Author
Dr. Sarah Chen
Computer Science Department Chair, Stanford University
Dr. Sarah Chen has chaired a university CS department for 8 years and built one of the most active alumni mentorship programs in the country. She writes about department-level networking, career services strategy, and what makes alumni actually want to give back.
Articles by Dr. Sarah Chen
4 postsDepartment Stories
The Alumni Engagement Crisis: Why Only 19% of Alumni Stay Connected
CASE survey data across 394 institutions shows alumni engagement has plateaued at 19.7%. Department-level strategies outperform university-wide ones. Here is the data and what it means.
Department Stories
What 3 Department Chairs Learned from Launching Department Alumni Networks
Real lessons from department chairs at Stanford CS, UCLA Engineering, and MIT MechE who built active alumni networks from scratch. What worked, what failed, and what they would do differently.
Department Stories
Why Your Department's Alumni Network Matters More Than the University-Wide One
University-wide alumni networks are too broad to be useful. Here is why department-level connections actually lead to jobs, mentors, and referrals — with data from 8 years of running a CS department program.
Giving Back
How to Be a Department Alum Who Actually Helps: A Mentor's Playbook
A practical guide for alumni who want to mentor current students effectively — without overcommitting or burning out.