Todd Bioletti has assigned himself a new title – alumni-in-training. Returning for his third round at the University of Lethbridge call centre, the second-year kinesiology student is very aware of the impact alumni have at the University.

"I didn't really know what being an alumni meant before working at the call centre – I certainly hadn't given it any thought," acknowledges Bioletti. "Now, I know what an alum is and I can see it's about more than just graduating."

Bioletti picked up the phone for the first round of calls last fall and has been dialing ever since.

"We called just under 12,000 alumni last year and, for the most part, people are pretty talkative," says Bioletti, who attributes the candour to the fact that it was students making the calls. "As students calling former students, there is an instant connection."

The call centre will start calling Faculty of Arts and Science alumni this week, attempting to reach almost 6,000 people. Bioletti sees this as a great way to connect with alumni.

"I hope one day students are phoning to tell me about what's happening at the U of L."