Sheffield School Launches Alumni Association with Exclusive Benefits for Graduates

New York, NY – July 30, 2012

On July 30^th, the Sheffield School answered the calls of thousands of graduates when they launched the Sheffield School Alumni Association. For the first time, graduates all over the world will be invited to join a private online community developed especially for them.

Founded in 1985 in New York City, the Sheffield School has trained thousands of interior designers, wedding planners, and jewelry designers all over the world. The alumni association will offer graduates in one of the home-study programs a variety of member benefits, including a social networking community, business listings, a job board, webinars and events, and more.

“At the Sheffield School, we’ve always stayed by our commitment to support our students long after they graduate,” said Sheffield School Director Chuck DeLaney, “and this community is something we hope will benefit our alumni no matter what their goals are in the field.”

For years, students who’ve completed one or more of the courses offered by the Sheffield School have asked how they can connect with other alumni. In addition to the opportunity to befriend and learn from their peers, members of the Alumni Association will be able to sign up for free continuing education opportunities and receive discounts from partners in their respective fields.

Sheffield School graduates who want to learn more should read about the Sheffield School Alumni Association or contact the school.

About the Sheffield School

For over 25 years, the Sheffield School has trained successful designers and wedding planners.  Founded in 1985 as an Interior Design school, it has since added courses in Feng Shui Interior Design, Wedding & Event Planning, and Jewelry Design.  All of the Sheffield School’s programs are distance education courses and serve students all over the world. The Sheffield School is owned and operated by Distance Education Co., LLC, with two sister schools also located in Manhattan, the New York Institute of Photography and the New York Institute of Career Development.

Calling All Sheffield School Alumni: We’re About to Make You Very Happy

Students and alums have been asking for years why we don’t have an alumni association. And we’re tired of having to come up with excuses.

In just 3 weeks, we will officially launch the Sheffield School Alumni Association!

We can’t wait, and we know you can’t either. And for those of you who are itching for more information about the who, the what, and the how, some of the basics are below (the stuff I’m allowed to giveaway). But before I do that, I wanted to let you know that we’re giving one lucky reader of this blog post the chance to win a free year’s membership.

How to Win:

• You must be a student or graduate
• Share this blog post on Twitter or Facebook
• Leave a comment below with your Twitter handle or email address

We’ll pick one winner at random next week and let you know.

Benefits of the Sheffield School Alumni Association:

1. An active social network of designers and planners all over the world who’ve taken one of our courses

Facebook and Twitter are great for connecting with everyone and their mothers, but where else can you find a social network devoted to other people who’ve graduated from your school. In the Sheffield School Alumni Association, you’ll be able to chat with others in your field around the world, set up groups based on your interests and passions, find people in your area to meetup or network with.

2. Discounts from retailers and manufacturers

When you’re a student, getting discounts is easy. But after you graduate, people expect you to pay full price. We didn’t think that was fair. So now, Sheffield School Alumni Association members have access to exclusive discounts from our partners. It’s like having a student ID card to carry around for life.

3. A nationwide job board with openings in your field

One of the things we hear most often from graduates is whether or not we offer any kind of career assistance. The answer is, we’re working on it. And as a starting point, we’ve included a job board as part of the Alumni Association that lists jobs for event planners and interior decorators all over the country, sortable and searchable by location, pay, and other job details. Find your next big client or get your first big break through the Sheffield School Alumni Job Board.

4. Free business listings for you and your business

Looking for new clients? We can help. When you’re a member of the Alumni Association, we give you a free listing in our online business listings. People can search for and find you for a job, sort based on geographic region, and link straight to your website. We get calls all the time from people looking to hire our graduates, and now we have a place to send them. Get your name and business listed today.

5. Webinars and events hosted by the Sheffield School and its partners

Attend live online webinars and live events hosted by us. Webinar topics will range from continuing education in the field, to interviews with professionals, to live Q and A with our staff and our partners. Live events will include meetups all over the world, destination trips, and live seminars in different parts of the country. Members of the Alumni Association will receive free invitations to many webinars and events, and will pay a reduced fee to attend others.