Going for Gold
CURRENTS Article The story profiles eight of the 2012 CASE Circle of Excellence Award grand gold and gold award winners.

Outlook: Stuck in the Middle
CURRENTS Article Higher education and alumni associations hold an important key as more and more baby boomers seek help in making transitions to second careers.

The Whole Universe
CURRENTS Article The guiding principle of alumni engagement at the Tuck School of Business at Darmouth College is straightforward: Treat students like alumni and alumni like students, and then sit back and watch the magic happen.

Crème de la Crème
CURRENTS Article In 2011, 268 bronze, silver, gold, and grand gold Circle of Excellence awards went to 171 colleges, universities, independent schools, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. Eight of those grand gold and gold award winners are profiled here.

Slam Dunk
CURRENTS Article Two different goals--providing professional connections for alumni and filling a basketball arena--were met when the Northwestern Alumni Association and the athletics department came together to put on networking nights at home basketball games.

Connecting with Commuters
CURRENTS Article With decreased government funding for higher education the world over, many public two- and four-year commuter institutions are paying more attention to fundraising, which means reconnecting with alumni and building relationships. Since commuter schools are not likely to have much success with traditional alumni programming such as homecomings, class reunions, and tailgate parties, these institutions are finding other ways to engage former students and foster a sense of community.

Back to School
CURRENTS Article California's National University is offering scholarships to its alumni teachers who have been let go by the state so that they can return to college and increase their employment prospects.

Fair with Flair
CURRENTS Article In June, officials at the London College of Communication at the University of the Arts London held the first arts career fair in the U.K. for arts graduates from across the country.

Open-Door Policy
CURRENTS Article When the Great Recession hit, many colleges and universities found themselves with little career assistance to offer older alumni. Necessity is the mother of invention, and many of these alumni associations have increased their offerings for alumni of all ages and found new ways to partner with career services offices.

Network Views
CURRENTS Article The financial crisis of 2008 brought with it a deepening sense of insecurity, and the desire to be connected to a network increased. The MIT Alumni Association wanted to respond to this change in the economic landscape, and in doing so, staff found a new way to partner with alumni and enhance the roles they play.

Advance Work: Giving It Their All
CURRENTS Article During the 100-day period that began on commencement day, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's career counselors devoted 100 percent of their time and resources to securing employment or acceptance into graduate school for the recent graduates.

Making Lemonade
CURRENTS Article In the current economic climate, alumni associations are taking hard looks at their budgets and making cuts where necessary. However, the recession is an opportunity for alumni associations to create and build alumni loyalty through networking and career services--when they are needed most.

Advance Work: Do-Gooders Unite
CURRENTS Article Colorado College's Public Interest Fellowship Program allows alumni to interact with current students and pass on their nonprofit wisdom.

More than Meets the Eye
CURRENTS Article This sidebar--part of the "No Boundaries" article--identifies eight factors to keep in mind when creating an online mentoring program.

No Boundaries
CURRENTS Article Technology permits institutions to provide mentoring programs that are more focused and tailored to the participants’ schedules and needs. And as an added benefit, the program can provide the alumni relations office with one more way to create stronger ties between alumni--current and future--and the institution.

AdvanceWork: A Match Made in Minutes
CURRENTS Article Alumni networking can feel a bit like "catch as catch can," says consultant and Columbia Business School alumna Linda Netherton, who wanted to make networking more efficient and effective for other CBS graduates. Working with fellow alumnus Tom Jaffee--the brains behind 8minuteDating.com and NetworkingMatch.com--Netherton organized a "speed networking" event for her alma mater's Boston Alumni Club. This article discusses the event-planning process and outcome.

Inner Workings
CURRENTS Article As alumni officers search for ways to engage former students, they often overlook opportunities to build partnerships that support the strategic initiatives of the institution, not just the alumni office. Alumni staff members at the University of Iowa medical school have found a way to meet a vital campus need with the Help Our Students Travel program, in which alumni host students who are traveling around the United States for residency interviews. The HOST program is just one example of how alumni offices can work in partnership with campus colleagues. Alumni officers on other campuses can develop similar efforts by examining the goals and needs of their institutions and examining how the entire campus can serve and be served by alumni.

AdvanceWork: Small Talk, Big Benefits
CURRENTS Article New graduates are particularly eager to build professional relationships that might one day lead to job offers. Alumni events sometimes provide unique opportunities to do just that. Debra Fine, author of “The Fine Art of Small Talk,” offers a number of pointers that can help strengthen new alumni’s networking skills.

Let's Make a Deal
CURRENTS Article Alumni might not realize that they can benefit from the technology their alma mater already uses to locate and stay in touch with former students. Help alumni activate their “hidden” alumni network by showing them how to connect with fellow graduates via online directories, campus personnel directories, online class notes, and more. With these high-tech tools, business-savvy former students can forge new ties, rekindle lost campus connections, and open doors to new opportunities. An accompanying sidebar offers advice on networking etiquette.

AdvanceWork: Any Way You Slice It
CURRENTS Article Alumni relations professionals can borrow a page from the corporate playbook by thinking about alumni segmentation in terms of career stage. A corporate alumni relations manager details five segments she uses to plan her alumni programming: The new alum, the experienced alum, the stay-at-home alum, the entrepreneurial alum, and the hiring alum.

Mining for Gold
CURRENTS Article Profiles of 12 CASE Circle of Excellence 2003 winners. Member institution nominees were judged on the creativity of their alumni relations, communications, and development initiatives, including alumni publications, reunions, constituency giving, stewardship, and alumni relations programs. Profiled winners include Brigham Young University/University of Utah; Columbia College Chicago; Georgia Tech Alumni Association; Goucher College; Imperial College London; the Institute for Shipboard Education; Lehigh University Alumni Association; Monroe Community College Foundation; Pennsylvania State University; the University of Chicago; the University of Iowa Alumni Association; and the University of Miami.

Overcoming Dual Loyalities
CURRENTS Article Graduate school alumni officers continue to keep their former students involved with traditional offerings, such as reunions, educational programs, and career programs. In addition, they’re using such community-building techniques as grad-student centers and low- or no-cost alumni association memberships.

Click Here for Career Support
CURRENTS Article Many alumni associations are offering their members online career services that include access to job listings, opportunities to post resumes, and links to career resources. These offerings greatly enhance an association's career services programs and may even produce income. Most associations partner with commercial career-service vendors, which requires little investment and may generate revenue; the article lists four such vendors and provides tips for assessing vendors. Some associations operate their own services; two examples are Augusta State University and UCLA. In either case, it's important to consider online career services just one part of a larger career assistance package.