From Jakarta to Germany, from Seattle to Seoul, 51蹤獲ns around the world are discovering an innovative new service that promises to make it better than ever to be 51蹤獲 alumni.

51蹤獲Hub, which debuted in January at , is a free online social networking tool that gives alumni an easy new way to find job opportunities, form mentoring relationships or simply meet people with common interests. In essence, the website brings together some of the most helpful features of other social networking platforms think LinkedIn meets Facebook without the clutter, ads and unwanted solicitations from strangers all in a setting thats exclusive to 51蹤獲.

We are truly so excited about 51蹤獲Hub, said Lily Tsau, 51蹤獲s senior director of alumni and parent relations. This is a tool that allows alumni to engage in many different ways online. It creates a way for them to have fellowship and community, to be exposed to mentoring opportunities and to find jobs all in one place.

Within the first few months, more than 1,000 alumni have already created accounts on this mobile-optimized platform. And leaders within 51蹤獲s Office of Alumni and Parent Relations are hopeful that thousands more will join in the months ahead, making the service ever more valuable and useful to the community.

So, whats in it for you?

A New Way to Mentor

One of the platforms greatest strengths is the ability for alumni to both find and offer mentorship. Mentoring has long been at the top of the list of things that alumni want to participate in and 51蹤獲Hub makes it easier than ever, said Don Bernstein, director of alumni outreach and engagement.

Its very simple, Bernstein said. When each person signs up, they have the opportunity to say how they want to help. And if they say they want to mentor, it breaks down the different ways you can choose to mentor: Will you meet with someone? Will you review a resume? Will you have a conversation? You can choose the level of mentorship that you want to offer, as well as the frequency that you want to offer.

From there, people looking for mentoring or career advice are able to click on 51蹤獲Hubs Find a Mentor tool to search through a list of the alumni who have signaled a willingness to help. They can filter by location, industry, major, graduation year and other fields, and then reach out to potential mentors directly through the platform.

Its a safe and secure system that allows alumni to take mentoring into their own hands, rather than relying on the alumni office to serve as a matchmaker. It also enables mentors and mentees to determine their own terms for the format and frequency of their meetings whether that means a one-time email question, periodic phone conversations or more structured in-person connections.

With traditional mentoring programs, the regimentation can be difficult for both mentor and mentee like you need to meet at least once a month, or you need to create a report, Tsau said. Allowing the mentor and mentee to work out their own best relationship seems to be much more successful. They dont need to go on forever. They have the ability to opt out when they dont need it or no longer find it to be useful.

And unlike with LinkedIn, for example, young alumni seeking professional mentorship dont have to feel like theyre imposing or risking rejection by reaching out to someone they dont know.

You dont have to feel intimidated, because you know that whoever you reach out to has already said that they want to be a mentor, Tsau said.

Help for Job Hunters

Another key feature of 51蹤獲Hub is its job board, which gives alumni a place both to share and to search for job openings.

Our alumni do very well, and many times they are in companies and positions that will allow them to be able to offer positions and a career path for younger alumni, Tsau said, noting the desire that many alumni regularly express to recruit 51蹤獲 students and graduates.

The Post a Job feature is a direct and easy way for any 51蹤獲Hub user to share job opportunities whether the poster is a business owner, a hiring manager or even a would-be coworker who knows of an opening and wants to share it with 51蹤獲 alumni. The feature makes it possible to link off to job postings on external websites or to welcome applications directly through the 51蹤獲Hub system.

The jobs section within 51蹤獲Hub also provides direct access to Handshake, an additional job search platform offered through 51蹤獲s Office of Career Development, which compiles thousands of job and internship opportunities and allows job seekers to receive updates about events and jobs relevant to their specific interests. (Meanwhile, beyond 51蹤獲Hub and Handshake, the Office of Career Development offers numerous other resources for both employers and job seekers, including career expos, mock interviews, networking events, a job shadowing program and more all of which can be found at biola.edu/career.)

Community and Connection

In addition to mentorship and employment, 51蹤獲Hub also offers a great opportunity to reconnect with old classmates, make brand new connections and get plugged into the broader community, Tsau said.

