For many Regional Carls locations, the most well-attended and well-received events are visits by faculty or staff members. These events are mutually beneficial for both parties: faculty are able to share their work and interact with Carleton alumni, family, and friends; Regional Carls have the benefit of offering a lifelong learning opportunity to members, and bringing a bit of Carleton to their locale.

Past events have included faculty and staff presentations on their recent research, reports on off-campus study programs they have coordinated, and faculty-led discussions on books used for the College’s common reading assignments. Each year the Office of Alumni Relations budgets a certain amount to be used to support faculty and staff regional club events. 

Getting Started

Faculty/staff events are typically initiated in one of two ways:

  • The faculty/staff member notifies the Office of Alumni Relations of existing plans to travel to certain locations. Alumni relations staff then work with the faculty/staff member and Regional Carls volunteer(s) to plan an event, with the volunteer taking the lead on event logistics including the venue.
  • Regional Carls volunteers request a visit from a faculty/staff member (either a specific person, or someone to speak on a specific topic) through the Office of Alumni Relations. Because of the resources required for faculty/staff events and the intricacies of scheduling these events, the Office of Alumni Relations asks that volunteers contact Alumni Relations staff first, before being in touch with the faculty or staff member.

Planning the Event

Once a faculty/staff event and associated expenses has been approved by the Office of Alumni Relations, staff will work with volunteers and the faculty/staff member to sort out the following event details:

  • Cost: Cost is often dependent on the event location, and whether there will be food and/or drinks served. If there is a cost component, volunteers should work with their staff liaison to ascertain what may be covered by the College, and what should be covered by the event hosts/volunteers. When necessary, it is possible to charge a fee for faculty/staff events. More information about event expenses.
  • Format: In addition to a formal presentation or lecture, it can be nice to also include some informal time for socializing and conversation with the visiting faculty/staff member. For example, an “on your own” happy hour or dinner following a lecture. If you are interested in doing something like this as part of the event, it is important to determine early on.
  • Date and Time of the Event: If both the faculty/staff member and volunteers are flexible on the date and time, it is best to consider whether a weeknight or weekend would be best for the alumni in the area. Here are a few things to consider when selecting a date and time:
    • Does the date fall on or near any major national or religious holidays?
    • Are travel times going to be an issue on a weeknight vs. weekend?
  • Event Location: As with all Regional Carls events, events featuring faculty/staff are, to the extent possible, expected to be self-sustaining events. Because faculty/staff visits are often special events, the Office of Alumni Relations may allocate resources for securing a location, but where possible organizers should seek a location with no reservation fee. More information about event expenses. Here are a few other things to consider when looking for a location:
    • Accessibility: is the location easy to get to? Is the location handicap accessible?
    • Parking: is there parking on-site or accessible nearby?
    • Audio/Visual Needs: will the presenter have A/V needs? If so, does the location have A/V accessible, or will equipment need to be rented?
    • Food and Beverage: will the event have a food and/or beverage component? What are the guidelines for serving food/beverage at the location?

Support from the Office of Alumni Relations

Once the basic event details have been established, the Office of Alumni Relations will work with each individual party to sort out the following:

  • Travel and Accommodations: Alumni relations staff will work with the faculty/staff member to book travel and hotel arrangements.
  • Event Publicity: Alumni relations staff will work with the volunteer(s) to finalize text for the event marketing and publicity. The final draft will be sent to the faculty/staff member for approval.