Colleges and universities do it all the time. Shamelessly.

They contact graduates via mail, e-mail, phone calls, whatever it takes to solicit donations. I have an undergraduate degree from one institution, a master’s degree from another, and I hear from both of them regularly as they try to raise money for this or that good cause.

Six years ago, a few of my HTV alums decided to raise money each year and provide a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior on the HTV staff. In 2004, Jeremy Wells walked away from our year-end banquet with a very nice check.

Since then, we have maintained the yearly scholarship, but wisely changed it from cash to a laptop computer, which will last a lot longer than a thousand bucks in today’s world of higher education.

I encourage all broadcasting teachers to keep in touch with their alumni. Now, thanks to Facebook, it’s easier than ever. We started a page last year and it’s been a great avenue for publicizing the scholarship drive, and other activities such as last October’s big reunion where we celebrated HTV’s first 20 years. We had about 200 former students show up.

You do not have to constantly raise money and beg for donations. There are other reasons for keeping your alumni involved. It says a lot about your program, and how it impacted the students, if they feel it is important to stay involved after high school, and give back in some way. It also sends a clear, strong message to your current students. Sure, some will be “too cool for school” and will avoid you and high school in general in the years ahead. That’s fine. There are plenty who will want to do something to say “thanks” for the experience you provided, and the memories they value.

Make the most of the time you have with your students, and then, when they leave, don’t say “goodbye.” Instead, say, “I’ll see you later.” Or maybe more appropriately, “See you on Facebook.”