As the latest group of Murphy MA candidates prepared to graduate, a small group of alumni and alumni-to-be met to form a network. This first Murphy alumni meeting took place on May 19th at the Murphy Institute.

With the help of Murphy staff members, the group of MA program and Union Semester students discussed the prospects and possibilities for continuing alumni involvement in the labor studies arena at CUNY SPS.

The group agreed to a next meeting on June 25th, at which was discussed the planning of an alumni outreach event to be held at the Murphy this Fall, on Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:30 PM. The event will introduce and organize alumni network projects and will include a faculty-led workshop about publishing your work — in blogs, journals and books.

Are you a Murphy alumni? We hope you will join us!

Among the alumni-led projects we will discuss are a program to recruit students to the labor studies programs at both CUNY and Cornell and research into alumni activities for the purposes of developing career opportunities for Murphy students and tracking the results of a Murphy program education.

The group focused some attention on a project to archive Capstone projects, either in bound editions to be made available at the Murphy Center or in an electronic archive. Meeting attendees also expressed interest in leading discussion groups in coordination with Murphy events.

As we embark on the effort to sustain an alumni presence at Murphy, we hope to continue to make active contributions to an educational environment that has meant so much to us, that has changed us for the better, and that has resulted in friendships and academic connections that are well worth the effort to maintain. If you feel similarly about your experiences in a Murphy labor studies program, join us in our attempt to “pay it forward” at the next alumni network meeting or at the alumni event on October 22nd.

Contact Tammy Shapiro at tamara<dot>shapiro<at>mail<dot>cuny<dot>edu if you are interested.