Alumni-Student
Engagement Initiative
Goal 1: Connect Students with Alumni
- Create opportunities for current LSU School of Medicine students to receive advice, professional connections, and mentorship from alumni.
Goal 2: Engage Alumni with the LSU School of Medicine
- Provide meaningful opportunities for alumni to volunteer, mentor, and give back by sharing their expertise with current students.
Program Overview
The LSU School of Medicine-New Orleans Medical Alumni Association is launching a Alumni-Student Engagement Initiative to connect current medical students with alumni who can share career advice, specialty knowledge, and professional experiences.
The School of Medicine has over 70 established Student Interest Groups (SIGs) that help support students and the community in numerous ways. Rather than creating a Student to Alumni Engagement Program from scratch, we will find ways to connect alumni with SIGs to enhance the work they are already doing. The program will be piloted this academic year with a small number of SIGs, with plans to expand to additional groups in the future. There are several ways to participate, depending on your interests and availability:
- Take an occasional phone call or email from a student with questions about your specialty, career path, or city.
- Participate in a specialty panel, presentation, or small-group discussion.
- Share research or clinical opportunities.
- Host or mentor students through shadowing or preceptorship experiences.
- Provide ongoing, one-on-one mentorship.
- And more...
We are building a database of alumni who are interested in participating so we can connect students with the right people as opportunities arise. You may not be contacted immediately; it could be some time before an opportunity matches your specialty, location, or availability. Completing the interest form simply lets us know how you might be willing to help, it does not commit you to participate.
Your contact information will not be distributed broadly to students. Faculty Advisors for each SIG will work to identify alumni whose interests and experience align with a student's needs. They will then facilitate the connection and share appropriate contact information.
If you are interested in helping the next generation of LSU physicians, please take a few minutes to fill out the Alumni-Student Engagement Interest Form.
Program Development Plan
Research
- Identify other Alumni-Student engagement programs to gather best practices.
- Work with Student Affairs Office to assess current alumni engagement and areas of need.
- Survey SIGs to determine interest in alumni involvement.
- Survey alumni to identify interest, availability and contact preferences.
Develop
- Develop an engagement plan based on student needs and alumni interest.
- Create a realistic timeline and strategies to implement the program.
- Create a central, internal directory of alumni who are interested in volunteering.
- Develop policies and procedures guide for contacting alumni with engagement opportunities.
Implement
- Roll out the initiative to 3-5 SIGs to pilot the program.
- Continue to promote the program to alumni through various channels.
- Provide Faculty Advisors with alumni volunteer database and Policies and Procedures document so they can facilitate connections as needed.
- Track engagement through SIGs.
Evaluate
- Collect data on the pilot program to perform a SWOT analysis to evaluate success, challenges, and opportunities.
- Determine ways to improve and scale the program to grow in the future.
- Identify next SIGs to engage.
- Continuously evaluate and improve program to benefit students and engage alumni.