Smeal Alumni Society Board Committees

The Smeal Alumni Society leads three committees that are open to Smeal alumni volunteers. Please contact Alumni Society Board President Marissa Presser if you are interested in learning more or joining a committee.

Alumni Engagement

The mission of the Alumni Engagement Committee is to foster relationships and collaborate across undergraduate and graduate alumni. The committee is responsible for Smeal in your City, an annual networking event for Smeal alumni in cities across the globe. This group also spearheads alumni volunteer and recognition initiatives and plays a role in the semi-annual Impact Smeal Day. Future goals for this committee relate to global alumni engagement, young alumni engagement, enhanced partnerships with Smeal’s Professional Graduate Program alumni, and collaboration with Smeal and Penn State affinity groups.

Mentoring

The mission of the Mentoring Committee is to foster 1:1 relationships between Smeal students and alumni. This group spearheads the Smeal College of Business Mentoring Program, which is open to all Smeal alumni and students. The program has existed for more than 15 years and is a signature initiative for the college. The Mentoring Committee works directly with the Smeal Alumni Relations office & focuses on continuous improvement of the program, including semi-annual feedback surveys and maintenance of the Mentor Assistance Portal. In addition, they play a key role in program metrics and data analyzation to ensure increasing participation each year of Smeal students. Each year, approximately 300 - 400 pairs participate in the program.

Student Success

The mission of the Student Success Committee is to foster connections between Smeal students and alumni. The committee helps bridge the gap between the classroom and workplace by partnering closely with the Business Career Center, Undergraduate Advising Office, and Smeal Student Organizations. Recent areas of focus include supporting students from Commonwealth Campuses with their transition to University Park and participating in First Generation Student engagement initiatives. The Student Success Committee developed the Flash Networking Program and partners throughout the year with the Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility.