Benefits & Volunteering

Career Support

• The Center for Career Development offers WC tools and help for professional development and job searches. This is a life-long service offered to graduates of WC. Services include one-on-one counseling, resources for professional development, workshops, and job boards.
• Sign up for a free account on GeorgeConnX, WC’s online platform for professional networking, mentorship, and job searching. You can mentor current students or network with alumni and search for jobs.
  
  Watch a ten-minute video explaining how the Center for Career Development supports alumni while fostering mentoring with undergraduates.  
  

Professional Development

• Create a profile on our website, which can be used to increase the visibility of your LinkedIn profile or professional business. It also helps us illustrate the impact of a WC education! 
• Own a business? List it on our alumni business directory to enhance its accessibility to clients and customers, and inspire our next generation of graduates.
• WC faculty/staff and fellow alumni periodically offer you exclusive online/virtual classes on a variety of topics.

Personal Development

• Use our free online service to create or modify your living will.
• Join our Academy of Lifelong Learning for in-person courses taught on campus and virtually, as well as invitations to special travel experiences. 

Recreation

• As an alum, you and your family are eligible for an affiliate membership to the Penn Club in New York City and its sister clubs.
• By joining The 1782 Society, you and your family can access campus athletic facilities, including the Johnson Fitness Center, Casey Swim Center, Cain Gym, and fitness classes.
• Led by WC faculty, alumni trips offer exclusive opportunities several times a year for you to travel the world. Some recent options included Ireland, Cuba, and the American Southwest.

Events

• Free chapter membership. When a geographic alumni chapter exists near where you live or work, you are automatically considered a member. Chapters hold several events a year, including WC traditions (toasts to George), outings (brewery tours, baseball games), and family-friendly events (trips to the zoo, ice skating). See if there is a chapter near you!
• Attend exclusive events and performances both on campus and around the nation/world. These can include talks, demonstrations, parties, and theatrical performances.
• Reserve the Alumni House for your next celebration or private event, free of charge as long as it falls within the College’s acceptable uses. Facility use is based on availability and type of event.
• Use campus venues for your next special event, including weddings, company retreats, camps, and more. For more information or to reserve a space, contact Conference Services.

Connecting

• All WC alumni are automatically considered lifelong members of the Alumni Association with representation on the Alumni Board and other committees. This opens pathways for you to volunteer for WC in numerous capacities and be a part of shaping the future of Washington College. Update your info so we can stay in touch!
• All alumni who have a valid email and have opted to receive emails from WC receive an alumni e-newsletter with upcoming events, news, and messages from key staff, faculty, and alumni.
• Access archived issues of the Washington College Magazine and stay tuned for a new annual publication on the horizon.
• Need your College transcript? Make use of WC’s online Registrar system.
• Want to find that photo from the 1970s? Items from the College Archives are available digitally and free of charge.
• Access your washcoll.edu email account anytime.

There are so many ways to give back to WC. Whether you choose to share your experience with prospective students, host a student intern, or network with other alumni at your chapter’s annual Toast to George, your involvement makes a tremendous impact. Take a look at some of your options, and then fill out the form below to let us know where your interests lie. Thank you for lending your talents!

Admissions

• The Watershed Program. The admissions office offers several opportunities through the Watershed Program for alumni to volunteer with prospective students.
• Family to Family. Current parents reach out to self-selecting prospective parents by email or phone to share the parent perspective of Washington College.
• Letters of interest. Alumni send emails/letters of interest to prospective students. Alumni have a special perspective of Washington College that can encourage prospective students to commit to the College.

Alumni Groups

• Alumni chapters are scattered throughout the country and hold events to promote fellowship, celebrate WC traditions, and further the mission of the College. Alumni can be chapter leaders of existing chapters, start a new chapter through the Alumni Office, or help promote/attend events.
• Affinity groups. Alumni lead or can start groups for fellow alumni based on shared interests or professional fields. Some examples include Law Alumni, DramAlumni, Men’s Lacrosse Alumni, etc.
• Alumni Board. Elected board of alumni who lead the WC Alumni Association, give counsel to the leadership of the College, and promote alumni initiatives.
• Alumni Weekend planning. This group of alumni helps plan the largest alumni event of the year. Planners can help with class reunions, affinity celebrations, campus activities, and more.
• Committee or task force. Throughout the year, many standing and ad hoc committees of alumni and supporters of the College help to further the College’s mission and activities through committee and task force work. These groups vary from year to year based on need.

Career Services

• Job/internship postings. Alumni and parents share opportunities with the Center for Career Development to be included in GeorgeConnX, a database of internship and job postings that all students can access.
• Host an externship (job shadowing). Alumni and parents share opportunities and/or host job shadowing experiences. The externship experience allows undergraduates to explore career fields, provides linkages to classroom learning, and readies them as they approach selection of major and minor courses of study.
• Professional networking events. Alumni/parents participate in or host networking events on campus or in their cities. This provides several opportunities for student to interact with our amazing alumni on a professional level.
• Mock and informational interviews. Alumni/parents conduct practice one-on-one interviews with students to provide insight and feedback. Interviews can be offered by phone, Skype, or in person.
• Information sessions/class talks. Alumni/parents share information about their organization or industry with students interested in learning more. Presentations can be arranged through the Center for Career Development.
• Career mentoring programs. Alumni/parents are paired with a student(s) to offer opportunities for students to connect informally and network with professionals in a variety of careers through online platform GeorgeConnX.
• Targeted career awareness programs. Alumni/parents host a small group of students at their organization. They provide tours, introduce students to various roles and career paths, expose them to culture, and share opportunities as well as preparation required to be successful in pursuing internships or full-time positions.
• Career fair participation. Alumni/parents represent their organization at annual career/graduate school fairs on campus to promote internship or full-time job opportunities. Fairs are held during both fall and spring semesters.

Stewardship

• Alumni stewards volunteer for Advancement and Alumni Relations by writing 10 thank you notes each semester to alumni who philanthropically support the college. Staff help volunteers identify a cohort of donors they are willing to thank, either by program or by class year.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact the Alumni Office at [email protected].