In the fall of 2022, Woodbury University’s School of Business (WUSB) instated its Alumni Advisory Council. The purpose of this council was to expand involvement of and interaction between the large alumni family of Woodbury University’s oldest teaching unit. The WUSB alumni advisory council has since demonstrated its dedication and immense value to the school and has done so through a number of initiatives.
In the course of its regular meetings, the alumni advisory council agreed upon collaborating in a series of three main alumni-focused events per year: a virtual spring webinar, the major summer alumni reunion, and an in-person fall event.
The first virtual spring webinar, which was held in spring 2023, consisted of three eloquent board members sharing valuable insights on weathering the recession in a successful manner. Matthew Gilbert (MBA Class of 2005) provided a personal excellence perspective, Mariya Palanjian (Class of 2001, MBA Class of 2004) offered a marketing perspective, and Charbel Ghaby (MBA Class of 2014) provided a financial perspective. Each of these perspectives were appreciated as highly valuable to audience members’ personal and professional advancement.
2023 was the first year that the Alumni Advisory Council participated in the organization of our Annual Alumni Reunion. The council did so in collaboration with the School of Business’ Dean’s Office and Advisory Board. The event, which featured a sit-down dinner, silent auction, and live music, was very successful and offered alumni from the 1950s-2020s a wonderful opportunity to network and rekindle old friendships.
In the fall of 2023, the Alumni Advisory Council decided to become a vivid collaborator in the fall “Connect & Reflect: Alumni + Student Meet & Greet” event, which brought together current students and alumni to form new bonds.
The Alumni Advisory Council has also been instrumental in the School of Business’ AACSB reaffirmation in September 2023. The peer review team members were impressed by the existence and intense involvement of this council and several of the team members expressed interest to start a similar initiative at their school.
In June 2024, the Alumni Advisory Council continued its activities with a webinar, titled, “Retire with Confidence”, co-presented by Jeff Neumeister (MBA Class of 2011) and Charbel Ghaby (MBA Class of 2014). This webinar was received so well that it has been placed on the docket for a repeat presentation in the future.
The WUSB alumni reunion in May 2024 was, again, a wonderful event with highlights such as a silent auction, alumni awards, raffle prizes, great food, and a wonderful atmosphere of lighthearted comradery.
In fall 2024, the Alumni Council collaborated with the Deans office in the “Connect & Reflect” event, where Business students from Woodbury met with local community college student visitors, and of course, alumni who enjoyed the involvement and the opportunity to establish new connections and restore old ones.
We are proud to have the WUSB Alumni Council, and hope that more of our successful alumni will decide to partake in council membership and attendance of our regular events in the very near future. Please contact the Dean’s office for more information, if interested.