Alumni Association Accomplishments Since 2017
Since launching “Inspiring our Alumni. Supporting our University. Bettering our World” in 2017, the Alumni Association has consistently delivered creative, high-quality events, programs, and communications despite the challenges of COVID-19. We leveraged new technologies to connect graduates globally; built industry, identity, and interest communities; and developed programs for professional growth and alumni-student connections.
Key Highlights include:
In response to the COVID-19 shutdown beginning in March, 2020, the Alumni Office pivoted quickly to new ways of working.
Delivered 30+ unique events with over 1,200+ alumni attendees, including Virtual Examen sessions with Jack Treacy, S.J. ’77 and the Bronco Expert Series
Created new online offerings (e.g., Broncos on The Frontlines, Bronco Business Directory, and 3-Point Thursday (3PT))
Supported the Class of 2020 through their COVID-impacted graduation with web content, swag, celebrity videos, alumni words of encouragement, and a belated commencement ceremony
Celebrated two sets of class years - any alumni whose class years ended with 0s or 5s and missed their 2020 reunion and alumni with class years ending in 1s and 6s who celebrated in 2021
To engage alumni of all ages and interests, we’ve developed many new programs and made improvements to existing offerings.
During Grand Reunion, buried a time capsule for the class of 2021 in the Bannan Alumni House backyard, which will be unearthed at their 20th Reunion
Staged a professional photo shoot for alumni and their families in front of the Mission Church
Arranged a three-day trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), including a talk with two OSF actors and daily debrief conversations with SCU theatre professor, Aldo Billingslea
Collaborated with Information Technology and Advancement Services to offer SCU graduates Google-hosted @alumni.scu.edu email accounts
Created a Young Alumni Focus Group and Young Alumni Advisory Committee (YAAC) to solicit engagement ideas, develop tailored events, and inspire targeted communications, marketing plans, and social media campaigns
Launched the Student & Alumni Connections Hub of Bronco Exchange – an easy-to-use networking, mentoring, and career connections platform – to connect SCU alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends
We continued to find new ways to keep our alumni informed and engaged with SCU
Surpassed 45,000 combined followers across Alumni Association social media accounts, a 26% overall increase
Distributed an exclusive alumni license plate frame to the classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023
Marked 100 years of the Bannan Family’s relationship with SCU by renaming our building the Bannan Alumni House. We also celebrated the 140th Anniversary of the Alumni Association and produced 11 Notable Alumni banners, which are displayed around campus
Alumni have shared their ideas, opinions, and advice through surveys and focus groups. Their suggestions informed Alumni Association and University strategies and activities.
Alumni participated in the following surveys and focus groups to support the Alumni Association and the University:
- Career Resources Survey
- Post-COVID Preference Survey
- Alumni Association Inclusion Survey
- Graduate Alumni Survey
- 2023 Alumni Attitude Survey
- 2023 Regional Focus Groups
The Alumni Board of Directors participated as a primary focus group for the University’s Strategic Plan
The Alumni Identity Council participated as a primary focus group for the University’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Strategic Plan
To increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of alumni engagement, we focused on creating truly collaborative campus partnerships.
Launched three Massive Open Online Courses with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Created the Super Broncos Alumni Group to recognize and highlight all graduates who also work at the University
Worked with Undergraduate Admissions to include the Bannan Alumni House on physical and virtual tours
Welcomed Dr. Julie Sullivan as SCU’s 30th President with a unique class year procession (involving 70 alumni from the classes of 1951 through 2021) as part of her inauguration ceremony and more than a dozen regional "Meet the President" events
Our team adapted to changing circumstances while remaining efficient, effective, and entrepreneurial.
Reconfigured the Alumni Office team structure and resources to better align with the Key Priorities in our 2017 Strategic Plan.
We added a Content Creator and a Systems & Technology Specialist while repurposing existing resources to offer new programs (e.g., Alumni Book Club, Alumni Bookshelf), create more original content, and better focus on young alumni, graduate alumni, current students, and identity groups
Added a Content Creator and Systems and Technology specialist while repurposing existing resources to offer new programs (e.g., Alumni Book Club, Alumni Bookshelf), create more original content, and better focus on young alumni, graduate alumni, students, and identity groups
Reengineered the Alumni Board of Directors by diversifying our membership, extending the term of our Board President from one year to two, coordinating annual meetings between the Alumni Board President and University President, launching a Virtual Speaker Series for current and former members, and building credibility as the voice of our alumni
Adopted new platforms to increase our productivity (Asana), enhance alumni engagement (Bronco Exchange), and improve customer service (Cvent)
To support SCU’s $1 billion Innovating with a Mission capital campaign, we committed to uniquely engaging 35% of our contactable alumni and driving 1 million points of alumni engagement
Identified 150 points of alumni engagement to track and measure our accomplishments
With 70+ campus partners, developed an annual coding process to capture and save data in SCU’s constituent database (CLARA)
Analyzed alumni demographics by class year to better understand where we could improve engagement and which demographics we are serving well
Based on qualitative and quantitative data, we discontinued the Mission Wine Collection program, the annual Pasta Feed and Bronco Legends Night, the Young Alumni Soiree, and the New Student Calling Program. We also transitioned ownership of “Illuminate,” SCU’s thought leader blog, to University Marketing & Communications.
