Thousands of alumni
regularly support RIT through contributions of time, talent and
donations.
"Being
true to RIT can take many shapes," Lincoln says. "The energy
of our alumni pushes us to design events and programs that meet
their needs and involve them in the life of RIT."
The
engine that drives much of the alumni activity is tucked away
in a small suite of offices in a hallway on the second level
of the Student Alumni Union. Seven staff members crowd the suite,
answering phones, writing letters, tracking data, designing
brochures and Web sites, making travel arrangements, and nurturing
RIT alumni's lifelong relationships with the Institute and with
each other.
Affinity
groups - alumni organizations and activities centered on a college,
school or program-are Dan Hickey's charges. (Hickey earned his
bachelor of fine arts degree at RIT in 1991 and his master's
in 1998.) Hickey has worked with alumni on such varied events
as the party for 550 alumni onboard the Intrepid after October's
Big Shot, a reunion for the 1949 Photographic Technology graduates
and an alumni reception held annually at SIGGRAPH, the world's
premier computer graphics conference. "Each group is different
and gets its personality from the volunteers," he says, and
is galvanized by an alumnus or two who pull events together
and give vitality to the group.
The
Hospitality Society gets its momentum from Jim Frederiksen '95
and Keith Shugerts '94, says Hickey. "Jim and Keith have been
leading the Hospitality Society for some time. They believe
in the mission of the society to promote the interests of RIT's
School of Hospitality and Service Management and to promote
interaction between alumni."
Giving
RIT alumni the chance to go back to school, without the anxiety
of grades and deadlines, is the central point of Christina Mancini's
work. Charged with directing alumni education programs, she
plans such landmark events as Classes Without Quizzes. Scheduled
for three Saturdays a year, the program provides a variety of
courses in a broad range of subject areas that last from one-and-a-half
to three hours. Mancini organizes other educational programs
for alumni as well, including on-campus lectures and an online
learning program. A new job perk for Mancini is travel: this
year Mancini will visit Tuscany through the Alumni Travel Program's
inaugural trip.
"It's
the alumni that drive this education bus," says Mancini, laughing.
"Like Jon Kriegel '70, an engineering alumnus. He has presented
at Classes Without Quizzes, as well as two special seminars
on the Chandra Telescope. His most recent lecture drew over
350 people, and captivated them for over an hour."
More than seven hundred students turned out
for a career fair in March, sponsored by the Minority Alumni
Advisory Committee (MAAC). MAAC sponsors an annual scholarship
program and hosts several events, including the career fair
and a college day to introduce local minority high school
students to RIT.
Out-of-town
alumni frequently have the chance to enjoy the fruits of the
office's work. Staff organize regional activities for alumni.
Last year, they arranged receptions featuring President Simone
in Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia,
Phoenix, Dallas, Austin and Washington, D.C. Sporting events
gave them a good excuse to cook up networking affairs in several
large cities, including an NFL game between the Buffalo Bills
and the Phoenix Cardinals for 60 alumni in Phoenix. In the Rochester
area, regional activities have included mixers at the Memorial
Art Gallery, Finger Lakes winery tours, Rochester Rhinos soccer
games and Red Wings baseball games.
"The
number of chapters is growing--grads keep popping up to volunteer,
saying they want an opportunity to meet with other members of
the RIT community," Lincoln says proudly. "Stacy Kalisz '96
spearheads the Phoenix chapter, for example. In just one year
she has organized an inaugural chapter reception, a financial
planning workshop, a presidential reception, and alumni outings
to see Cardinals, Rattlers and Diamondbacks games. Frankly,
I have a hard time keeping up with her."
Internet
use among alumni is rapidly growing. Margaret Glitch '94, a
College of Business alumna, handles alumni technical outreach.
"I have to say that I love what I do," she says, pointing to
a tall stack of 500 e-mail printouts sitting on a shelf near
her computer. "Each one of those pieces of paper is a one-on-one
meeting between me and another graduate," she says. "They take
the time to let us know what they are doing. I get to connect
with all kinds of people."
The
Alumni Network Web site, www.rit. edu/alumni, is Glitch's recent
project that offers alumni users an online directory, yellow-pages
listings, a shopping mall, home page creation tools and permanent
e-mail addresses. "I enjoy the technical work, but the best
part of this job is when I get to meet an alum face to face
who smiles and talks about experiences at RIT," says Glitch.
"It makes me remember that we are all a community, no matter
where we are."
For more information on alumni activities of all kinds, call
716-475-ALUM, e-mail ritalum@rit.edu,
or visit www.rit. edu/alumni.
 
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All
work... Members of the Office of Alumni Relations, top
left to bottom: Christina Mancini, Margaret Glitch, Barbara
Carney, Dan Hickey, Ed Lincoln, Barbara Miller.
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