. Recognizing the quality of Daniels students, many alumni hire Daniels students as interns and employees.
International Engagement
Recently, Leslie Carter joined the alumni team as the full-time director of international alumni engagement and will focus on outreach around the world. With a global network of more than 36,000 alumni in 89 countries, Daniels has a wide reach. Our goal is to increase engagement of our international alumni, which in turn creates opportunities for students to engage with international companies in many different industries—through travel programs, internships and class projects. Although our international alumni are far from campus, we want them to continue to connect with their alma mater.
Financial Support
Daniels depends on its alumni, friends, corporate partners and stakeholders for support—financial and other. There are countless ways you can get involved, and in doing so, you are contributing to the strength and vibrancy of this community.
As we near the end of the College’s fiscal year on June 30, I hope you will consider making an annual gift to Daniels. Our most important priority is to ensure an exceptional student experience. To do that, we need private funding to provide scholarships to attract high caliber students and to supplement what tuition doesn’t cover. We welcome gifts of any size, as all gifts make a difference. Visit the Daniels giving site to make a donation.
I feel privileged to engage with our distinguished alumni and am grateful for all that they do for our students, College and University. To learn more about how you can connect and get involved with Daniels, contact me directly at mona.spitz@du.edu or 303.871.4750.
Mona Spitz is the senior director of alumni relations and annual giving for the Daniels College of Business.