Some 645 MIT volunteers—and one well-dressed beaver—convened on campus September 15-16 for an opportunity to connect with fellow volunteer leaders, learn about community building, and share strategies and stories. The annual Alumni Leadership Conference, organized by the MIT Alumni Association, also featured keynotes from MIT faculty, leaders, and students and honored exceptional volunteers with awards.

If you couldn’t attend, materials from 19 skill-building sessions are now available at alc.mit.edu/resources:

• The After Party: Keeping Your Class Engaged
• Dollars and Sense: Fundraising Basics
• Pathways to Leadership
• Social Synergy: Email and Social Media Marketing
• Strengthen Your Leadership Muscles

You can watch videos of keynotes, including Providing Outstanding Residential Experiences by Suzy M. Nelson, vice president for student life, and an MIT financial update by Israel Ruiz, SM ’01, executive vice president and treasurer. You can also view a recap of the Alumni Association activity in the past year by President Hyun-A Park ’83, MCP ’85.

The Leadership Awards Celebration honored MIT’s most dedicated volunteers—more than 50 alumni from more than 30 graduating classes—at a Kendall Square dinner. The Bronze Beaver award, the highest honor the Alumni Association bestows upon any alumni volunteer, was awarded to Stephen D. Baker ’84, MArch ’88; James S. Banks ’76; Stacey T. Nakamura ’80; and MIT Alumni Association Board and MIT Corporation member Nicolas E. Chammas, SM ’87.

A tuxedo-clad Tim the Beaver joined the awards dinner, and a tiny version of him followed many people home. Attendees, who got stamped passports documenting their attendance at events, earned the pint-size Tim as a parting gift during the closing reception at the List Visual Arts Center.