Society of Alumni and Friends is here to help

Think it was tough when you left Iowa State for the real world? Imagine it from the eyes of today’s college grads.

The media world is in chaos: The newspaper industry is dying, local TV is in decline, advertising and marketing have been upended by social media and new technology. And there was that recession thing.

The Society of Alumni and Friends is an effort to help those young journalists and communicators find their way. It is a group of alumni from all time periods and all communications industries. We are here to help recent graduates find their first job, and to help mid-career alumni make a switch. We’re here to help graduates of any age reconnect with old pals from the Daily, the Bomb, Outlook, Ethos, PRSSA, the Ad Club, the Broadcasting Club, or any other journalism publication or club. Many journalism graduates are long gone from the journalism industry, but they can offer advice on transitioning to law, business, education, or any other field.

The Society was formed under the direction of Greenlee Director Michael Bugeja, with the assistance of long-time faculty members Barbara Mack and Eric Abbott. The co-chairs are Caralee Johnson Adams, ’86, and Chris Adams, ’88, who originally met at the Iowa State Daily. Their connection to the journalism school has remained strong ever since. As Chris said: “The friends I met in the journalism school, and the professors who taught me there, will be with me for life.” The photo to the right is of Chris at a 2000 ISU journalism event with four of those professors who gave him friendship and guidance long after he left Hamilton Hall: Barbara Mack, Giles Fowler, Bill Kunerth, and Dick Haws.

When he first arrived at the Greenlee School in 2003, Bugeja said he was surprised to hear students say at graduation that they were sad to leave Iowa State. “Leave?” he said. “Graduation is not the end of the Cyclone journey but the beginning—the start of tapping into a network of alumni who not only love their alma mater but also help each other in the job market and profession.”

He wants the Society to be a place where alumni who have benefitted from their Iowa State years can pay it forward by helping others. “That’s what the Society of Alumni and Friends is about—networking, succeeding, and ensuring excellence,” he said.

The Society got its start in 2006, went into hiding during the recession, and is now back. The lives of countless friends and colleagues have been dramatically altered by changes in the media industry and the economy since 2007. For them, and for our youngest alumni, this is a time of great peril – but also tremendous excitement. Traditional media are being taken over by a fantastic array of new media start-ups. The very concept of news is being redefined. It will take the collective wisdom of all Iowa State’s journalism alumni, young and old, to figure out where the media world is heading, and how we can all thrive within it.

The Society is a traditional networking alumni association, with a special emphasis on helping our younger colleagues as they leave school.

If a graduating senior wants a PR job in California, the Society should help them find somebody in a position to help. That help can be reading a résumé, passing along internship or job leads, giving a workplace tour, or offering mentoring advice.

The Society is affiliated with and officially sanctioned by the Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism, and Greenlee faculty and staff are an important part of our networking events. But the Society is run and paid for by outside volunteers.

We plan to hold events in cities across the country in the next few years to introduce people to the Society. But even before an event comes to your town, please sign up. Then follow our activities, either on this site or with your favorite social media tool (we have established a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, and will be beefing up those tools in coming weeks). And then be willing and prepared to help.

–By Caralee and Chris Adams