Matt Corker

On October 26th, I will pass off the role of Alumni Relations Manager, Students & Young Alumni at UBC to move up, over, and into my new role as Alumni Relations Manager in the Faculty of Science. Instead of working across the University with student leaders and key young alumni, I will dive deeper into the second largest alumni base at UBC to create the first cohesive alumni relations program for that faculty – starting with students and expanding globally with all our graduates.

There is something refreshing about starting from scratch – charting new territory, trying new approaches, seeing what works and throwing out what doesn’t. There is also something terrifying about it. It is in that dichotomy where I draw my excitement from. The colleagues I have got to work with in my current role have taught me some invaluable lessons in which I find comfort in as I transition into my new role:

1. Build other people’s capacity to do great work. Find the ways to improve efficiency, motivate staff, and remove barriers so that your team (in the largest sense) can be successful.
2. Help out before you need help yourself. Volunteer and assist in others’ projects first. This will help them get to know you and the work you do. You then have more leverage to ask for help when you need it.
3. Make them feel it. People need to experience your story, hear from your raving fans, and see the value in your work through their own eyes. They need to feel connected to the work – not just the person doing the work.
4. There is no substitute for being present. If you don’t have the mic, be present at the event anyway. If you have to lead a team, be there for them. If you are trying to change a culture, be present in the current one. This will also help you do 1-3 that much better.

The hardest part of this decision was actually in leaving my current team – both in Alumni Affairs and across the Vice Presidents Students portfolio. The people I have been blessed to work with have made this job an absolute delight. That being said, I know I will find ways to still keep our connections strong.

While opportunities like this don’t come up every day and there is no “ideal time” to ever leave a job you enjoy, I admit to feeling that I haven’t done everything I could have. There are still things we can do better in the coming years. I am then quickly reminded that one should never strive for perfection in a job, only impact. If you can’t find an area of improvement in your work, you aren’t looking hard enough. So instead, I look back and think of the impact we made together and smile.

Here’s to you team. Play this song loudly in the office whenever you need a reminder of what a Friday afternoon should sound like.

Those not seen: Alex, Ann, Keith T, Matt A, Chris, Mark, Mike, Oiyee, Belinda, Marisa, Dianna, Keith L, Christina H, Tanya, Felicia, and Marie

IMPORTANT: If any of you readers know of a rock star that would be interested in the job description for the Alumni Relations Officer, Students & Young Alumni position (Job ID 6282), please let me know. I’d be very happy to talk to them to discuss if this could be a good opportunity for them.

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Related posts:

1. Dear Graduating Student Leaders,
2. Impacts: A ripple or a path?
3. UBC Alumni Achievement Awards