Primary Staff Contacts:

• Marcia Mahlum, Director of Alumnae Relations, College of Saint Benedict
• Jean Dempsey, Alumni Relations Officer, Saint John’s University

Primary Alum Board Contacts:

• Alumna in Training Committee, College of Saint Benedict
• Student Prep Committee, Saint John’s University

Purpose of program:

To foster and strengthen the life-long relationship between alums and students to the college and university; to support the holistic and transformational development of women and men by becoming a mentor-centered community; to connect, energize, and promote Bennies and Johnnies and to support the mission of Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s as a premier Benedictine College in the United States.

Responsibilities:

• Represent the value of a Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s education in a professional and thoughtful manner in alignment with the Benedictine Values on which our education is based.
• Initiate contact with selected alum.
• Read and respond to InterAction correspondence (generally via email) in a professional and timely manner.
• Develop goals on you want to accomplish or gain as a part of a successful InterAction relationship and how you will connect with your alum (see the InterAction Program Worksheet to help guide that conversation). Note that one meeting is required (either in person or via phone or video chat).
• Reference tools provided like Areas of Discussion for conversation ideas with your alum.
• Fill out a match feedback survey to contribute to future improvements to the program.
• Be receptive to suggestions and feedback from your InterAction Program alum. Feedback will only be offered to help you grow professionally.
• Approach the InterAction relationship with respect, professionalism and an open mind.
• Be mindful of when the relationship has reached its natural end; if all the goals you set have been achieved then it may be time to find another alum to tackle another set of goals. If the student and alum would like to continue to meet (though likely with less frequency) or the student can simply thank the alum and move on to start another InterAction relationship.
• Refer your classmates to the InterAction program.

Qualifications:

• Must be a current student of College of Saint Benedict or Saint John’s University.
• Willingness to meet with a Saint Ben’s or Saint John’s alum in-person or virtually.

Time Commitment:

• Ability to commit to participating in the InterAction for one or both semesters and/or over the summer. One meeting with your selected alum is expected. The number of additional meetings will be determined between the alum and student.

Benefits:

• Help to build your professional network.
• Help improve your professional communication skills.
• Provides first-hand insight on the alums industry and career path.

InterAction Expectations:

• Initiate communication with the alum.
• Respond to the alum within 72 hours of receiving an email from him/her.
• Attend all scheduled meetings with your alum, absent extenuating circumstances.
• If unable to fulfill the commitment through the semester or summer, submit an email to [email protected] and [email protected].