Many alumni find volunteering an excellent opportunity to keep connected with the Institute and with its students years after graduating.

Some Caltech alumni wonder if things are different for today's students or want to share their experiences as a student with today's Techers. Others would like to show their appreciation to Caltech for the opportunities it provided, so that those opportunities will continue to be available to students. Some would just like to catch up with classmates of old.

As an alumnus, you are an invaluable resource not just to the Institute but also to today's students and those yet to come. You can make a difference! There are many opportunities for you to get involved in student life, alumni and campus events and those programs that make Caltech unique!

There are four distinct areas in which you can be an integral part:

Working with...

Students  |  Alumni  |  the Alumni Fund | the Community

Working with Students Back to Top
Alumni Lunch...	...With undergraduate and graduate students. We pay for lunch! Contact Karen Carlson at 626-395-6593 or karen@alumni.caltech.edu.
Career Panels	The Alumni Association and Career Development Center co-sponsor three or four career panels per year for undergraduate and graduate students. (5-6 alumni are needed per panel.) If you are interested in serving as a panelist or moderator contact Karen Carlson at 626-395-6593 or karen@alumni.caltech.edu.
Session Chair @ SURF Seminar Day	Chairs are responsible for introducing the students and monitoring their speaking time at SURF Seminar Day the third Saturday in October. It's a great way to hear about the latest research at Caltech and a chance to interact with students. The event is organized by the SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) office; the alumni chairs are secured by the Association. Contact the SURF office at 626- 395-2885.
Undergraduate Admissions Support	The UAS Program is a nationwide network of more than 400 Alumni Admissions Representatives who assist the Caltech Admissions Office. They visit with prospective students, parents, teachers, and counselors in their local area, represent Caltech at college fairs, visit high schools, attend fall information sessions and spring receptions for admitted students, visit one-on-one with students, call admitted students, and present the Caltech Signature Award to local high school juniors. Alumni Volunteers can do any or all of the above. To get involved with the UAS Program, contact Karen Carlson at 626-395-6593 or karen@alumni.caltech.edu.
Working with Alumni Back to Top
Reunion Event Committees	Each year committees of alumni organize undergraduate class reunions, which take place in May. The committees, composed primarily of local alumni, meet at least once for planning purposes, and the chairs are invited to participate in an orientation session in the late summer or early fall. Some class committees make phone calls to fellow classmates to encourage attendance at the reunion, and ideally committee members participate in reunion events. Consider volunteering for your class reunion effort! Contact Patsy Gougeon at 626-395-8366 or patsy@alumni.caltech.edu.
Class Agents	Class agents collect and organize class notes for publication in Caltech News. To find out how to become a class agent, contact Patsy Gougeon at 626-395-8366 or patsy@alumni.caltech.edu. Or visit http://www.its.caltech.edu/~alumni/class_notes.htm
Regional Activites	Alumni in cities across the country help organize occasional local activities for fellow Techers. If you live or work in any of the following areas, please drop us a line and we'll let you know what activities are on tap, and how you can help make them a success: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles County, the San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, New Mexico, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Tri-State (NY,NJ,CT), and Washington, D.C. Contact Susan Graven at 626-395-8363 or sgraven@dar.caltech.edu.
Seminar Day Committee	Now in its 66th year, Alumni Seminar Day is the flagship Caltech Alumni Association program. Approximately 20 Southern California-area committee members help organize and carry out the annual alumni Seminar Day activities. Committee members meet with Division Chairs, interview two to three faculty members in two-person teams, attend four committee meetings, and introduce speakers at Seminar Day. We're always looking for new members! Contact Patsy Gougeon at 626- 395-8366 or patsy@alumni.caltech.edu.
Working with the Alumni Fund Back to Top
Key Volunteer	These alumni are the decade and division gift chairs that make up the top level of volunteer leadership. They recruit and train those who will chair the class and option gift committees that raise unrestricted funds for Caltech. Key volunteers also meet twice each year to provide valuable input to Alumni Fund staff regarding programs and special efforts. They also return to campus to attend the annual Fund Council where they participate in training sessions held for volunteer coordinators. Contact Iyoni Rice at 626-395-6290 or irice@dar.caltech.edu.
Fund Coordinators	Alumni Fund coordinators are the class and option gift chairs who recruit, train, and provide assistance to alumni who participate in the alumni phone program. Participants in the phone program contact classmates and ask that they make a gift to Caltech through the Alumni Fund. Coordinators are invited to return to campus each year to attend the annual Fund Council weekend for formalized training and campus updates. Contact Iyoni Rice at 626-395-6290 or irice@dar.caltech.edu.
Fund Callers	Volunteer callers participate in the annual alumni phone program, and are the backbone of the Caltech Alumni Fund. Each year, hundreds of alumni callers contact classmates to keep them in touch with what's new at Caltech, update their contact information and give them an opportunity to support the Institute through a gift to the Alumni Fund. Volunteer callers keep Caltech alumni connected to the Institute and help to maintain our valuable alumni network. Contact Iyoni Rice at 626-395-6290 or irice@dar.caltech.edu.
Reunion Gift Committees	As a part of organizing for the class reunion, gift committees meet to structure and solicit the class gift. They consist of the class gift chair and volunteer callers from a reunion class. Committee members help set class participation and reunion goals, then contact classmates to keep them abreast of reunion activities and give them an opportunity to participate in the class gift. Ideally, committee members attend the reunion too. The reunion committee chair is invited to join the annual Alumni Fund Council and the Reunion Event Committee's planning meetings as well. Contact Iyoni Rice at 626-395-6290 or irice@dar.caltech.edu.
Alumni Fund Council	If you would like to volunteer for the Alumni Fund, but prefer not to do fundraising, then we have the perfect job for you: coordinating our annual Fund Council, the Alumni Fund training weekend that kicks off each new year. Key volunteers and coordinators return to campus for a weekend of training, faculty research presentations, and informal social gatherings - capped off with the volunteer awards dinner. Volunteers to help with set-up, registration, and general duties on event day. To participate in this exciting weekend, contact Iyoni Rice at 626-395-6290 or irice@dar.caltech.edu.
Working with the Community Back to Top
Project Seed	This program was originally designed by two Caltech Faculty who saw a need for hands-on science education in the elementary schools. Alumni volunteers were trained to assist school teachers in working with their students to understand the basic concepts of science. This program is now totally integrated in the Pasadena school system and has been extended to include other districts in California and Hawaii.
Caltech Y	Alumni are invited to participate in many of the outreach programs in which Caltech students are involved including the JPL Trail Builders (clearing hiking trails), the AIDS Service Center (support for persons infected with the HIV virus), and preparing and serving meals for the homeless at Union Station in Pasadena. In addition to helping the Pasadena community, this is an opportunity to work side-by-side with Caltech student volunteers. To find out more about how to get involved contact them at Caltech Y or give them a call at (626) 395-6163.