New Alumni Council bridging connections between past, present, and future students

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has launched its first-ever Alumni Council to keep everyone connected post-graduation.

Two graduates have been chosen to lead the Council as president and vice president: Lauren Forni and Chuck Berds, respectively, both 2013 graduates of the School.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to connect with each other and with the school and students,” said Forni. “We’re excited that it’s the start of something that hasn’t existed before, and we can really put our mark on it and establish something that’s successful long-term.”

The goal of the council is to provide a space where alumni can connect and talk in a more casual environment. It will also give them the chance to share their stories with current students and help them figure out what they want to do with their careers.

“We have a very wide array of roles, all of us do very different things even though we all have the same education, so we thought that was important for visibility for students so they could hear about the different career paths,” said Forni.

Berds said the first meeting went well.

“It was great to reconnect with former colleagues that have a shared interest in giving back our time to the SOPPS,” he said.

Some key takeaways from the meeting included the desire to increase alumni engagement and offer opportunities for networking, including both alumni-to-alumni, as well as alumni-to-students.

Berds says the first task will be working as a council to identify what channels and opportunities currently exist and how to promote the formation of the new Council.

Aside from the career panel, the Council is working to plan other events, too.

“Everyone is really excited to see where this can go,” said Berds.

The Council will meet via Zoom to make it easier to connect with alumni all over the country.

To get involved, contact Lauren Forni at [email protected]