The Class of 2020 graduates missed out on their much-awaited traditional send-off. Here are 5 thoughtful ways to welcome your Class of 2020 alumni to lift their spirits.
For schools and universities around the world, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has shortened the semester and put a hard stop to all planned events and gatherings. The worst hit by this series of events is the Class of 2020 as their final months on campus are snatched away from them and commencement ceremonies either stand cancelled, postponed, or moved online.
These new alumni experience mixed feelings as one of the happiest moments of their life - their day of graduation that they worked so hard to get to, is now replaced with sadness and disappointment over not being able to celebrate this joyous day with friends and family.
As these new graduates launch themselves into the worst job market since the Great Recession, amidst anxiety and fear over revoked job offers and huge loans, your role as their alma mater could define their lives for decades to come.
Here are 5 thoughtful ways to welcome your Class of 2020 alumni to lift their spirits and ease their way through this transition.
One thing that your new graduates would definitely appreciate is hearing from their seniors! Have your alumni community create short video messages to welcome the newest members with the most thoughtful messages, praises, and words of wisdom to encourage them as they embark on a new journey.
Even better, surprise your newest members with a special video appearance from a star alum!
To brighten up the virtual graduation ceremony for their newest alumni brethren, St. Francis High School encouraged its alumni to create short videos to welcome the Class of 2020. The video compilation also included a special appearance by the school’s longtime community member, Fergie, former Black Eyed Peas music band member who dropped in to congratulate the new alumni.
The Class of 2020 has already been robbed of a conventional commencement ceremony and definitely deserve some extra love and attention. Honor each one of them for the sacrifices they’ve had to make and celebrate their achievements and success with customized yard signs.
Yard signs with pictures of alumni are a unique way to display support for your graduates and publicly announce their accomplishments.
Nicholls State University Alumni Federation arranged to have yard signs made to honor each and every graduating senior and encouraged them to drop by the Alumni House on campus to click a picture with their customized signs. The pictures taken by young graduates were then shared on social media and the memorable souvenirs were later on taken home by alumni.
Give your new graduates a chance to bond again over music that will forever stay close to their hearts. Have your teachers and students put together a Spotify playlist featuring the Class of 2020’s favourite tracks define their campus experience and surprise them by playing the tracks during their virtual commencement ceremony. Also, make the playlist available via a link on your alumni website.
University of Maryland Alumni Association created an exclusive Spotify playlist to celebrate their Class of 2020. The university also added a link to the playlist on their alumni website.
As the Class of 2020 misses their traditional end-of year programming, many schools and universities are hosting virtual events to honor this important milestone in the lives of their new graduates.
North Allegheny School District went a step further and dedicated a week of events to celebrate their new alumni. From a car parade to a virtual dance party, the institution meticulously planned multiple themed events in the spirit of graduating seniors. North Allegheny Foundation, NA Alumni Association, and NASD also started a fundraiser to raise money for this special gift to their graduates.
The job market is extremely hostile and your new graduates are reeling under the pressure of rescinded job offers and canceled interviews. As this crisis unfolds, one way of welcoming your Class of 2020 is by offering them the support of those who’ve had first-hand experience dealing with a similar situation.
Yes, we’re talking about your Class of 2008. While the circumstances may be largely different, your Class of 2008 comes closest to understanding what the Class of 2020 is going through. Make it easy for your new graduates to interact with your graduates of 2008 by creating an affinity group on your alumni website or a community on Facebook or LinkedIn.
The College of Idaho created a closed community on their alumni network inviting graduates of 2008 to help out their newest alumni members. The private community has a total of 341 members.
As the Class of 2020 learns to adapt and overcome the challenges thrown at them, the onus is on schools and universities to ensure that these young graduates come out strong. So, we hope you make the most of the ideas shared in this blog post and welcome your Class of 2020 as alumni to your institution with pomp and gaiety!
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The graduation season is upon us and it usually brings with itself, accompanying feelings of nostalgia and happiness. As graduates move towards a new chapter in their lives with the blessings of their beloved teachers, graduation is one of the happiest moments in a student’s life.
But, is the world still the same place since the last graduation season?
