Fiat Support Your Fellow Saxons

COVID-19 has jeopardized the health and wellbeing of our citizens and communities and damaged the economy.

In mid-March, Alfred University, like nearly all educational institutions, transitioned to online instruction and telework. Just as COVID-19 dramatically altered the landscape of higher education, it has changed the way in which other organizations function and has created a challenging job market.

Members of our Class of 2020 will soon be awarded their degrees. This weekend, we will host a virtual celebration honoring our Class of 2020. In normal times, given our 98-percent placement rate, nearly all of our graduates would be starting their careers this summer, or preparing to enroll in a graduate program. For our undergraduates set to return to school in the fall, the coming months would bring summer jobs and internships.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has forced employers to reassess their hiring needs and priorities, eliminating many of those prospects.

This email is to appeal to you for your assistance. Many of you are in a position to help your fellow Alfred University alumni and current Alfred students by identifying opportunities within the organizations that you are engaged with. For those of you who can, we hope to partner with you to help connect our alumni and students to potential employment, project work, research and data analysis that the organizations which you are involved with need to meet their objectives.

If you are aware of such opportunities, please email our University’s Career Development Center. 

We recognize that COVID-19 has adversely affected organizations of all types and sizes. In some cases, it has made maintaining pre-COVID employment levels, let alone filling new positions, a challenge. I ask that you do what you can to help our alumni and students weather the storm. There are other opportunities to help: alerting those in your professional network about Alfred University and the talent we produce; mentoring current students and/or recent graduates through our Volunteers in Support of Alfred (VISA) program; or promoting the work of our School of Art and Design graduates on your social media.

Some of you faced difficulties of your own upon graduating from Alfred and received help in overcoming them. Perhaps that assistance came from a fellow graduate. This might be your opportunity to return the favor by helping a new generation of Saxons.

Our alumni and friends share a common bond: an affinity that inspires you to support Alfred University and our various community members. We are grateful that during this time of immense challenge, this hallmark of Alfred University is as evident as ever.

Fiat support your fellow Saxons!
Mark