Dal Alum give back

By Samantha Ostrov and Melissa Evans, News Contributors

In 1984, Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in outer space. Before she was an astronaut, she was a student at Dalhousie University.

At homecoming this weekend, many interesting alumni will be roaming the campus, some with stories as interesting as Dwyer Sullivan’s. The Dalhousie Alumni Association has initiated various programs to keep these people involved and giving back to the school years after they’ve graduated.

Elizabeth May, current leader of the Green Party, is a familiar figure who graduated from Dal with a Bachelor of Laws in 1983. “Dalhousie has given me a wonderful, rich and intellectually exciting legal education,” says May. “Coming from a small Cape Breton village, Dalhousie introduced me to all of Canada.”

Graduates who, like May, want to give back to their alma mater are given the chance to do so through the alumni association, which annually recognizes former graduates “who have impressed the world with their accomplishments,” according to their website. The association encourages former Dal students to come back for Homecoming events, re-unite with their former classmates and engage with new students and staff.

Jim Wilson, MBA graduate of ’87 and current executive vice president of the Alumni Board has been brainstorming ideas to keep graduates connected to the school. He believes it is important to encourage the alumni to give back beyond “writing a cheque.”

Out of this concept came the idea of a mentorship program. One part of the program involves bringing back successful business executives to have lunch with students, says Wilson. The meet gives students an opportunity to learn about successful alumni in their field.  In turn, the alumni also have the rewarding experience of lending their insight to the students.

Doug Ettinger, MBA graduate and president of Ganong Chocolates, is one alum who took advantage of this program and met with current students of the MBA program. Wilson recalls that Ettinger not only had fun revisiting his campus, but also “loved having something to contribute” to his former school.
For the assocciation, much of the method for engaging alumni starts with urging current students to get involved.  Wilson feels that graduates who were involved in university life are more likely to come back to Dalhousie and contribute as alumni.

“Engaged students become engaged alumni,” says Wilson.  He stresses that the Alumni Association has to find ways to facilitate this process. Academic life is only a part of the alumni-university relationship, and social activity plays an equally important role.

Wilson and the association are working on possible social contributions for alumni that they hope will be as successful as the mentorship program. The association will host Homecoming from Oct. 21-23, which includes a variety of events ranging from dinners and dances to scavenger hunts, concerts and sports games.