The upcoming batch of graduates is being deprived of once-in-a-lifetime moments like dancing the night away at their senior prom, walking across the stage to receive the diploma that they spent countless hours of hard work on, and even a chance to simply say goodbye to the people that have been an important part of their lives - friends, mentors, and beloved teachers.
On top of this, these young graduates find themselves thrust into the worst job market in modern history. Many of them have lost their on-campus jobs, internships, and are already witnessing dwindling job opportunities.
Now more than ever, the graduates need to know that their alma mater and alumni have their back. In a post-pandemic world, it is imperative that the university community join hands to help soon-to-be graduates, and eliminate the risk of a lost connection with them.
Here are 5 ways in which alumni can get involved and help the next batch of graduates overcome their unique challenges during these testing times.
The post-pandemic world keeps throwing oddballs at all of us, and it’s only natural that your graduates need some additional help. Whether it’s emotional support from a friendly alum or an alum that can offer career guidance, your graduates need all the support they can get to power through this crisis. As the situation at hand is unique, encourage your alumni to go the extra mile and offer one-on-one support to your graduates.
Facilitate direct conversations between alumni and graduates via emails or social media, or create an affinity group to connect graduates with alumni who can cater to their needs. While enabling group conversations is a good approach, in these challenging times, a little one-on-one treatment might go a long way in building deeper connections and imbibing a greater sense of loyalty in your new alumni.
Barcelona Graduate School of Economics facilitates a unique one-on-one chat experience to help graduates, students, and candidates applying to the institution via an online chat platform.
Your alumni network is a valuable resource for your upcoming graduates who are currently on the lookout for job and internship opportunities. These networks also serve exclusive job and internship listings in cases where they’re not widely published elsewhere, giving graduates first dibs. Additionally, having an alum guide these graduates with their job search and provide an endorsement at their companies greatly improves the chances of the latter landing a job offer.
In case your graduates have to miss their traditional end-of-year programming and brace themselves for a plethora of challenges coming their way, it is all the more important that they hear encouraging words of wisdom from their seniors. Urge your alumni community to create short video messages, offering words of encouragement, praises, and congratulations to the young graduates.
Add an element of surprise by getting a star alum to make an appearance on the video.
Read how Carnegie Mellon University roped in 13 high-profile alumni to surprise their Class of 2020 graduates during their virtual conferral of degrees ceremony. Head over to CMU’s website to read more.
Job shadowing plays a pivotal role in career development and discovery as it helps a graduate gauge and identify their field of interest, assess if they are the right fit for a particular position or industry, learn skills via hands-on experience, network and build relationships with relevant professionals, and receive invaluable career advice from experienced alumni. Give your graduates the opportunity to explore different career-fields and gain real-world experience in the field of their choice by matching them with alumni hosts interested in job shadowing.
You can facilitate job shadowing by using an online network that automatically matches alumni and graduates based on their needs, interests, and other relevant criteria.
Boston College’s Eagle Exchange Job Shadowing Program is an exclusive online platform that matches students with college alumni who serve as hosts for one-day shadowing experiences. Alumni hosts represent diverse industries and job functions. Read more about the Eagle Exchange program here.
As your graduates come to terms with a hostile job market and mourn loss of traditions, there’s so many questions that these new graduates need answered. Provide value to your new graduates by organizing an Ask Me Anything session by roping in expert alumni to answer specific questions. If your graduates are concerned about getting a job in this bad economy, get career specialists in your alumni community on board and schedule an open AMA session to allow your graduates to ask away.
Washington State University Alumni Association’s hosting weekly AMA sessions with alumni employers who are ready to talk to all majors in the fields of arts, science, and health. Head over to WSU’s alumni website to read more.
To the next batch of graduates, hang in there, as this is only the ending of the first chapter of a grand adventure. And to all our incredible partners who are going above and beyond to help and support their young graduates, we stand with you and promise to continue delivering the best ideas and strategies to make your job easier.
How your alumni community can support new graduates
Here are 5 ways in which your alumni community can support the Class of 2020 graduates overcome their unique challenges during the COVID-19 crisis.
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