annual report

Communicating with alumni is
crucial to strengthening their
relationships with Bayview Glen
and with each other.
Social media channels, such as the Alumni Facebook
Group, have strengthened our network for years. In
order to strategically reach out to alumni with the
right message and to create a more formal channel
of communication, we have launched The Glenner, a
quarterly electronic newsletter which has been sent to all
alumni with email addresses on record. Data indicates
that we are successfully creating more seamless
engagement between alumni and school; so far, we
have achieved an astoundingly high open rate, or the
percentage of alumni who ‘open’ the newsletter. We are
proud to say that our alumni newsletter open rate has
consistently been over 40% every time so far, while the
average open rate for the education industry has been
between 12-15%. We hope to leverage the high readership
and continue providing rich, interesting stories that build
pride and excitement among the alumni community.
Another focus in the Alumni Relations Office has been
developing an active career mentorship programme
for graduates. The programme BVG L!NK aims to
provide opportunities for alumni to connect with more
experienced alumni and parents who are able to offer
invaluable career advice and tips. For established alumni,
it provides an excellent way for them to give back, make
a difference in the life of young alumni and stay in touch
with the school. For young alumni, it offers them great
ways to network, build professional connections in their
industry of interest and reap the benefits of being part
of our community. One-to-one matches have been made
carefully by myself in diverse fields, including medicine,
public relations, marketing and engineering.
38 2014-2015 Annual Report
I wanted to thank parents at the school, including
Dr. James Kim, for volunteering his time as a career
mentor and connecting with our alumni.
Moreover, one of the new initiatives includes regional
chapters called BVG Network. While the majority of alumni
study and work in Toronto, we also have a significant
number of alumni living in cities across Canada and
around the globe. Regional chapters are vital to the
school’s engagement efforts by making and maintaining
connections with alumni in diverse regions of the world.
We have planted the seed for alumni from different class
years to get together in several cities in Canada and will
continue to develop the programme in the upcoming
years. I wanted to thank John Huang ‘03 for his role in
supporting this programme. It is always a pleasure for
me to meet alumni in-person and get to know them on a
personal level; I hope to continue making regional visits
to connect with alumni and organize these chapters for
networking purposes.
In addition to the introduction of new programmes and
events, we have continued to successfully organize
signature events, including Homecoming and Alumni
Reunion. Homecoming 2014, a beloved tradition at
school, was hosted at the Daunt Dining Hall on the
Friday evening of Thanksgiving weekend. It attracted
recent graduates, especially from class of 2014, who
came back to pick up their yearbooks and share stories
from university life, new jobs, travel plans and more.
Reunion 2015 was a weekend packed with interesting
and entertaining activities for alumni; it kicked off on a
Friday evening in May at SPiN Toronto, a trendy ping pong
lounge and bar located in downtown Toronto. Klement
Yeung ‘14, a national table tennis player, wowed the crowd
with his spectacular shots and serves. It continued
on Saturday afternoon with a sports tournament and
barbecue for the honoured classes - classes of 2000,
2005 and 2010. One of the highlights included a 3D
printing workshop by Jonathan Moneta ‘03, Founder of
MakeLab, a digital fabrication event company and the
largest hands-on 3D printing studio in Toronto. We were
thrilled to engage the talents of these two accomplished
alumni during the reunion weekend.
With these new programmes and established events, it
is clear that we are developing effective strategies that
are engaging alumni in purposeful and meaningful ways.
In the upcoming year, we will be reviewing the three-year
Alumni Affairs Strategy that has guided the direction of
the Alumni Relations Office to ensure that our efforts
continue to align with the overall direction of the school
and the advancement goals. Since we have introduced a
number of new programmes in 2014/15, and planted the
seeds for strategic alumni engagement, the year ahead
will be a time for us to water the plants to ensure the
successful implementation of these new programmes. I
will also continue to ensure that we build a professional
network and provide career-oriented opportunities for
alumni so that they can return to school to share their
experience with students and network with experienced
alumni to expand their professional connections. As
always, I would like to thank the school administration,
faculty and staff, the Alumni Association Board
members, alumni and parents who have supported the
Alumni Relations Office.
Shelly Cha
Director of Alumni Relations
bayviewglen.ca + @bayviewglen on twitter
Bayview Glen’s Alumni Relations Office
aims to purposefully provide a diverse
range of meaningful opportunities for
alumni to stay connected to the school
and with each other, by socializing,
networking and volunteering within the
Bayview Glen community. The 2014/15
school year marked a new chapter
in the Alumni Relations Office as
we unveiled a series of exciting and
ambitious new initiatives like BVG L!NK
to further engage alumni.