Sharing Experiences: Yale University Alumni Visit AUA

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On December 11, alumni relations experts from Yale University, Katherine Edersheim and Barbara Wagner, gave a talk at the American University of Armenia (AUA) on how to develop mutually beneficial university-alumni relations. Kathy Edersheim is Senior Director of International Alumni Relations and Travel at the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA), while Professor Barbara Wagner, who is Director of the Chase Small Business & Non Profit Law Clinic, is an alumna volunteer. Professor Wagner has recently been honored by Yale University as a recipient of the Yale Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of Yale Alumni, conferred solely to honor outstanding individual service to the University.

The duo visited AUA at the invitation of the Office of the President. Edersheim and Wagner addressed several issues of interest to the University, such as why Yale alumni feel closely connected to their alma mater, how to motivate volunteerism among alumni, and some of the structures that have been most successful in the development of effective alumni relations efforts at Yale. Both Edersheim and Wagner play leadership roles in a Yale alumni volunteer group that travels to other countries and talks to universities to help them organize their alumni.

Alumni relations is a well-developed concept in the United States that has helped drive the growth of individual universities and the breadth of higher education. Alumni give back their time and talent to their alma mater, supporting faculty, scholarships, mentoring, internships, and a wide array of alumni-driven entities. In particular, Yale promotes strong volunteer leadership and innovative alumni programming. 

The AYA, which is staffed by paid employees and a management team that coordinates a large network of volunteer chapters and clubs all over the world, uses various long-term strategies to develop its relations with alumni, including seeking the expert advice and counsel of its alumni and offering them leadership opportunities in regional alumni committees. This, in turn, can eventually lead to alumni involvement in community service and in giving back to the university.

For their part, alumni gain through opportunities for personal development and education offered by the alumni network, as well as travel and cultural exploration opportunities. The AYA head office, in cooperation with its volunteer alumni chapters and clubs, organizes these and other alumni activities, as well as provides career services to alumni. Even though there is a separate department at Yale providing career services to students, it works closely with the alumni association. There is no membership fee to join AYA and everyone (even those who have completed just a semester in degree programs) are members of the Association. 

“Many activities that the Yale alumni relations office does are of importance and interest to AUA,” Narine Petrosyan, Manager at the AUA Alumni and Career Development Office, said. The history of alumni relations at AUA spans at least two decades. Wonderful traditions of homecoming reunions and giving back to the University, as well as traditions of alumni sharing their experiences and mentoring current students, and of helping disadvantaged groups, are already established. However, much more can be accomplished, and the meeting with Yale alumni experts will certainly add new aspects to current activities, according to Petrosyan. “We will definitely take steps to enrich AUA alumni life by introducing shared interest groups, sport activities, service days, and more,” Petrosyan said.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.