Alumni Relations at Forefront of Dr. DiSalvo’s Vision

Once a Gull, always a Gull. At Endicott College, that is a whole lot more than a saying—it’s a way of life for our close-knit community.

It’s something Endicott’s Seventh President, Steven R. DiSalvo, Ph.D., has seen firsthand since joining the Nest, and he plans on proactively engaging with our ever-growing alumni base to enact his forward-thinking vision for the College.

“I look at alumni relations as this long-term strategy to engage people,” says DiSalvo. “You want to constantly reinforce this idea that these relationships matter. It’s all about the people. That’s why I think when we talk about alumni relations, it’s really more than just relations—there’s lifelong engagement of people.”

That lifelong engagement means earning community support by being proactive and not taking anything for granted. “You just have to find the sweet spot,” explains DiSalvo. “What is it that gets them excited about being part of the institution? We’ve done it with alumni, with parents, community leaders. All of these constituent groups have a part in helping the institution move forward.”

And moving forward we are, thanks in large part to an alumni base that includes:

• The pioneering women who experienced Endicott’s progressive two-year curricula when it opened in 1939 and the following decades;
• Those who took the plunge with Endicott as it went coeducational (1994) and earned four-year status (1988);
• 714 Malden Hospital School of Nursing alumni;
• And those who have completed associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through the Van Loan School at Endicott College.

Kaitlyn Nadeau '20 completed a summer internship
at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development
Command, researching the effect fungi has the Army's
portable combat tents.

Value Added

Endicott’s vast alumni network includes 29,216 living alumni across 105 countries. These alumni have experienced the full benefit of an Endicott education through our internship program, which was ranked No. 9 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings. Furthermore, 85 percent of employed alumni say their internship prepared them for their role in their first job.

And the value added from an Endicott education and experience doesn’t just include internships and academics, as DiSalvo explains: “It’s not just about the academics, although that is critically important. It’s all the peripheral things we do to prepare students to speak well, to act well and ethically, to know how to work in teams. Those are all value-added pieces.”

Some of the ways Endicott prepares future alumni for the real world is through job-market preparation and educating the whole person. “You grow academically, you grow socially, you grow emotionally. All of these things become important components,” says DiSalvo.

Growing Van Loan Alumni Base

When DiSalvo came to Endicott for his initial interview, he noticed something—opportunity, specifically when it came to growing Van Loan.

“I saw everything that was happening at Van Loan on the graduate and professional studies sides as the big opportunity for not only growth, but for helping us build a brand,” says DiSalvo. “We do a very, very good job on the undergraduate level. What differentiates some institutions from the pack is not always the undergraduate experience—it’s what graduate programs do they have that elevate their stature.”

DiSalvo adds, “At the graduate level, the master’s degrees, I don’t know that there’s a lot of other schools doing what we do. That can grow significantly. Figure out what separates us from the pack and build our brand around it because I think that’s what will separate us from our competitors.”

Dr. DiSalvo recently visited with Endicott College Boston leaders
to understand their goals in providing friendly, affordable,
and community-based education.

Van Loan’s alumni work in a diverse set of fields, and they were prepared to take the next steps in their careers thanks to programs designed with today’s adult learners in mind. With offerings available on Endicott’s oceanfront main campus in Beverly, Mass., at Endicott College Boston, online, and worldwide, Van Loan graduates are working in dream jobs all around the world. Says DiSalvo, “Sometimes it’s not just what should we offer but how should we offer it and where do we offer it.”

Some Van Loan alumni have the honorable distinction of being “Double Gulls,” having received two degrees from Endicott. That’s something DiSalvo appreciates significantly, as he received all three of his degrees—a Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration, an MBA, and a B.S. in psychology—from Fordham University.

“It was a place where I grew up, and I felt very comfortable there,” says DiSalvo. “I suspect that anyone who comes to Endicott to get an advanced degree after their undergrad degree is going to feel the same thing, that there is this sense of home and community.”

Advice

Taking advantage of Endicott’s vibrant alumni community doesn’t have to wait until after graduation. When it comes to future Endicott alumni, DiSalvo wants them to know one very important thing: don’t wait.

“I think too many students wait until senior year and think now is the time for me to start engaging with alumni or get active in my job search,” says DiSalvo. “Because you have to do internships even in your first year, start early. Go to different events, meet people, start to build an arsenal that’s going to help you later on.”

Adds DiSalvo: “The outcome of the job should be the result of all of this networking with the alumni population that takes place over the four-year period. By the time you become an alum, you should also be ready to pay it back.”