The new administration under University President Frederick Lawrence has brought many changes to the way that the University works, and prominent among them is a shift in the role of alumni.

This change has largely been pushed forward by Adam Rifkin '97, a managing director of investment banking at Barclays Capital who became the president of the Alumni Association in July of last year and is also a member of the University's Board of Trustees.

"Every time Fred talks about the vision for Brandeis, alumni are part of that," said Rifkin in an interview with the Justice.

According to Rifkin, that has not always been the case.

"I was ... the Student Rep. to the alumni board when I was a student here," said Rifkin. "It was a much different board."

The Alumni Association was formed in 1952 by the first graduating class of the University, and today works with the more than 30,000 University alumni for "the promotion of the interest and welfare of Brandeis University and the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship between Brandeis and its alumni," according to the organization's website.

"Adam is always there for the alumni of Brandeis," said Nancy Winship, senior vice president of institutional advancement, in an email to the Justice.

"Every day ... Adam contacts the Office of Development and Alumni Relations with an innovative idea, a new way to help or some information about a Brandeis graduate that he has just met. It is very exciting for me to work with an alumnus who is so committed and so optimistic about the future of Brandeis."

Alumni are an important part of the University's ongoing strategic planning process, and were represented in the framework recently released. One of the 11 task forces was committed to researching alumni and community building. The task force recommended doubling the involvement of young alumni over the next five years and capitalizing on the transition of Lawrence's presidency.

According to statistics Rifkin provided, fiscal year 2012 giving increased 23 percent among the 10 most recent graduating classes, which have been part of the BOLD Brandeisians of the Last Decade initiative.

There has been an increase in alumni giving across the board, not just among young alumni. For example, Rifkin said that the Alumni Association Board of Directors has a 100 percent giving rate. In the past year, the board has given $477,000, which is the highest amount in the history of the alumni association.

"You have to practice what you preach, and you have to give to the best of your ability. You can't really deliver a message to other alums if you're not doing it yourself, and that's a major change. You would have thought the alumni board was always giving, but that's not what happened," said Rifkin.

He added that the University remains a national leader in broad alumni giving, ranking 26th nationally in the percentage of alumni who make a gift to the University.

Rifkin emphasized that building connections with alumni has been one of Lawrence's key priorities as he sorts out his vision for the growth of the University. "Fred spends a ton of time with our alums ... He's been to Seattle, Toronto, Houston, all across the globe," he said.

One other way in which the administration and the alumni association have been trying to engage alumni is through networking and career connections. Rifkin said that career services have been highly requested by alumni, and that he has been trying to dedicate the necessary amounts of money for programming and counseling.

"Alums feel good about hiring Brandeis students for internships and, even better, when they get to hire Brandeis alums for full-time jobs," said Rifkin. "That's something very powerful we need to tap into. That is a win-win for everyone around."

"It should be second nature for our students to think alumni are going to help them with jobs," he added.

Other initiatives that the Alumni Association is trying to push through include an expansion of alumni club events and a revamping of the association's website, which is being organized by Library and Technology Services, the University's development team and an outside firm.

Overall, said Rifkin, the alumni are more than ever an integral part of the University.

"I think we have to rely on our alumni more than we've ever relied before, because they're really the pipeline of leaders and the pipeline of donors that Brandeis needs," he said