The Dean’s Alumni Circle—now in its fourth year—not only has adopted and sponsored the Recruiter’s Lounge in the college’s new building complex (a combined pledge of $25K), but it has broken into sub-committees to do some critical hands-on work for various college constituents—students, faculty, alumni and members of the business community.

Monique Catoggio

“Among the new projects we have developed for the Circle is the Faculty Linkage Program,” said Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam. “One thing we saw lacking in the group’s members was high-level interaction between them and our faculty members, who can bring them and their respective companies much closer to us and all that we do.”

The program has to-date linked up approximately half of the Circle’s members with faculty members in their desired areas of interest/specialty with the hope of building relationships leading to increased student access, mentoring opportunities, speaking engagements, and research projects.

In addition to the Faculty Linkage program, Circle members are continuing to help the college build a program to assess and improve the business readiness of its undergraduate students, an initiative now housed within the college’s Career Management Services.

Circle members also are meeting to establish an Investment Banking Recruiting Pilot program to assist students interested in this specific career path to find the right connections. This model, if successful, can then be used to address other career paths which may not be accessible to students.

Demian Bellumio

“A career like investment banking comes with few surprises,” said Circle Chairman Demian Bellumio (BBA ’00), who began his career on Wall Street. “If we can teach them the ins and outs of this business and really get them to understand what investment banks are looking for, I think we can find more success in placing our students.”

Part of the Circle’s mission also is to increase the impact our students and alumni make in the community through their community service. Last year, the Circle organized an awareness event for Teach for America, a national non-profit educational organization whose work is felt deeply in South Florida. The Circle’s Community Service Committee plans to host an event on campus for business students, faculty, and alumni to provide opportunities for service and altruism.

“All in all, our Circle has risen to meet the challenges we have laid out for them,” said Monique Catoggio, the college’s director of alumni and partner relations. “Our alumni really want to make a difference, and they understand that by helping us make positive changes, they, their organizations, and the business community at large will benefit.”

To learn more about the Circle and about becoming a member, please contact Director of Alumni and Partner Relations Monique Catoggio at 305-348-4227 or at catoggio@fiu.edu.