alumni futures

New Service: jobs.alumnifutures.com

Viewing Job Listings
One of the more popular searches that brings readers to Alumni Futures is "alumni director job openings." The Jobs category in the sidebar on the Alumni Futures web site gets a lot of clicks too.

I never intended for the blog to be a job posting service, but with increasing traffic from job seekers, I will now be listing educational advancement positions in a more systematic way. 

Rather than post individual jobs as blog posts (since many readers don't want to see job listings), I have set up a separate page to deliver advancement job openings from around the web. You can access it via the "Jobs" link at the top of each page on the web site, via the Positions in Advancement listing in the web site's left navigation column, or simply via this direct URL:

http://jobs.alumnifutures.com/

Posting Your Own Job Openings
This page also allows recruiters and hiring managers to post their own job openings for Alumni Futures' readers.

If you post a job by clicking the big red POST A JOB button at the top of that page (or below this paragraph), your job opening will always appear at the very top of the job listings page. This is one way of rewarding those who post their positions via Alumni Futures, by giving greater visibility to their posting, compared with listings from around the web. Click the button to post a position now, or just to see how you can do so:

As it says, the fee for posting a job opening is $99 for a 60 day listing. Periodically I'll highlight recent postings briefly via Twitter and the Alumni Futures Facebook page. 

How many people will see your posting? As of April, 2010 Alumni Futures has 

• 1,520 subscribers via e-mail and RSS;
• 827 followers on Twitter; and
• 368 fans on Facebook  

Searches via Google and other services provide a lot of web traffic:

In the last 60 days, for example, 4,400 unique visitors viewed 9,850 pages on the Alumni Futures web site. And more to the point, almost all visitors to the site are advancement professionals and those in directly related fields (including fundraising, communications and marketing in education and other non-profits).

I hope the service proves useful. Questions? Suggestions? Email me: andy@alumnifutures.com.

LinkedIn for Alumni Professionals at Technical Institutions

Many of us use LinkedIn to help alumni activate their networks for professional advancement. But do you use LinkedIn for your own benefit? LinkedIn has a Groups function which, though far from perfect, can be useful in many cases.

There is a CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Group on LinkedIn, and there are also a few subgroups. As of this writing, they include

• Independent Schools
  
• CASE District II
  
• Alumni Volunteers in India
  

and

• Alumni Professionals in Technical and Engineering Institutions.
  

I suggested this last group as one that would appeal to those of us whose alumni audience is heavily weighted toward engineers, scientists and other research professions. If this describes your own institution then check out the subgroup and post discussion items to share program ideas and to ask questions. Basic LinkedIn membership is free for individuals.

Job Posting: American University in Paris

For someone who is comfortable in a multinational setting (and who has permission to work in the EU), there's a challenge available at the American University in Paris. The position is Director of Development.

There's a general description on the UK universities' education recruiting site, and a more detailed one on the AUP site itself. Note: If that last link has expired it means the job is no longer posted.

Best of luck!

Photo of the géode at La Villette from Flickr user Panorama via Creative Commons.

Click image to view larger.

Job Opening: Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania, USA)

Colleague Lisa Lee writes that Swarthmore College is seeking an Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, someone to

coordinate and implement alumni education and networking events and programs, on and off-campus. This includes organizing faculty lectures around the world, coordinating aspects of Alumni Weekend, and working closely with other members of the Alumni Relations department.

And as evidence that "technology" is no longer something different or separate from alumni relations in general, the assistant director

is also responsible for maintaining and supporting the alumni relations website, class and regional listservs and the On-Line Community.

The formal run-down includes additional details and responsibilities:

• Manage reunion volunteers of thirteen different classes...This includes the logistical aspects of class events, mailings throughout the year, and especially class dinners during Alumni Weekend.
• Coordinate and implement logistics for the Faculty on the Road program, in which faculty give talks around the country and occasionally abroad. This includes site selection, coordination of space, event set-up, catering, staffing, development of printed invitations and programs, developing title and text with faculty and managing alumni volunteers.

Want this job? You need a bachelor's degree, one to three years' experience in "a related environment," and if possible, experience with volunteer management. Plus you're a team player with the usual extras.

Apply online at www.swarthmore.edu: click Search Open Positions on the left side of the Employment Page.