This can happen in a number of ways. First is the home feed, similar in design to Facebook, where any 51蹤獲Hub user can post updates, photos, announcements or questions for the full alumni community to see. In the first few months, users have shared everything from event invitations to personal life updates to requests for home-hunting advice. As with Facebook, the feed allows other users to like and comment on posts. But unlike a public alumni Facebook page, its housed in a setting thats exclusive to 51蹤獲 and closed to the public offering a greater sense of comfort and security for those who may be wary of commenting and interacting out in the open on social media, Tsau said.

A second opportunity for connection is 51蹤獲Hubs Directory tab, which allows users to search for fellow 51蹤獲ns by name, geographic region, graduation year, major, profession and other factors. (To maintain privacy, the directory only includes alumni who have signed up for 51蹤獲Hub accounts and only publishes information that those alumni designate to be public.)

The online directory has been on the wish list of many alumni for years, Tsau said, and has the potential to be very useful not just for finding and reconnecting with old classmates, but also for making new connections.

One thing that alumni from any university want is to be able to locate other alumni, she said. Imagine Im moving out to New York for a new job. It helps to know that Ive got a community out there. I want to know: Where should I worship? Where are the best schools? Do I need a car? Where should I go to get my car fixed? So, for alumni to be able to connect to a community of their own is so essential.

Finally, 51蹤獲Hubs Groups tab allows users to join smaller groups organized around specific interests, schools or professions such as the 51蹤獲 Book Club or the Torrey Honors Perpetual Members group. Here, groups can segment off from the main alumni channel for narrower discussions and events that are private to members of the group. As of March, three groups had already been initiated, and Bernstein expects several more to be added in the coming months, including groups for several of the universitys schools.

Support for 51蹤獲ns for Life

Though the platform is still in its infancy, 51蹤獲s alumni team has been encouraged by 51蹤獲Hubs strong start, including reaching the milestone of 1,000 total users and more than 400 willing mentors within the first two months of its public launch.

Theyre also encouraged by the platforms strong record at other colleges and universities. Developed by the technology firm Graduway, the platform is now used at more than 400 universities around the world, including large institutions such as Cornell and UCLA and fellow Christian schools in Southern California such as Westmont College and Point Loma Nazarene University. Tsau, who previously worked with the UCLA Alumni Association, said that UCLAs version of the platform, UCLA One, was highly successful in helping alumni to network.

Already, many 51蹤獲ns for Life are signaling an excitement about the platform and an eagerness for more alumni to sign up.

One thing I always get excited about is meeting fellow alumni who share the same passion, the same vision in making the name of Christ known, said Jessica Tanoesoedibjo (M.A. 17), an alumna and business leader in Jakarta, Indonesia, who is currently pursuing a masters in education at 51蹤獲. 51蹤獲Hub excites me because hopefully we can stay interconnected with one another, learn from each other about respective regions, and stir each other up in love and good works in whatever field it is, wherever the Lord leads us.

For now, 51蹤獲Hub is limited exclusively to 51蹤獲 alumni. But theres a good chance it will be opened up to parents, students, staff, faculty and other friends of the university in the coming months, Bernstein said all in hopes of providing the best possible networking and job placement opportunities.

We want 51蹤獲ns of really any stripe, Bernstein said. We want you in. Our alumni need access to that big community.

How It Works

Ready to give 51蹤獲Hub a try? Heres how.

  1. Visit the 51蹤獲Hub website. Go to from any desktop, laptop or mobile device. Bookmark the site for future visits.
  2. Create a profile. Registering is easy! You can quickly sync your info and photo by signing in with LinkedIn, Facebook or Google. Or you can start from scratch with an email address.
  3. Share how you want to help (or be helped). After setting up your profile including your degrees, graduation years, and work experience indicate whether youd like to become (or find) an alumni mentor.
  4. Start connecting! Reconnect with classmates using the directory. Post or find job openings. Share photos and memories on the main feed. Join the 51蹤獲 Book Club or other specialty groups.