Walsh University welcomed more than 40 alumni participants back to campus for the annual Professor for a Day program, October 20-21. As a part of Walsh’s Homecoming Weekend, this year marked one of the largest fall groups in the history of the program and one of the largest groups of first-time presenters. In addition, 15 out of the 40 alumni were new participants.
Held in the fall and spring each year, Walsh graduates return to their former classrooms as professionals to share their real-world experiences in their chosen field.
"Professor for a Day has always been one of the year’s most highly anticipated events for our alumni, students and faculty members," said Director of Alumni Relations Sarah Trescott ’09 and ’13. "Each year, we are grateful to so many of our participants return as new alumni continue to volunteer in greater numbers. This year’s participants represented a wide range of graduation years, from 1966 to most recently in 2016."
The Professor for a Day program was organized to provide students with a different perspective on career options and open the door to guest lecturers. Walsh alumni are paired with a course that directly corresponds with their career. As guest lecturers, alumni can speak candidly to students about various topics including the responsibilities of their job, what they do on a day to day basis, and how their careers developed.
This year was the first time that Walsh alum Peter Wilson ’76 was actually in the United States and able to participate in the program. As a foreign correspondent and freelance journalist, Wilson spoke to the students in Professor William Davis American Foreign Policy class about the timely topic of how media can influence politics. Wilson, a former Caracas bureau chief for Bloomberg News, is now a freelance journalist living outside Caracas. He has lived in Venezuela since 1992.
"I’ve wanted to participate in the past, but this is the first time I’ve been back in the States while this event has been going on," said Wilson. "I think it’s a great opportunity to share with the students and relate our experiences in the professional field to their career goals. By talking about how we got where we are, giving them some advice and sharing our experiences, I hope that we will be able to open their eyes to different career opportunities and paths they may have not known existed."
Walsh graduates with direct experience in education, technology, business, marketing, management, healthcare and entrepreneurship are among the participants in the fall 2016 Professor for a Day event.
The spring 2017 program is scheduled for February 6 and 7. Interested alumni can register at walsh.edu/p4d. For more information, please contact alumni@walsh.edu.