social sciences ALUMNI NETWORK

Learn how you can get involved in a network more than 50,000 Anteaters strong

 Blake Baxter '04, Alumni Network chair, at Homecoming 2019 when the network officially launched.
 

The Social Sciences Alumni Network launched in 2019 and has announced alumnus Blake Baxter ’04 as founding chair. The group’s goal: to connect alumni with each other and the school through exciting events, volunteer opportunities and programs where in-person networking thrives. As the pandemic shifted activities online, the Alumni Network - through be BOLD 2.0 and be BOLD 2.1, No Easy Roads – has kept the social sciences Anteater alumni spirit alive and well with attendance around the globe. Social sciences alumni have attended the network’s virtual events where they learn from spotlight speakers and from each other.

“The Alumni Network has done a fantastic job of engaging the school’s alumni, especially during the pandemic,” says Bill Maurer, social sciences dean. “I’m encouraged and excited to see what the future has in store for the Alumni Network under Blake’s strategic leadership.”

For Baxter, the “who you know” question drives his interest in leading the Alumni Network to create more opportunities for engagement and professional growth of the school’s more than 50,000 alumni.

“Opening doors for alumni who are just starting out by connecting them with established social sciences alumni who otherwise wouldn’t have met has been incredibly rewarding,” says Baxter. “And giving alumni the opportunity to engage with the school, whether they just graduated, or graduated 50 years ago, is a top priority for me. We want everyone to have a seat at the table. I’m looking forward to help develop more opportunities for alumni to connect with students and expand ways to volunteer with the school. The Alumni Network is as strong as we collectively make it.”

The be BOLD 2.0 and be BOLD 2.1 series has spotlighted a variety of alumni and their unique careers from executive and organizational psychology, to entrepreneurs, to industry leaders, and those in non-profit service.

Looking ahead to 2021-22, the team will continue spotlighting bold alumni whose lives and careers we can all learn something from. Are you an alumnus interested in attending or becoming more involved with the School of Social Sciences? Contact Ian Delzer, social sciences associate director of development, at idelzer@uci.edu to be added to the email list.