The governing body of the Tufts Alumni Association, the Tufts Alumni Council, passed a new set of bylaws “modernizing” the association’s constitution on Nov. 3.
“The bylaws themselves are words on a paper, but the intent behind them is to make sure that our leadership, our organization, is well run, responsive [and] engaged,” Christopher Valente, development committee chair of the Tufts Alumni Council, said. “Trying to be outward facing, trying to have good governance practices, trying to modernize — all of those things in the context of what alumni need now and how we can best serve the school and each other.”
According to Valente, the new bylaws had an approval rating of 74% among alumni. Valente indicated that while bylaws are amended from time to time, this was the “first overhaul in quite some time.” The bylaws primarily concern the internal operations of the council, including leadership roles, meeting practices and the process of appointing alumni trustees.
Among the changes brought to the association and the council, Elizabeth Amador was elected president of the association with a two-year term that began on July 1. Amador elaborated on how the new bylaws aim to fulfill the mission statement of the association.
“The spirit of the mission and the spirit of the Alumni Association is to work towards the engagement of alumni for the mutual benefit of the university and alumni,” she said. “Those interactions that we have between alumni and the university should be positive and should promote the goals of the university and of alumni.”
Valente and Amador both discussed the association’s strategic plan, which focuses on increasing alumni engagement. Originally slated to finish in 2023, the plan had been extended by one year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of being complete by this year.
The strategic plan involves goals of increasing diversity within the association, strengthening alumni engagement, reviewing the council’s structure and raising alumni participation in donations to the university.
Moving forward, the overarching focus of the council has been increasing the engagement levels of the 120,000 alumni that make up the association.
“What we mean by that is to increase alumni engagement through all the different points of possible engagement,” Amador said. “That includes things like reunions [and] The Herd, where we are looking to engage more alumni to help students and alumni in career services.”
She explained how these attempts to foster more alumni engagement could benefit students by creating more opportunities for mentorship, jobs, internships and advising. The council is also trying to increase the number of Tufts alumni conducting interviews of students applying to Tufts.
One of University President Sunil Kumar’s stated goals is to ensure students’ social mobility after graduation. Amador noted that this is something the association is working towards through improving the career services available to current Tufts students and alumni.
“We’re looking at helping to begin closing the gap around paid internships … where grants can go to more students,” she said. “Having a paid internship has a direct impact on positive career outcomes. … If we have positive career outcomes that [improve] our rankings, it improves alumni’s perception of the school and the support that was there when they needed it.”
Currently, one of the main concerns of the association is getting more engagement from younger alumni, who historically have not been as engaged as other alumni age groups.
Amador’s involvement in the association and council began 10 years ago as an alumni interviewer. She then became the chair of the alumni chapter for New York . After years of involvement on the council, she realized there was an opportunity to hold a leadership role.
“I said, ‘Let’s do it, let’s go for it,’ and honestly it was the best decision,” Amador said.
Among the new leadership on the council is Sean Devendorf, the new executive director of alumni engagement and annual giving. In a statement to the Daily, Devendorf wrote that his job is working with alumni, students and the university “so we can align and amplify our strategies to engage alumni in ways that are meaningful to them.”
“In collaboration with the [association], we are actively working on ways to increase the number of alumni engaged with career mentoring, alumni admissions interviews, regional and affinity programming, reunion and fundraising committees,” he wrote. “Whether alumni are in Boston or anywhere else in the world, we want to make it easy for them to stay connected in ways that feel meaningful and strengthen their bond with Tufts.”
Devendorf has been at Tufts for 17 years in a variety of alumni engagement and fundraising roles. Over those years, he said he developed a “deep appreciation” for the university and a desire to advance its mission.
“By helping alumni stay connected — with each other, with students and with Tufts — we strengthen the university community and amplify its impact,” he wrote.