And in case you didn't know, Swarthmore College is

a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to excellence through diversity in its educational program and employment practices and actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world.

Good luck!

Photo of Swarthmore College campus by Colin Purrington via Creative Commons.

Job Opening: Caltech Alumni Association (Pasadena, California, USA)

Want to work in my office? We currently have an opening for an Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at the Caltech Alumni Association.

Our long-serving colleague at Caltech, Karen Carlson, is the new Director of Alumni Relations at her alma mater, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota (congratulations to Karen!). We have posted the open position and I encourage interested parties to apply online through the official HR channels (sending me an e-mail with your résumé is nice, but doesn't help you at all).

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a small (900 undergraduates and 1,200 grad students; 21,000 living alumni) science, math and engineering school in Pasadena, California — about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Reporting to the Executive Director (that's me), this position oversees alumni admissions support; plans and executes all aspects of specific regional events and programs; and directs volunteer development and management across the Alumni Association.

What may not come through in the official posting is that we want someone willing to think up new ways of doing things and to take risks and make changes. We're not hiring someone to make sure everything stays the same.

To see the official description and to apply, follow this link and select Alumni & Development from the Job Category menu, then click Search:

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, Caltech

If this position is not listed in search results, it means the position is no longer available.

Here's a slightly abbreviated listing of responsibilities.

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations:   

• Oversees Alumni Association's Undergraduate Admissions Support (UAS) program, including collaboration with Admissions Office as required.

• Leads the creation of a comprehensive education and program strategy to meet the needs of our alumni population and to boost Association membership.

• Conceives and develops local and regional social, educational and career programs geared toward Caltech graduates.

• Directs the planning, implementation and staffing of various programs and events including Presidential activities, family, weekend and international events.

• Identifies and recruits faculty and alumni speakers for events and programs. Manages promotion, marketing and registration process for all such programs.

• Identifies and recruits alumni volunteers to aid in the development and execution of events nationwide & overseas.

• Guides the Association's management of existing volunteers through a program of volunteer development, including oversight of an annual Leadership Weekend training program, volunteer awards and recognition, and tracking of volunteer assignments and achievements.

• Collaborates with Development staff in identifying and developing programmatic plan for building young alumni support of the Institute.

Minimum Requirements: Bachelor's degree required with a minimum of three years related experience in higher education or non-profit environment preferred. Experience managing and implementing events required. Experience recruiting and managing volunteer groups required.

I encourage qualified and interested applicants to apply. Good luck!

Caltech is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Photo by Elizabeth Allen

Job Opening: University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas, USA)

The University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas, USA) is looking for a Director for Alumni and Parent Relations. UTMB consists of four schools with the School of Medicine being the state’s oldest, founded in 1891. With over $156 million in sponsored research annually UTMB ranks 37th among all medical schools in the United States.   

Executive Recruiter Sherri Osterlund reports that

the Director for Alumni and Parent Relations will be responsible for the development and management of a class reunion gift program for the School of Medicine which will be coordinated with the Homecoming activities. In addition, [the Director will] develop and manage a UTMB Parents Council that is inclusive of all four schools and will enhance the educational experiences of the students at UTMB. The Director will also provide oversight of the development of a broad fund-raising program designed to secure lead annual gifts from individuals and alumni.

Sound good? Want to work on Galveston Island (about 40 miles from Houston)? Then apply online (Job Opening # 14434) for consideration. Include a letter of interest and three professional references.

Good luck!

Link to UTMB Employment Web Site

Job Opening: Greenhill School (Dallas, Texas USA)

Katie Young from Greenhill School in North Dallas, Texas (USA), passed along information about an opportunity there: Director of Major Gifts and Alumni Affairs.

Founded in 1950, Greenhill School has a rich history of excellence and achievement defined by a balance of academics, arts, athletics and community service. As the only coeducational, nondenominational, PK-12 school in Dallas, Greenhill’s culture reflects a value of and commitment to diversity and individuality.

