In 2017, the Notre Dame Alumni Association completed a months-long strategic planning process for young alumni and current student engagement. As part of the execution of that plan, the alumni association, in partnership with the university's Senior Class Council, introduced a new life skills event on Feb. 11, 2018. Life Beyond the ND Bubble is designed specifically for graduating seniors who will be leaving Notre Dame at the conclusion of the academic year. It aims to prepare them for life in the “real world” through a variety of expert speakers and useful resources. From a strategic standpoint, it also allows the alumni association, which generally doesn’t have a large role in student life, to introduce itself and its programming to our soon-to-be alumni.
From the Judges
While training seniors for life after college isn't a new concept, Notre Dame blew the concept out of the water with this large-scale, all-day event utilizing big names and student input to garner more than 20% of the senior student participation in year one. The team used creativity in its marketing and really seemed to understand its audience to make this program work. Notre Dame was really able to promote its alumni association and keep everything on brand. In addition, the team was able to demonstrate in year two that the program was able to grow in attendance. Great work!
