The Kania School of Management (KSOM) has a robust mentoring program that is an outgrowth of the college’s emphasis on career services. Each year, approximately 150 students are matched with Scranton graduates to mentor them through the career process. The college has four alumni engagement programs.
Young Alumni Day provides a forum for students to connect with recent graduates, some of whom become key contacts for internships and jobs in the recruiting process. Held on a Saturday during the fall semester, the event brings together approximately 25 young alumni – those who graduated two to 10 years prior – to interact with students through panels, workshops and icebreakers. A reception at the end of the day provides students with the opportunity to mingle with alumni in a casual setting. All first- to fourth-year students are invited to participate, and 80-90 students typically attend the event.
Young Alumni Day guest panelists shown in 2024 with author Sean W. Hand.
During Executive in Residence Days, held three times in both the fall and spring semesters, more “seasoned” alumni are invited to attend classes and share their journeys. The executive in residence is usually assigned to a Business 150 class, a one-credit, first-year course focused on career preparation. The executive in residence also visits with students in an upper-level course, and their resume is shared with all students in KSOM with an invitation to meet with the executive in a small group to ask additional questions. Connections that students make with executives in residence often lead to internships or jobs.
Alumni also return to campus to speak to students in the Fixed Income Securities class (FIN 365). This course is team-taught by two faculty members, each responsible for a third of the coursework. In the final third of the course, faculty members invite finance graduates who specialize in fixed income securities to attend class, sometimes via Zoom. Typically, there are two executives at each session, and they discuss current issues in the fixed income field along with other relevant economic and finance topics. About 10 finance executives return to campus each year.
Alumni consult with and guide students in the Portfolio of Responsible Investments under Student Management (PRISM) program, a faculty-led, student-run program where students manage a portfolio of over $1.3 million in stocks. Alumni attend a number of the weekly meetings, via Zoom, to offer suggestions and guidance to the students.
In addition to structured mentoring programs, there are informal ways in which alumni mentor students. Beta Alpha Psi and the IMA, student clubs in the Accounting Department, bring alumni from more than 20 accounting firms and corporations to campus. Many of the individuals representing these companies are KSOM alumni who become advocates for students in the hiring process. The Operations and Analytics Department also has several clubs that host events and panel sessions, bringing alumni back to campus, who then build relationships with Scranton students and serve as mentors to them.
Student participants of the PRISM program in 2022 are shown from left: Madalyne Buhler, Darryl Butler, Anthony DiRienzo, Genna Dominguez, James Murray, Robbie Katz, Aidan Guarnuccio, James Peracchio, Matt Kronenburg, Chris Caragliano, Jimmy Coleman, student leader Tom Csehovics, Aiden Messett, student leader Hanna Guarnuccio, Luke Glidewell, Madelyn Ronan and student leader Austin Glidewell.
