Connections Council

JayMac Alumni and Friends – Please meet the Connections Council. The idea and initiative behind the Connections Council has always been an expectation. It just needed a name and a few hard-working friends of Gaylord to form the group and put it into existence. Thanks to the hard work and forethought of Dean Kelley, Marti Gallardo, a 1978 news management graduate; and Kathleen Burr, a 1989 education graduate; along with Lee Reynolds and others from JayMac, the reality is here.

The purpose and benefits of this group are to extend support to current and former students in the cities where they reside and target cities where alumni resources are plentiful to extend the Gaylord College beyond the Norman campus. Think of these councils as an extension of the JayMac board. And, there is NO financial ask or obligation to be a member of a council!

“Students, parents and alums all benefit from a program such as the Connections Council,” Gallardo said. “More often than not, the parents of incoming students express their enthusiasm, sharing how having a local council to help students along the way is distinctive and supportive. As a young organization, we have the makings for a successful and scalable venture. It’s really up to our alumni to help us formalize this program.” 

We started with the DFW area for a few reasons:

• It is home to the #5 media market in the U.S. (per 2021 Nielsen Rankings)

• There is a large alumni base of more than 1,700 Gaylord graduates

• It is a strategic recruiting base with approximately 300 public high schools in the metroplex

• The population is geographically dispersed in a wide area

The thought was that if we could make this work in the DFW area, we could replicate and be successful in other areas too.

After reviewing the geography and strategically dividing up the areas of focus on the map, it was determined that the group would be divided into 11 teams, with one captain per team and potentially about eight members per team. The councils support students in a variety of ways. These may include reviewing resumes and/or providing career advice, connecting with students who are interested in OU and Gaylord, delivering admission boxes to high school seniors being recruited, hosting an intern, serving as a point of contact to help students with opportunities after graduation and mentoring a Gaylord student or graduate.

The time and effort that these council members can give is flexible. And, there are many benefits to being a member of the council, including being recognized in college communications, greater access to potential employee candidates and opportunities to build your professional network via Gaylord alums locally.

Do you want to help make a difference in the life of a student or recent Gaylord grad? Contact Lee Reynolds at leereynolds@ou.edu. And, look for a council near you coming soon. Next up: OKC and Tulsa.