Dinner With 12 Strangers describes a program where 12 strangers consisting of students, alumni, and faculty members dine together in a private home. The goal is to help students make connections outside their peer groups and increase their comfort level with alumni and faculty. Five dinners were hosted in 2006-2007 with over 150 students signing up and 60 participants total. Students reported meeting interesting people they didn't know, establishing connections, and gaining a greater appreciation for the broader U of T community. Going forward, a "Dinner With 12 Strangers" kit will be created to help expand the program to more divisions and increase its impact.

1. Dinner With 12 Strangers
A three-course presentation:
How dining in good company can
help shape the student experience

2. Agenda (À La Carte)
1. The Premise
2. The Outcome
3. Conclusions and The Future

3. 1) The Premise
• Dinner with 12 Strangers:
– 12 Strangers sit down to dinner
– Each stands up at the end with 11 new friends
• Local alumni host dinner for students,
faculty, and alumni, in their own home

4. 1) The Premise, cont’d
Students Alumni
Dinner with
Faculty
12 Strangers
• Mix of students, alumni & faculty offered
participants a unique and inclusive experience

5. 1) The Premise, cont’d
• Establish connections
– Students with students
• from diverse academic streams and cultural
backgrounds
– Students with faculty
• to exchange insight and experiences, to increase
comfort with faculty
– Students with alumni
• to experience engagement with the broader U of T
community

6. 1) The Premise, cont’d
• Benefit to Students:
– Meet alumni and faculty in a relaxed, informal
setting
– Establish connections beyond immediate peer
or academic group
– Develop a higher comfort level with faculty
and alumni
– Experience the broader U of T community

8. 2) The Outcome
• 5 Dinners hosted in 2006-2007
• 150+ students signed up for invitation list
despite limited promotion
• 10% of registrants were through word-of-
mouth or student referrals
• 60 participants in total

9. 2) The Outcome, cont’d
• “It was one of the best evenings I’ve had since I
started university.”
• “We were all impressed by the effort Michael
and his wife Jane put into preparing the meal
(which yes, was fantastic…) and being invited
into someone’s home was a very welcoming
experience.”
! Students met alumni and faculty in a relaxed,
informal setting

10. 2) The Outcome, cont’d
• “I got to meet so many interesting people –
even people who were in the same class
as me, whom I had never met.”
!Students established connections beyond
their immediate peer or academic group

11. 2) The Outcome, cont’d
• “I like that there were professors and
alumni and students… It created a very
stimulating atmosphere and wasn’t just a
typical dinner for students.”
!Students developed a higher comfort level
with faculty and alumni

12. 2) The Outcome, cont’d
• “The conversations about why each of us
came to U of T and what makes us come
back as a student or as an alumnus were
eye-opening.”
• “U of T is as cosmopolitan inside and
outside the classroom.”
!Students experienced the broader U of T
community

13. 2) The Outcome, cont’d
• Benefit to Students:
!Meet alumni and faculty in a relaxed, informal
setting
!Establish connections beyond immediate peer
or academic group
!Develop a higher comfort level with faculty
and alumni
!Experience the broader U of T community

15. 3) Conclusions & the Future
• Students were touched by the personal
and intimate nature of these events
• Impressed that faculty members attend
• Appreciated hosts’ efforts and generosity
• All participants were highly receptive to
this all-inclusive, community-building
approach

16. 3) Conclusions & the Future, cont’d
• Next steps:
– “Dinner With 12 Strangers” Kit to be made
available to all Divisions
– Will help even small alumni offices to run the
program
– Will help expand the number of dinners,
participants, and the impact of the program

24. Last Word
• “I thoroughly enjoyed the Dinner with 12
Strangers and would recommend it to
anyone in the U of T community.”