Pepperdine Voice Magazine
Summer 2008
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Introduces Pan Online
Meet the New Home for the Vast Community of Pepperdine Alumni.
More than 80,000 alumni can now help each other determine how dynamic and valuable the online Pepperdine community can be.
The term "networking" used to be synonymous with semiformal attire, a stack of business cards, a noisy tin full of breath mints, and a drive to and from a restaurant none of the attendees normally frequented. Successful networking was a combination of art and practiced science (Lesson One: Shaking Hands)—preparation for the brief moment you might have to connect with someone.
The Internet has changed so many things in recent years, but near the top of the list has to be the way we find, communicate with, and stay connected to friends, colleagues, and classmates. What once was a trained skill is today second nature—so accessible and enjoyable is online "social networking" that even people who wouldn't normally consider themselves social butterflies are flocking to leading connector sites.
Sometimes communities must lay all their own foundations. At other times, they are blessed by the foundational work of others. Such is the case with online social and professional networking.
MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social and professional networking sites have exploded onto the scene and grown with exponential speed. Now with tens of millions of users (and growing), Facebook especially has led the way in helping alumni reconnect with each other.
Log in today to find out how to win FREE airfare and lodging for two in Lausanne, Switzerland.*
Online Alumni Directory
Search the alumni directory online and begin connecting immediately with your friends and former classmates.
Enhanced Personal Profile Pages
Be an active member by keeping your personal and business information up-to-date. Find classmates, alums in your area, or fellow Waves with similar interests.
Class Notes
Share the big events of your life and keep track of your classmates.
E-mail Forwarding for Life
Sign up today for an alumni.pepperdine.edu e-mail forwarding address and never lose touch again.
Regional Connections
View regional event calendars and news to stay connected with alumni in your area.
Career Connections
Gain integrated career tools, mentoring opportunities, and access to Pepperdine alumni willing to act as your personal resource.
Discussion Boards
Chat with alumni who share your same interests or rekindle the relationships made through Pepperdine programs.
In group meetings all across the country, alumni made it clear that Pepperdine needed to not merely benefit from this trend, but embrace it by creating an exclusive online home for Wave alums that both integrated with Facebook and offered unique tools and content to Pepperdine alumni.
Pepperdine Alumni Network Online (PAN Online) is the answer to that call. It will be a place where alumni can be informed, connected with fellow alumni, and united through regional and national service projects. They can also find career advice and opportunities.
PAN Online is the ideal persistent presence to complement the wide range of live events in the local chapters and on the University's campuses. As busy people, alumni can't always get back to campus for a special event. Now PAN Online will be accessible 24/7, enabling alumni every hour of every day to share their experiences and seek out ways to collaborate, whether in business, friendship, or service to their local communities.
All alumni now have a way to engage on multiple levels with their alma mater. This has the potential to transform alumni relations at Pepperdine and revolutionize the opportunities alumni have to lead lives of purpose, service, and leadership. The growing numbers of active alumni will be a reminder of how dynamic 80,000 people with a sense of purpose can be. Numbers, after all, are less important than meaningful, significant interaction with each other and positive impact on the world around us. Where PAN Online leads is, ultimately, up to all of us.
