News and Events - Boston
Alumnus Wants More Opportunities to Network
A University of Maine graduate wants to make
it easier for Boston-area alumni who are active in the business
community to stay connected with one other and with their alma
mater.
Edward Keefe, who earned a bachelor's degree
in business in 1986 and now lives in Belmont, Mass., hosted a
cocktail reception in Boston on April 11, for UMaine alumni and
friends to socialize, network, and catch up on the latest news
about the campus.
President Robert Kennedy was on hand to provide an overview of
some of the University's recent accomplishments. He was
accompanied by business Professor John Mahon, founding director of
the new School of Policy and International Affairs, who discussed
the shrinking international economy. Dean Dan Innis of the College
of Business, Public Policy and Health, also attended.
"This is really about the University making an
effort to reach out to alumni here in Boston," Keefe said.
Approximately 80 invitations were sent, he
said.
UMaine grads are looking for ways to link up,
according to Keefe, chief financial officer at M/C Venture
Partners in Boston. He came up with the idea of holding an
"outreach event" last fall during a breakfast for Orono alumni at
the UMaine/Boston College football game. The morning gathering was
jam-packed with enthusiastic UMaine supporters from throughout the
Boston region, he recalled.
"It was a great turnout. For me, that's when
the light went on. It just proved that people wanted to network,
but that there needed to be events to draw everyone together. The
interest was definitely there," he said.
Keefe was optimistic that the reception at the
Union Club inspired many former Black Bears to develop and
strengthen their relationship with the University.
"Not everyone can get to Orono as much as
they'd like, so this was the perfect opportunity to bring people
together," he said. "Once they become more connected, this will
feed on itself. If everyone who leaves the room can talk to one
more person and spread the word, it's one of those things that
could build on itself. In five years, we could easily get to 200
members. It's not a hard goal."
Todd Saucier, president and executive director
of the University of Maine Alumni Association, said creating a
smaller group of alumni who share a common interest would "be a
great complement" to the general Boston-area alumni organization
and would strengthen UMaine's presence in the region.
"They're our largest population outside the
state of Maine," he said.
Keefe plans to do some follow-up after the
meeting and call participants to garner ideas about how they'd
like to proceed. "We'll do some market research about what we can
do to better serve the group," he said.
For example, members could start out by
gathering two to three times a year "to see how it feels," Keefe
said. Meetings could be held in different locations, including
Portsmouth, N.H., and even Portland.
"We could rotate the meetings, so it's not
just a Boston focus," he said, noting that athletic events could
be used as the setting for some get-togethers. Each meeting would
feature a guest speaker as well as a representative from UMaine
who would provide an update about the goings-on at the flagship
university.
It's not just alumni who would be drawn in,
according to Keefe. "Many people in the Boston area grew up in
Maine and have a real fondness for the University, whether they
went there or not, he said.
A native of Watertown, Mass., Keefe decided he
wanted to go to UMaine when he was visiting the campus as a high
school senior. "I still remember walking across the mall with my
dad, headed to Fogler, and thinking that I felt at home here â€"
that there was something special about this place."
For him and for countless other alumni, that
feeling endures, according to Keefe.
"People want to find a way to connect back
with the University and make sure it succeeds for another 150
years," he said.
The new group he has started is likely to do
just that.
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