With 82,000 living Horned Frog alumni, TCU has a powerful purple network nationwide.

On January 8, the TCU Alumni Career Network put some of those connections on display, as hundreds of alumni and students in 14 cities in four time zones met to trade elevator pitches and business cards while making professional connections, share career advice and scout for job prospects at the first-ever TCU National Networking Night.

“The goal tonight is to strengthen the powerful Horned Frog network,” said Stuart Schultz ’00, member of the TCU Alumni Association who moderated the event in Fort Worth. “We figure we might as well put that to use in helping people build their professional careers. The goal of our network is to have you to think ‘Frogs first.’ If you need an accountant or attorney or wedding planner or plumber, wouldn’t you rather hire a Horned Frog than a Longhorn?”

TCU Alumni Relations has hosted speed-networking get-togethers in recent years, but this was the first effort to have Horned Frogs meet other Horned Frogs to talk business on a national scale. In addition to Fort Worth, TCU grads and current students met in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. More than 1,000 Frogs registered.

“It was a huge success!” said Laura Chudy ’00, who organized the event for Alumni Relations. “We heard a lot of positive feedback from alumni and students that it was very beneficial and helpful in expanding their connections. I think we accomplished our goal of letting Horned Frogs know TCU wants to help them in their professional career, whether they are a student or an alum.”

For Jon Hurd ’04, a connection at the New York event helped him recruit Rachel Spurrier ’12 to join his company, Relationship Science.

“We were looking to hire for an entry level position in client development,” he said. “I went to the networking event and met Rachel. We hired her and she’s been phenomenal.”

Both TCU Career Services and the Alumni Association hope to offer another networking night in the future, but in the meantime, Frogs can tap into other services designed to help them make professional connections. In the last year, Career Services has launched the TCU Networking Lounge on Linked In, (see sidebar story) and offered a monthly live webinar with experts giving tips to help hone job-hunting skills

The career initiatives are already getting positive reviews.

“One of the men that just left our table actually was hiring for several positions, so I am going to contact him later this week,” said Pete Dodd ‘05 and current student in the Neeley School of Business Professional MBA program. “So far it’s been great to meet people and exchange information … and get to know other Horned Frogs.”

Employers found potential hires too.

“I was able to meet a lot of students and make connections with furniture companies and printing companies,” says Pam Buyers ’81, director of operations at Performance Media Group who attended the Fort Worth meet-and-greet. “It was an opportunity to find some possible interns for our company, some possible employees, but also relationships that will help the company grow.”

In Chicago, a couple dozen Horned Frogs met at Hinsdale Golf Club in Clarendon Hills, Ill., and may have gotten one alum and potential future TCU parent reconnected to his alma mater.

“I have not attended any alumni events for about 25 years, and I was thrilled to have attended this one,” said Christopher J. Baumbach ’83, first vice president and wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. “This event has allowed me to connect with several TCU graduates that I have not seen in years. In addition, it was absolutely fantastic to mix it up with the current students who were at home for the Christmas holiday. I was very impressed by the quality of these students and I think that this offers them a great leg up on getting started in the business world.”

Baumbach, who has a high school senior who is considering TCU, said the event should impress students and parents about the school’s desire to help alums long term.

“It reinforced to me that the school has a commitment to these kids well beyond the four undergraduate years,” he says. “I have recently seen the campus and have been impressed by all of the things that TCU is doing.”

Back in Fort Worth, current student Saria Hawkins, a senior international relations major, said the chance to network builds on her education.

“It’s not about what you know all the time; it’s who you know,” said Hawkins. “We get a very good educational base here, but it’s also great that they allow us to these networking opportunities because Horned Frogs stick together. Some of these people could be some of my future employers. I think it’s awesome that we have these types of opportunities.”
On the Web:
TCU Alumni Career Network

Related story:
Career Services launches LinkedIn Lounge

Photo gallery:
Gallery of images from the Fort Worth and Dallas events

Video: