Yavapai College Rolls Out Alumni Outreach Program
How are you connected?

What’s your connection to Yavapai County’s community college?

Chances are - you are an alumnus.

“Through an introspective process, Yavapai College has come to define an alumnus as anyone who has been admitted as a student to YC in any recognized program, including career development and personal enrichment courses,” said Barbara Claybaugh, director of the college’s new Alumni Outreach Project.

“Nearly everyone who lives in Yavapai County is connected to the college in one way or another,” said Claybaugh, her blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “We want to reconnect our alumni with Yavapai College. There’s just so much going on here and we want our alums to share in the excitement of the college, celebrate our past and help us plan our future.”

An engaging woman with a bubbly personality, Claybaugh currently leads the college’s new alumni initiative following her success as the lead fundraiser for the Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center. Now that that center is built and up and running, she has been asked to switch gears and develop alumni activities.

Claybaugh is not new to alumni relations. As assistant dean for External Relations for the business School at the University of California, Irvine, she started a successful alumni program.

When Yavapai College celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008, the Alumni Outreach Project will play a significant role in sharing four decades of memories. Getting involved will be as easy as getting online.

Featuring profiles of alumni from across the globe, the site gives previous students an opportunity to go beyond the traditional college reunion.

“We want prospective students, current students and other alumni to see the outcome of a Yavapai College education; how it affects a person’s life professionally and personally. I think the public will be surprised at how many people they will recognize in the alumni profiles,” she said.

The alumni site will also feature links to the YC homepage, other YC publications and calendars. Down the road other features will be added. “Our web presence is the jumping off point to so many other exciting opportunities,” said Claybaugh. “Our hope is that we can involve our alumni on many levels at the college. We plan to have events and activities, especially as the college commemorates 40 years in our community. It’s really the perfect time to get our alumni involved.”

Plans for the outreach project also include garnering feedback from alumni on ways to advance the college, keep it moving forward to meet the dynamic needs of residents of Yavapai County.

“Alumni are a critical aspect of any institution and their ability to help steer the college in the proper direction is of utmost importance to us,” said James Horton, Ph.D., president of Yavapai College. “We are lucky to have Barbara Claybaugh at the helm of this important program and I know she will provide the right guidance to assure success. She has already made so many connections with alumni in the community and invited them back to campus to help us develop the program.”

As alumni become more involved with the college and reconnect, Claybaugh and others hope they will contribute their professional knowledge and guidance to programs to keep course content relevant.

“Alumni can bring so much to the table,” said Claybaugh. “We hope that people will find their niche and invest their time and resources in helping YC be the best community college possible.”

Claybaugh anticipates rolling out the website in early 2008 and is already working with the Yavapai College 40th Anniversary Committee to develop events and activities that will encourage alumni to return to their college.