The official role of the President-Elect is to provide leadership and aid in creating awareness, involvement and support for all committees.  The position itself has no official committee roster, but leverages all of the members of the IST Alumni Society.  This year, the President-Elect has expanded the role to include new initiatives that the society and college have found to be in need of attention, which includes:

• Building the value of IST Alumni
• Creating a strategy for Society growth

Building the value of IST Alumni affords us a great opportunity to give back to the IST program through involvement in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities.  Historically, IST Alumni play a significant role in the recruitment programs, current student activities, student government, and overall direction of the college.  Outside of this involvement, Alumni have taken a more reactive approach to highlighting our knowledge and experience, specifically when it comes to interaction in a classroom environment.  We will be putting a strategy together to change this perspective, and foster involvement in the classroom, as well as expand existing programs such as the Mentoring program.

Society growth is critical for us in order to maintain our ability to aid the College and our Alumni.  Since 2003, we have had thousands of IST Graduates, and unfortunately, many chose not to maintain their membership in the Penn State Alumni Association after they graduate.  We plan on taking action to grow and maintain our base of IST graduates, while creating a strong value proposition for becoming active in the IST Alumni Society.

These two key initiatives will help to drive success in the future for our Society and for the College of IST.

The President-Elect is also responsible for overseeing the society’s strategic plan.

Email the President-elect, Mark Poblete, by clicking here.