Creating a network of Aggies
Announcements have been sent, the cap and gown have been taken off and a tassel hangs from the rearview mirror. For many USU graduates, the question then becomes, now what?
To avoid getting lost in a world of college graduates and professional coworkers, last fall University Advancement started a networking event for Utah State alumni called Aggie-to-Aggie Business Connection.
“It’s a business connection and an old-friend connection. It’s a networking activity for the alumni to exchange info. There is no fee to get in; entrance to the event is a business card to track the alumni and keep our records up to date.” Patty Halaufia, assistant director of the Student Alumni Association at USU said.
Halufia headed the most recent of these networking events, which was held Oct. 10.
The Business Connection event took place at the Alta Club in downtown Salt Lake City from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Halaufia said the event always targets Utah State alumni that live and work on the Wasatch front, and that they usually get about 70 to 100 people to show up.
Halaufia said the event is especially beneficial for Aggies looking for employees, employment or clients. University Advancement invites the company of an alumnus to sponsor an Aggie-to-Aggie event, the company covers the cost of the event, and in turn, they have the opportunity to talk and tell about their company and how they got where they are. She said although the event on Oct. 10 had a smaller attendance than previous events (about 40 alumni), a lot of the younger Aggie workforce showed up this time, which was fun to see.
While Aggie-to-Aggie Business Connection events are less geared toward undergrads, Halaufia said Career Services is represented there to hear of any job opportunities that could be taken back to undergrads at USU.
Sharon Larkin, an Aggie alumna working in the Salt Lake area, has attended all four Aggie-to-Aggie events since last fall. Larkin said, “I really think that it’s a wonderful idea. The location is good, downtown at the Alta Club, the food is marvelous and the idea of the Aggie-to-Aggie Connection is a great idea for businesses to network.”
As a first time Aggie-to-Aggie Connection attendee last week, USU alumnus Mike Wagner was impressed with his experience at the event.
He said even though he got there a little bit late, they gave him a great reception when he arrived. President Albrecht spoke first to everyone present, and then there was great food and everyone got to go around and mingle.
Wagner said there were a lot of people he went to college with in attendance, and he even had his own opportunity to do some networking and make a connection. “It worked out really well. Justin Hamilton and I are good friends; we’re opening
a new Café Sabor in Park City. We were actually just going over our marketing plan that night and trying to decide how we were going to get the word out and inform the public. We thought about doing a mass mailing to inform everyone, but we had no idea how we were going to do it. But I met an alum that owns a company that does mass mailings. It came up in conversation, and they had a business card, and it worked out great.” Wagner said “It’s worthwhile. It was the first time I’ve ever been, and I was kind of nervous that I wouldn’t know anyone, but it turned out I knew a lot of people. Even the older alumni were gracious and friendly. They were interested in me and what I’m doing now in life and how they can help me out.”
Current USU student David Thompson is a senior planning on graduating in December with a professional and technical writing bachelor’s degree from the English department.
When asked if Aggie-to-Aggie Business Connection is an event that he would have interest in attending and being part of after graduation, Thompson said, “I’m always interested in opportunities to network or chances to connect with potential employment.
“When I was a freshman, I wasn’t concerned with networking or meeting people to help me obtain a career, but now I take every available chance to participate in extracurricular activities and go to events to meet other Utah State students.
“I think it’s important to be involved with people in ways that can lead to positive connections in the future, and I would definitely be interested in continuing those opportunities for networking after graduation.”
In order to be a Utah State student with connections to other Aggies, Halaufia said the most important thing graduating students can do now and in the future is make sure that they are keeping their contact information current on the university records.
“Don’t you think it’s a little easier for you to keep track of the university than for the university to keep track of you?” Halaufia emphasized, noting that events such as Aggie-to-Aggie Business Connection are examples of things the university supplies alumni after graduation, but that in order to get these invitations and be part of the Aggie network, each graduated student needs to keep their contact information updated.
She said this can be done anytime before or after graduation through the USU Web site, but that it should be updated after any move or change of address.
She said the address on university records is also where the Utah State alumni magazine will be sent to.
“It’s a great event, especially for those that have graduated and want to be involved in business, politics and other ideas.” Wagner said.
Larkin said that she would encourage those who have not yet attended to do so in the future. “It would be a benefit for us all to connect with former Aggies that maybe we knew or went to school with, or maybe we find out we were at school at the same time, ” she said.
-msorensen@cc.usu.edu