DU alumni, prospective students and parents around the country now can engage in academic discussions with DU professors without setting foot on campus.
In November, the Office of Alumni Relations partnered with Undergraduate Admission to bring lifelong learning events to DU alumni chapter cities in conjunction with the Ammi Hyde prospective student interviews. The lifelong learning program allows alumni to participate in educational events with DU professors who are visiting their cities for the interviews.
“I noticed that many of the Ammi Hyde interviews were happening in our chapter cities, and because they bring faculty and staff to those communities, I thought it was an excellent opportunity to showcase the vast academic resources that exist on our campus,” says Jeff Howard, executive director of alumni relations.
In addition to alumni, prospective students and their parents are invited to attend the events, which include a faculty presentation, discussion and reception.
“This provides students who have interviewed and their parents with a sense of how faculty interact with our current students, and it’s a nice way to tie them to the campus,” Howard says.
In November, Sheila Schroeder — an associate professor of media, film and journalism studies — spoke about her documentary Woodstock West: Build Not Burn after interviews in Southern California.
Woodstock West is about the peaceful 1970 DU student protest against the Vietnam War and the Kent State shootings. During her presentation, Schroeder drew parallels between Woodstock West and the Occupy Wall Street movement. A DU alumnus who had participated in Woodstock West and a prospective student who had been to an Occupy protest were among the discussion participants.
“Although Woodstock West happened 42 years ago, the connections we made as a group to the Occupy Wall Street movement made for some lively conversation,” Schroeder says. “What was most impressive about this group of alumni was the civility and respectful nature of the learning experience.”
So far, lifelong learning events have been held in seven cities. In the future, Howard says there will be one lifelong learning event in every alumni chapter city each year. Alumni Relations hopes to host the events at alumni-owned or -operated venues to further strengthen the DU connection.