In this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan interviews Meg Lysy, the Senior Director for Alumni Relations at Dartmouth College. They discuss the various alumni initiatives in the admissions process, including the long-standing alumni interviewing program and the Dartmouth Book Award.

Meg shares insights on how alumni engagement enhances the admissions experience for applicants and the organizational changes within the Alumni Relations team to improve volunteer involvement. The conversation highlights the importance of alumni in shaping the admissions landscape and the challenges faced by institutions in maintaining these programs.

This episode of Alumless Takes is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumniQ, and Givzey.

As universities rethink how they support students and engage alumni, some have been experimenting with a bold structural shift: bringing alumni engagement and career services together under the advancement umbrella. On this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sit down with John Jensen, Executive Director of Alumni and Career Services at Washington and Lee University, to explore what happens when these two functions are intentionally integrated.

John shares the decision-making process that led to this merger at W&L and what has been hardest to align operationally and culturally. The conversation examines whether this model represents a growing trend or a structure that only works in select institutional environments.

In the bonus segment, John discusses programs that demonstrate the power of integrated engagement and career development, including mentoring, internships, and experiential learning. He reflects on how this approach supports campaign priorities, shapes the student-to-alum transition, and redefines success within advancement.

This episode of Alumless is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumniQ, and Givzey.

At a time when many universities are moving toward fully integrated advancement models, other successful structures exist, like the one at Georgia Tech. On this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris are joined by Janet Kinard, Vice President for Engagement at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, to explore how an independent, alumni-led association can thrive alongside a separate foundation and development office.

Janet walks listeners through Georgia Tech’s distinctive engagement structure and the systems that keep multiple entities aligned around shared goals. The conversation examines common misconceptions about independent associations, how leadership teams manage inevitable tensions between engagement and fundraising, and why collaboration remains central to long-term success.

In the bonus segment, Janet shares how the Alumni Association serves as a two-way door between alumni and campus and why Georgia Tech continues to outperform national averages in alumni engagement. She also reflects on how data and CASE AEM metrics guide planning and decision-making, and what other institutions should consider before moving toward a fully integrated model.

This episode of Alumless is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumniQ, and Givzey.

For this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan is joined by Ashley Watts, the Director of Annual Giving at Georgia State University, who shares insights from the busy end-of-year giving season. She discusses the lessons learned from video appeals, the importance of intentional messaging, and the role of data in enhancing fundraising strategies. Ashley emphasizes the need for collaboration and adding value to colleagues across campus, while also recommending resources for professional growth.

Alumni engagement strategies are evolving beyond events and programs toward something more profound: identity, psychology, and intentional journeys. In this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris are joined by Jay Le Roux Dillon, Ed.D., Chief Alumni Officer at the University of California, Berkeley, for a conversation on how institutions can design engagement experiences that reflect how alumni actually see themselves and choose to stay connected.

Jay shares the origins of his Alumni Identity work and explains how social science, data, and human behavior shape his approach to alumni engagement at Cal. The discussion explores what it means to align teams around journeys rather than standalone programs and the role data and metrics play in validating this work.

In the bonus segment, Jay reflects on lessons learned from innovation and the balance between tradition and experimentation. We explore the importance of the data layer in creating meaningful on-ramps to engagement, and where alumni engagement strategies are headed over the next five years.

This episode of Alumless is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumnIQ, and Givzey.

As 2025 comes to a close, Alumless is considering alumni engagement technology for 2026 and beyond. On our special holiday edition, Chris Marshall and Kim Infanti are joined by Max Leisten from Protopia, Renee Quinn of Givzey, and Steve Rittler of AlumnIQ to reflect on where ed tech for advancement stands today and where it is headed next.

The group explores how engagement teams are thinking about their tech stacks, why integration remains such a persistent challenge, and whether engagement data is finally influencing fundraising strategy in meaningful ways. They discuss the real-world impact of AI right now, the evolving role of engagement scores, and how institutions can balance personalization at scale with the human connection alumni expect from their alma mater.

Looking ahead to 2026, the conversation turns to changing alumni digital behaviors, the future of social media in advancement, and what it truly means to be a digital-first engagement organization. The episode wraps with a holiday edition of Friday Cheers, featuring technology-inspired recommendations to carry into the new year.

For two decades, Penn Traditions has been shaping the way students at the University of Pennsylvania learn about philanthropy and discover what it means to be part of a community that lasts long after graduation.

On this week's episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sat down with Elise Betz, Senior Executive Director for Alumni Relations, to look back at how the program began and how it grew into one of the most influential engagement engines in higher education.

Elise reflects on the early days of convincing campus leaders that student philanthropy mattered, the moment she knew the program had become part of Penn’s identity, and the innovations that have kept it relevant over 20 years. She shares how Penn Traditions now shapes everything from New Student Orientation to university-wide collaborations, and how alumni support continues to expand its impact.

In the bonus segment, the conversation turns to Penn’s recent fundraising campaign for its Cultural Resource Centers and what the future holds for student engagement at Penn.

You can check out the virtual fitness class Elise mentions in her Friday cheers here (passcode *%b2u+if).

Season 4 of Alumless is presented by Protopia, AlumnIQ, and Givzey.

In this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan chats with Andrea Devine, Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement at the University of Virginia.They share reflections and advice on how to create meaningful alumni volunteer engagement. She also shares challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a new CRM system at UVA. She emphasizes the need for data standardization and the importance of establishing policies for data entry to improve overall data management.

This episode is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumnIQ, and Givzey.