Fresno State is turning to its future to reconnect with its past.

Influenced by the success of the university’s seven-year, $214 million fundraising campaign that concluded last April, the Fresno State Alumni Association is launching a “Discovery Program” in the fall aimed at local alumni outreach via student ambassadors.

The program is hiring 15 students to reach out and “re-engage” with alumni living in the Central Valley in hopes of creating a “more relational, not transactional,” connection between the university and the more than 200,000 alumni, said Matthew Schulz, the Alumni Association’s assistant director of Parent Engagement and Discovery Programs.

More than 60,000 alumni live in the Fresno area — and more than 47,000 live in Fresno and Clovis.

By hiring a group of student ambassadors, Schulz said the university could “increase the degree to which we’re able to connect with alumni.”

“This probably will be one of the most-highly, relationally-oriented methods and programs that we have.”

Fifteen students will be hired before this semester’s finals week. The application deadline is March 18.

Schulz said the ideal candidate is someone who is inquisitive and willing to ask questions and maintain conversations. Students who are hired will be matched with alumni based on their interests and academic backgrounds, lining them up to provide networking opportunities “so that there’ll be more of an innate connection,” Schulz said.

The Discovery Program is modeled after UC San Diego’s alumni outreach efforts. UCSD’s program, in its fourth year and 27 students strong, launched with 15 students.

”I very much want to have that problem,” Schulz said about the high number of employees.

Schulz said he plans to have a launch with five students this summer in preparation for fall. For more information, contact Schulz at [email protected].