Last weekend, the CCOM Alumni Association Board of Governors came to our Downers Grove Campus for their annual business meeting. The Alumni Board consists of 16 governors, who represent different geographic regions based on the population of alumni residing in each geographic district. The governors' year of graduation spans a 30-year period from 2002 to 1972, and they reflect a range of specialties from surgeons to ob/gyns to allergists to family practice and internal medicine. They are a wonderful group of physicians who are truly interested in giving back to their college and helping the next generation of osteopathic physicians.

This year, several governors, led by their President, Bruce Wolf, D.O., gave a presentation to first- and second-year CCOM students about the Alumni Association and also answered the students' questions. The governors also participated in the Bridging Ceremony, which symbolizes the second-year students transitioning from basic science course to their clinical rotations. Families are invited to share in this event also, which is a very meaningful "rite of passage" to students entering the clinical phase of their training. The next evening, the alumni governors hosted the "Preparing for the Profession" event at a downtown Chicago restaurant. In addition to great food, this event also features roundtable discussions of the alumni with small groups of students discussing topics such as how to choose a residency, how to pick a specialty, ins and outs of insurance, group practice vs private practice, etc. Many spouses of the alumni also participate in this event, providing support to the spouses and significant other's of the medical students.

Two CCOM student organizations also typically make formal presentations to the Alumni Board: the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA), which is very active on campus; and the Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) group, which is dedicated to finding opportunities for networking and mentoring with students and alumni. Certainly, one of the great strengths of CCOM is its 107 years of history and proud alumni traditions. Many of our applicants first learn about us from our alumni. We are just as proud of them as we hope they are of us. Certainly, the involvement of the alumni is an important aspect of the CCOM academic family.