UMass Global Alumni Gateway is wide open

Image: Maya Greenfield-Thong

IRVINE, Calif. (Nov. 22, 2022) – A lively and supportive alumni community is essential to a university’s long-term health, and University of Massachusetts Global is helping graduates help each other via the UMass Global Alumni Gateway. Functioning as the university’s own digital alum directory, the on-demand service is designed to help alums – as well as students, faculty, and staff – make connections and find opportunities for mentorship, career assistance, and volunteer service.

”Many of our degree programs are 100% online and I am proud to say that our alum services, including networking and mentoring are accessible 100% online,” Director of Alumni Relations Jana Cupp said. “Gone are the days when you had to pay for a membership to an alumni association, pay for a networking event, and then find the time to attend an event on a Thursday evening to meet and network with your fellow alum in hopes of finding someone willing to help you advance your career.”

The Gateway is so much more than a digital alum directory. It is a virtual alum community that serves as a one-stop alum resource hub bringing our alum the tools and support they need for success in their careers and lives at their fingertips. It is especially useful for students and alums drawing on the powers of technology and human networks to get the most out of their higher education. The Gateway presently has more than 55,000 people in its directory and about 1,500 active users. Although most live in the United States, members live abroad in countries including Ireland, Japan, and Nigeria. No matter where a user lives, the Gateway facilitates ample opportunities to ask for a helping hand – or to step forward and offer one’s talents and expertise to others in the network.

For example, a student who is on the verge of graduation and wants to know more about jobs they can qualify for with their soon-to-be-conferred degree can log on to the Gateway and use its filtering tools to find people who know the ins and outs of a given industry. Alums can also access the system to browse job postings and get in touch with Career Development Center staff and tools. Military students and veterans using Alumni Gateway can reach out to other students and alumni with military experience and also join military and veterans subgroups.

Alums can also help peers, as well as the university itself, in a wide variety of ways. These include mentorship, making introductions at one’s place of employment, and representing UMass Global at college fairs. Faculty and staff seeking to connect with alums who may be available to help are encouraged to sign up for access to the Gateway or contact Jana Cupp, director of alumni relations, via jcupp@umassglobal.edu to request assistance with searching for people who can deliver specific assistance.