These days, in our era of constant digital activity, alumni relations professionals have their work cut out for them.

"Alumni and students now have unlimited information and engagement opportunities from countless sources," says Jon Ruzek, senior director of alumni networks for the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.

That makes meaningful connections more important than ever—and Ruzek says that's the best part of the job. Here, he reflects on his 17-year career in alumni relations, admissions and student affairs. Plus, he gives us the inside scoop on Goldy the Gopher, the UM mascot.

How did you find your way to advancement and the University of Minnesota?

After working for a nonprofit and a private university in St. Paul, I came to the University of Minnesota in 2005 to work for its Carlson School of Management. The first 10 years of my higher ed career involved student services with graduate students, after which I transitioned into alumni relations roles for the College of Education and Development in 2011 and then for the campuswide alumni association in 2014.

What's the best part of your job?

Meeting and helping alumni from all different types of colleges, degrees, industries and backgrounds. I'm truly inspired by the alumni stories, expertise and volunteerism I see every day! I love facilitating professional connections: among alumni, students-to-alumni or faculty/staff-to-alumni. In my work with the alumni association, I'm able to develop initiatives on a macro level and reach across institutional silos through our career programming, corporate outreach and online mentoring platform.

What's one work achievement that you're particularly proud of?

The alumni association's webinar series, which we launched in 2014 and which has featured 65 unique presentations to date from alumni and industry experts. We've had over 9,300 participants attend these live webinars, along with over 24,000 views of the recorded series. I'm proud that we've been able to deliver free career and professional development opportunities to our alumni and students.

What's a professional lesson you'd pass along to professionals just starting out in advancement?

Invest time in making meaningful connections across colleges, departments and units. Be proactive in learning about others' work and the challenges and opportunities they face. I see many professionals who stay in a silo of their own making and never seek to understand other parts of an institution that could ultimately help their work. Having a collaborative, helping mindset will distinguish you.

What do you see as a key challenge facing educational institutions today?

Alumni and students now have unlimited information and engagement opportunities from countless sources, literally in the palms of their hands (websites, email, streaming, social media). I believe the challenge will be to cut through all this and deliver high-value engagement that alumni will show up for and interact with. I do think there is an event conundrum: constituents say they want something and maybe they even sign up for that thing (in person or online)—but then they don't show up, and that tells a different story. This will continue to be a challenge as we strive for innovative programs while seeking good return on time and investment.

How has CASE membership influenced your career?

CASE resources have been instrumental in my career. I received a Newcomer Fellowship to attend my first CASE regional conference and the ongoing #casesmc Twitter chats have exposed me to social media best practices and new colleagues across the country. The online communities have been an invaluable resource to ask questions, benchmark and help others with common (or tricky) advancement questions. I am grateful for all that CASE offers!

Finally, real talk - have you met Goldy Gopher? Because he seems pretty amazing.

Goldy and I have a long history. He's crashed my networking events, borrowed phones to take Goldy selfies, challenged alumni to foot races and even once wrapped me in duct tape. Goldy is a lovable rascal, a multiple National Mascot Champion and my campus BFF. There's no better ambassador for the University of Minnesota!

This article is from the July2018 BriefCASE issue.