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While traveling in Scandinavia in 2005, Alumni Association President Jamie McLaughlin ’76 was delighted to spend time with Peter Lerner ’88. The encounter suggested to McLaughlin that the College needed to do a better job of staying connected to international alumni.
“Peter had a melancholy in his recollections about Lafayette that made me realize he was starved for staying in touch,” he says. “He also expressed regret that he didn’t have the connections to network for his career in the way he had hoped he would.”
McLaughlin and several others dedicated themselves to brainstorming how they could provide international alumni with a higher level of support and connectivity. As a result, the International Alumni Committee was formed, co-chaired by retired Dean of Enrollment Services Barry McCarty and Ed Auble ’61.
“We should know when a faculty member or a student goes overseas for a semester,” says Auble, who worked overseas for 10 years. “They should know there are three or four alums whom they could meet for support. We want to facilitate that.”
Director of Alumni Affairs Sherri Jones is excited to expand outreach to international alumni.
“This was a population we had not previously focused on,” she says. “We bring in 30 or 40 international students each year and there are about 30 alumni admissions [representatives] internationally as well. However, we never really took a look at what the international alumni’s needs are. Our outreach now will focus on finding out where those alumni are located and what they hope for in staying connected to Lafayette.
“Conversations up to now show that international alumni want networking channels, connectivity, and the opportunity to serve their own careers by linking to alumni who can help them out. Mentoring will need to be involved on many levels as well.”
Adds Auble, “To reach alumni on a regular basis around the world, you’ve got to reach them electronically. Webcasting or podcasting will likely be involved. Some face-to-face connections will still happen, however. We may set up a chapter in London because that’s where we have a solid group of alums.”
Other committee members are International Students Association (ISA) president Mevan Jayasinghe ’08 (Colombo, Sri Lanka), a double major in economics & business and B.S. biology; Rado Pribic, Williams Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures; Bill Kirby ’58, who brings experience with foreign service in the State Department; and trustee Bob Beane ’58, who spent 16 years overseas.
Involvement in this initiative will not be limited to ISA members and alumni working overseas.
“It is anyone connected with Lafayette – it could be alumni not working overseas but somehow connected by an international component or interest somehow,” says Auble. “We want to be inclusive.”
He believes that the effort will further diversify the student population.
“Diversity is key to a liberal education. That’s what we all get out of Lafayette. We need to appreciate that diversity. We understand that we’re playing on a global stage now, as opposed to just tri-state or nationally,” he says.
For McLaughlin, this makes sense on an even larger plane.
“As a college, I don’t see that we have any choice – this is the way the world is going,” he says. “We feel that we may be a couple years ahead of our peer group in what we’re trying to do here.”
Even as members put many hours of thought and work into the committee, McLaughlin hopes that the group eventually will become unnecessary.
“When we realize that we are all global, and we treat everything we study, every group we form, every effort we make, as globally oriented, then the need for the committee will disappear,” he explains “As we work toward that place, we are wholly committed to doing a better job of staying connected to our international alumni.”