Forever Fuqua Alumni Network
The Program
In 2017, Fuqua’s Alumni Council undertook an effort to engage the general alumni population (and particularly past Alumni Council members) in a meaningful way, while also creating pathways between students and alumni for productive connections. The Forever Fuqua Alumni Network (FFAN) was launched in 2018 to address all of these objectives. To date, we have already served over 120 alumni and nearly 300 MBA students.
Students and alumni are paired based on general criteria provided in the intake surveys. Alumni are prompted monthly with updates about the student’s program and conversation starters. The structure is informal and meant to build a relationship rather than a formal mentoring program. There are a couple of surveys to track how the program is working for the participants.
For alumni: This is an excellent way to re-engage with Fuqua, support a present student, and energize your connections with the extensive Fuqua community. The commitment is very flexible—it’s a one-to-one relationship with your student contact focused toward their near-term priorities, be it related to their MBA, career, geography/relo, or other.
For students: The low-structured nature of this program means it’s not another assignment on top of all your other MBA requirements, and it’s not a traditional mentoring relationship. The casual format allows you to define areas you’d like to explore, start building your Fuqua network beyond your classmate cohort, and still fit it in your (pretty busy!) calendar.
- Create a tight-knit alumni-student (and eventually alumni-alumni) relationship web.
- Expand network of professional contacts.
- Facilitate addressing student questions.
- Unstructured opportunity to participate, not a structured mentoring program with deliverables, assignments, etc.
What You Give
The monthly outreach and correspondence would be about 1-1.5 hours, though this is dependent on how much conversation occurs between the pairs. The program will start in mid-late fall and continue through spring of the following year (varies by year according to MBA program calendar. See "important dates" for specific details).
What You Get
- Peer-to-peer resources: All participants in the program connect not only with the partner to whom they’ve been assigned, but access to the knowledge, expertise, and resources of all other participants. You’ll get an idea of the various organizations, fields, and industries represented by the students and alumni participants, along with any useful or unique resources they can share.
- External resources: You’ll also have the ongoing support of the program coordinator, who can help you find the resources and guidance to move forward on your individual objectives—from fellow participants, from the Fuqua MBA program office, Career Services, etc.
| Alumni registration period: | September 16 – September 22, 2024 |
| WEMBA registration period: | September 26 – September 29, 2024 |
| GEMBA registration period: | October 3 – October 6, 2024 |
| Matches between alumni and student registrants: | Week of October 14, 2024 |
While the commitment is not heavy (1-1.5 hours/month), consistency is a necessity. Signing up means you’re prepared to make the minimum monthly connection with your partner and are willing to stay engaged for the length of the program. If so, we want you!
Want to know more? Have a question before you sign up? Contact:
Beverly Redler MBA '90
FFAN Alumni Coordinator
Beverly@alumni.duke.edu
734.634.1882
Fuqua Alumni Relations
alumni-relations@fuqua.duke.edu
Alumni say:
“Really good conversations with both students that are both very engaged”
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“I would recommend participating in this to any alum . . . and have already.”
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“I think the program is the right amount of time. In fact, I think I’ll continue the relationship with my student beyond the program as they navigate their career.”
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“I m still working with (my student) from 2020!”
Students say:
“My mentor has been immensely helpful and I’m grateful I took the opportunity to participate in FFAN.”
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“Getting a lot of value out of the program through learning new areas within the field I want to pursue with my alumni partner.”
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“Just connecting without structure to follow was what I was after—it was nice to just talk”
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“(My alum) was a good contact to develop a network of professionals outside my industry”