Spelman College News October 4, 2012 College Strengthens Alumnae Connections Through meetings, input, planning, and a charge to carry out the mission of the College and G.O.A.L.S. of the 2015 Strategic Plan<http://www.spelman.edu/about-us/strategic-plan-goals> to implement intentional programming for alumnae-student connections, Alumnae Affairs developed a six-pronged program to actively connect students with alumnae. While the goal is to take on all six of the connections, which include 1-on-1 and group mentoring; shadowing; internships; panels; network socials; and co-curricular experiences, two of these programs were selected to make the largest impact now. Alumnae to Student Cultural Excursions Under the co-curricular experiences prong, which also includes global experiences, service and community engagement, the Alumnae to Student Cultural Excursions was an easy-to-package plan that took shape immediately. From traveling to Capitol Hill to a recent jaunt to see alumna Pearl Cleage's play "What I Learned in Paris," Alumnae Affairs takes 25 students and 25 alumnae on informative and educational excursions. "The Alumnae to Student Cultural Excursions are a great opportunity to connect the students with alumnae. We try to pick excursions that relate to alumnae in that period, so Pearl's play was perfect because as it was about the '70s - an intergenerational connection" said Owens, who partners with the Spelman Student Government Association for the excursions. "The D.C. trip is educational in that it is to learn about the process on Capitol Hill, and we want to connect students with alumnae who have careers on Capitol Hill, whether it's directly on the Hill or tied to it." Charged to create one local and one national event per academic year, other excursion events have included visiting the "America, I AM," exhibit, the Smithsonian, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater<http://www.alvinailey.org/>. Plans are to create a New York excursion to Wall Street that rivals the Capitol Hill experience. Sister2Sister: Alumnae to Student Professional Mentoring Program It's not quite like a sales person cold-calling to get you to buy a product, but Owens did pick up the phone to call a few of her alumnae sisters to participate in the mentoring program. "When I came in May of 2009, a program to engage alumnae with students was just beginning," said Owens, who worked on mentoring plans as a former board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters. "A group of alumnae, who were attorneys, said they could help me get this off the ground." With a little help from alumnae who included Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, C'93, Cathy Hampton, C'89, Anissa D. Floyd, C'2001, they begin to formulate a plan for engagement. "It is important for alumnae to become involved in the mentoring program for a couple of reasons. First, it is incumbent upon alumnae to invest our time and treasure in Spelman," said Floyd, an attorney, who became involved as part of an initial steering committee in 2010 to develop ideas for a pilot mentoring program. "Second, it is very gratifying as an alumna to be a part of Spelman's mission to mold the next generation of leaders who will indeed change the world." Launched in the fall of 2011, the Sister2Sister program focuses on four disciplines, hospitality, business/financial services, law and medicine/public health. "I feel accountable for 'giving back' to the institution that played such an important role in my early adult development. I remember like yesterday, being in college and meeting other alumnae.... These women were inspiring, motivating and encouraging," said Laurel Hill, C'84, senior vice president in the Government & Institutional Banking Group at Wells Fargo "I want to provide that same connection, that same opportunity, for today's Spelman students. It's a chance to guide, direct and motivate the next generation of women business leaders." Hill's recommendation to mentees is that they be interested, proactive, and motivated to make the best of this unique opportunity to engage one-on-one with an alumna professional. "As a member of the Sister2Sister Mentoring Program, I am able to grow, interact, and network with the alumnae of Spelman College in a way that inspires me to be more than just a student," said Asha Poland, C'2014, a political science major from Harlem, N.Y., who serves as a co-social/hospitality chair of student ambassadors. "This program enlightens and encourages Spelman women to see themselves in the future and make their mark in their field of interest. My mentor is more than just my Spelman sister she is a second mom that I can always count on no matter what. Our bond goes beyond the scheduled sessions that the program mandates because we are truly like family." Poland's mentor, Cynthia Walker Derrico, C'75, explained that in all her endeavors, "each one, teach one" is a principle she lives by. She said her own mentor, Georgia "Mama Gee Gee" Dickens, C'42, at 92 still plays a large part in guiding her life. "As mentors, we should keep our minds open to new and different life lessons that the mentee brings," said Derrico, a 30-year veteran of Delta Air Lines Inc. "Our time spent together should be another dimension of the Spelman experience." Long-Standing, Life-Changing Connections "I have been fortunate to have several mentors throughout my career, including Spelman alumnae. Most notably, Allegra J. Lawrence-Hardy,C'93, a partner at the law firm Sutherland, [who] has been an exceptional mentor to me," said Floyd, who serves as an executive board member of member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and mentors Damya Lumpkin, C'2012. "While alumnae may not be administrators or faculty members at Spelman, we are still instrumental in the education of our Spelman sisters. Our platform may be a courtroom or a board room. We are nevertheless educators with knowledge and wisdom to impart. I look forward to the day when Damya is the first African-American woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. I will be one proud mentor and teacher." - Renita Mathis is director of Interactive Communications and associate director for the Office of Communications at Spelman College. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.