Start with the time you actually have
About 2,300 alumni volunteered with Porter last year. Alumni Relations coordinates almost all of it, partly to match people with real needs and partly so no department gets six offers of a guest lecture in the same week.
| Role | Time | When |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni mentor | About an hour a month for one semester | Sign up each fall and spring |
| Admissions volunteer | 2–6 hours per event | September–April |
| Guest speaker or panelist | One class period, plus prep | Any term |
| Capstone judge or mock interviewer | A half day | December, April and the career fairs |
| Class agent | 2–3 hours a quarter; more in a reunion year | Year-round |
| Chapter leader | 3–5 hours a month | Two-year terms starting July 1 |
| Program advisory board member | Two meetings a year | By invitation from a department |
Mentoring
The alumni mentor network has about 1,000 volunteers and made 734 matches last year. A match is a monthly call or coffee for one semester. There is no homework and no expectation of a job at the end. Matching goes by field, then location, then shared background if the student asks for it. Many first-generation students do. Sign-ups for spring 2027 run December 1 to January 22.
Recent graduates are especially welcome. Plenty of students would rather hear from someone two years out than twenty, which is why the Young Alumni Council recruits near-peer mentors every fall.
Admissions volunteers
Admissions counselors cannot be at every college fair. Alumni Admissions Ambassadors cover the fairs the counselors miss, especially those more than three hours from Porter Falls. They also call admitted students in March and staff the alumni table at Ironclad Preview Days. Check the counselor travel schedule to see where the gaps are.
- Training is a 45-minute video plus a short privacy briefing. The Office of Admissions supplies the materials, banners and a list of what you may and may not say.
- You may not promise admission or scholarships, and you may not talk to high-school athletes about playing here. Division III recruiting rules apply to volunteers, and the coaches handle it (see compliance).
- Open Campus Day on April 24, 2027, needs about 220 volunteers for two-hour shifts. Sign up through volunteer on campus by April 2.
Chapter leaders and class agents
Chapter leaders run the alumni groups in Lake City, the Cities, Bayport, Ashby Falls, Port Alder, Kettle Bay and the virtual chapter. Each chapter has a chair, an events lead and a communications lead. The office handles invitations, registrations and money, so leaders do not need a spreadsheet. They need to know a good back room. Port Alder and Kettle Bay are both looking for an events lead for 2027–28. See regional chapters.
Class agents keep a class in touch between reunions. They write a short letter each year, nudge classmates to send class notes and help recruit the reunion committee. Agents are needed now for the classes of 1977, 2002 and 2017, which hold reunions at Millrace Week 2027.
Speakers, judges and advisory boards
- Guest speakers. Faculty ask for alumni most often in senior seminars, professional-practice courses and student organization meetings. Tell the office what you do; it will pass your name to the departments that need it. For talks to community audiences off campus, see the speakers bureau.
- Judges and mock interviewers. Capstone showcases in December and April, the pitch competition, and practice interviews before the career fairs. If your employer would rather sponsor a project, see sponsoring a capstone project.
- Advisory boards. Every applied program has an industry advisory board that reviews the curriculum. Seats are by invitation, but the office passes interested names to department chairs.
- Job shadows and co-ops. Hosting a student for a day or a semester is volunteering too; see the employer recruiting guide.
What we ask, and what you get
Volunteers who work with minors, including STEM Saturdays and some admissions events, complete a background check that the university pays for. Everyone agrees to the volunteer conduct policy, a single page whose main point is to treat students the way you would want a stranger to treat your own kid.
In return: a name badge, parking on volunteer days, an invitation to the volunteer thank-you reception at Millrace Week, and our honest thanks. The Distinguished Alumni Awards include a Service to Porter category, and its last winner hosted 41 co-op students.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. These volunteer roles, counts, sign-up dates and policies are invented; no student is waiting for your call, and signing up here enrolls you in nothing.