[T]he Director of Major Gifts and Alumni Affairs is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive and strategic cultivation and solicitation plans for major gift prospects at Greenhill School.... The Director will hold the primary responsibility for managing relationships and conducting one-on-one solicitations with a top tier of prospects, planning a variety of large and small events specifically designed to connect alumni and strengthen their relationship to Greenhill, as well as to cultivate donors towards making significant gifts to the school. The Director will also manage alumni and major gifts/campaign volunteers in committee roles and for peer-to-peer solicitation. The Director will play a critical role in the overarching strategies and success of the upcoming capital and endowment campaign.

Nice combo of gift solicitation, alumni relations, volunteer management, campaign work and more.

If interested, please submit a cover letter and résumé to Greenhill School Employment:

Greenhill School Job Opportunities page (click on Current Openings, bottom right)

Good luck!

Job Opening: Mt. Holyoke College (Massachusetts, USA)

MIT Alumni Association's Sandra Mallalieu sends word of this opportunity at a top women's college in Massachusetts (USA):

While I work for MIT, I am a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and am on the Alumnae Association Board of Directors. I'm on the committee seeking candidates to fill the position of Executive Director of the Association. We are seeking someone who, as you'll see in the description, has a strategic perspective in terms of technology.

The office has almost 20 full-time equivalent staff, and a budget of almost $2.5 million. The link below will take you to the careers site at Mt. Holyoke College.

1. Click on Search Postings on the left hand side, and
2. Look for Executive Director, Alumnae Association in the Job Title drop down menu.

https://jobsearch.mtholyoke.edu/

The "Special Instructions" to applicants include this:

Screening of candidates will commence on July 1, 2008 and will be completed in the fall. To apply, include your resume, a cover letter and names of three references.

Know somebody who would be great for this opportunity? Nominations may be sent in confidence to the search co-chair, Joanna Jones, at jjones@edc.org.

Note: This job was posted at Mt. Holyoke May 21, 2008. If you don't see the position listed on their web site, it has been filled. I don't link directly to job postings, because they quickly expire.

Job Opening: Oberlin College (Ohio, USA)

Lisa Lee, Director of Alumni Relations at Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania, USA) recently told the members of the Minary Conference alumni education listserv about an upcoming job opportunity. Laura Gobbi (who happens to be the chair of this year's Minary Conference) is moving on from Oberlin to take on a new challenge at Mills College (California, USA). So her position at Oberlin will be vacant:

Oberlin College seeks applications for the position of Executive Director of the Alumni Association. This is a full-time, 12-month, Administrative and Professional Staff position in the division of Development and Alumni Affairs. The Executive Director will work closely with the President and the Executive Board of the Oberlin Alumni Association on matters pertaining to policy, direction and execution of programs under the aegis of that organization. The Executive Director will report to the Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs on matters pertaining to performance, management and general strategies relating to the activities of the Alumni Association as part of the Division of Development and Alumni Affairs at Oberlin.

To see the full job description, go to

http://www.oberlin.edu/HR/mainpages/adminjobs.html

Look for "Executive Director of the Alumni Association" under the column headed "Position Title."

It sounds like an appealing opportunity at a great school.

Also, I like the use of the word "aegis." You don't see that much anymore.

Congratulations Laura, and good luck!

Job Opening: Ojai Valley School (California, USA)

Ojai* Valley School, an independent elementary and secondary school in Ojai, California (USA), is looking for an Alumni Relations Coordinator.

This is full-time position, responsible for keeping alumni connected with the school. Duties are standard but comprehensive:

...all aspects of alumni relations including event planning, alumni publications, recruiting for and managing alumni in volunteer leadership roles, and assisting with development.

What do you need in order to succeed there? The usual excellence in communications and organization and so on. They are requiring non-profit experience, and alumni relations experience is "highly desirable." Send a cover letter, a resume, your references and salary requirements to bowerss@ovs.org. No phone calls!

The Ojai Valley, by the way, is located along the Topa Topa Mountains, about 85 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 12 miles from Ventura. It's a very beautiful location, and the town itself is home to several independent schools: Ojai Valley, Thacher, Oak Grove, Villanova Prep, and Happy Valley (recently renamed Besant Hill) are among them.

Ojai Valley School homepage [Flash player required]

Ojai Post blog entry about schools in Ojai

Google map [shows Ojai in relation to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles]

*pronounced OH-high, in case you were wondering!


Photo of Ojai Valley by Flickr user **Mary** - used under Creative Commons license. Click photo to view larger image.