Friday, August 05, 2005
Find fellow alumni, products, or services, and make new connections
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Stop searching and start finding the business connections you need by using the online Alumni Business Resource Directory, a new service of the USI Alumni Association. Nancy Johnson ’83 ’95, director of Alumni and Volunteer Services, said the directory provides information about USI alumni for other USI graduates seeking products, services, and/or networking opportunities. Access the directory at www.usi.edu/alumni. Launched in February, the directory lists 270 USI alumni in 44 of 51 available business categories. Graduates in the directory represent 16 states. A work in progress, the resource will grow as more alumni submit information. A link on the site allows USI graduates to add themselves to the directory or update their listing. Visitors to the Web site can search by the graduate’s last name, major, or business name. They also can search by industry or by state. The directory includes business contact information for the alumnus and provides space for a description of the business and any discounts available. Kara D. Baskett ’00, a senior admission counselor at North Park University in Chicago, encourages fellow graduates to use the directory to help them create a network. “I put my company’s name in the directory in the event a USI graduate moving to Chicago might be looking for a position in higher education, looking to obtain a graduate degree in the City of Chicago, or just looking for advice about moving to Chicago,” she said. “When I moved to Chicago, I didn't know anyone living in the city. I would hope that recent graduates and individuals moving to different areas of the globe would use this database as a means of creating their own network.” Baskett recently hosted a USI alumni gathering in Chicago. Michael Hunsaker, a Web programmer with USI’s Web Services, has been instrumental in establishing the site and recognized immediately that he could make use of it. “My wife and I moved to Newburgh late last year and just recently purchased a house. Not knowing much about the area, my options were limited when it came to finding a landscaper, builder, and plumber,” Hunsaker said. “Instead of picking up the Yellow Pages, I went online to the Alumni Business Resource Directory to help establish a few contacts for future reference. The online directory has a lot of potential and it has already proven very useful for us.” Donita Wolf ’83, a past president of the USI Alumni Council, looks forward to using the directory to find fellow alumni with whom she can do business. Wolf started her own company, Century 21 Donita Wolf Realty, in November. “I appreciate the support I have had in my new company from USI alumni and I look forward to having more real estate transactions from future alumni,” she said. “It benefits all graduates when we do business with each other and support each other in our individual chosen fields.” Nancy Dauby ’99, chair of the Communications Committee for the Alumni Council, said the idea to develop the online directory came from a planning retreat in October 2003 and received positive response in an alumni survey conducted the following summer. Dauby is a training consultant for USI Extended Services. Other members of the Communications Committee are Debra Wells ’00, Stephanie Stewart Polen ’98, and Brad Dillon ’96. Alumni who indicated an interest in the directory on the survey served as the pilot group for launching the Web site. Dauby said the online resource keeps alumni connected. “It also can inspire new alumni when they see where their degrees can lead them,” she said. Charley Beck ’74, a cruise consultant with Cruise Planners in Evansville, said, “My type of business is built primarily through relationships and referrals. The University community is a rich source for developing a network of people who enjoy traveling aboard cruises or to resorts. And if USI alumni use the services and enjoy themselves, I hope they will help spread the word to their acquaintances.” Beck planned the first USI alumni cruise, a seven-day tour of the western Caribbean in April. |
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