As I come to the end of my term as president of the Engineering Alumni Council, I am very excited about updating you on our fall 2000 meeting. We discussed the topic "Connecting with Students," addressing at length how we

Bob Brown

as alumni can become dramatically more involved in the lives of our undergraduate engineering students. The consensus among people connected to the School was that there is a tremendous opportunity here and that greater student-alumni interaction would be a boon to both groups.
       Brian Williams, assistant dean of student affairs at the School of Engineering, told us about his work with students.
Brian came to Vanderbilt in August 2000 to fill this newly created position, and he is charged with enhancing the sense of community within the School. Brian sees himself as a "social engineer," building bridges between students and alumni, student organizations and the corporate world and student organizations and the Nashville community. Brian made it clear that all Engineering student groups

EAC President Bob Brown welcomed a dynamic group of students and new members to the meeting-(first row, left to right) Michael Mills, BE'99, new member; Joy Nystrom, BE'01; Erika Brown, BE'00, new member; Matt Schiefer, BE'01; (second row) Bob Brown, BE'50; Associate Dean Art Overholser; Katy Anderson Sheesley, BE'79, new member; (final row) David Walker, BE'73, MS'77, new member; Brian Chow, BE'01, Student Engineering Council president; Ken Thomas, BE'70, new member; Rick Holton Jr., BS'98, member.

would eagerly welcome greater alumni assistance and interaction. By speaking at a group's meeting or assisting with Engineering Week, for example, alumni can provide invaluable mentoring and other support. Brian has a number of outstanding ideas in this regard, and you can email him with your suggestions, comments or questions at brian.n.williams@vanderbilt.edu.
       The Career Center also welcomes a wide range of alumni involvement. Ryan Brechbill, who also recently filled a newly created position, spoke about his role as Career Center liaison to the School of Engineering. Ryan spends several days a week working in Jacobs Hall in order to be as visible and accessible as possible for students. Ryan assists students with resumes and provides an ongoing email alert about job openings and interview opportunities. Alumni can also assist Ryan in many ways, by participating in Career Fairs on campus, engaging their employers to recruit students for full-time or summer employment, helping with mock interview days and, of course, offering to advise students on jobs in their field or geographic location. Alumni willing to assist with any of these activities can reach Ryan at ryan.brechbill@vanderbilt.edu.
       We spent part of our meeting brainstorming about student-alumni opportunities. Many other great ideas surfaced, such as establishing an online mentoring program, an EAC sponsored Student Leader Award and prize and a problem-solving contest on which students and alumni could work together. The possibilities are endless, and we would welcome any suggestions alumni may have, as well as volunteers interested in helping to lead new initiatives.
       One critical goal of this increased interaction is to help students envision themselves as active alumni one day. A student who has a positive interaction with an alumnus will be more likely to give back to future students in the same way.
       As always, the Engineering Alumni Council encourages your participation. I would be thrilled to hear any comments or suggestions you might have regarding this or any other area of the School. You can email me at lizbobb@hiwaay.net or contact our University staff member, Linda Carter, at linda.l.carter@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 343-3136. We look forward to speaking with you.
       In our next EAC column, you will hear from incoming President James A. Johnson, BE'63 and PhD'72, of Houston, Texas. Thank you, Jim, for stepping up to the challenge! For those of you who haven't yet had the pleasure of getting to know Jim, I assure you that the EAC will be in great hands.
       -Bob Brown, BE'50, president Engineering Alumni Council