Since the end of the 19th century, musical theater has thrived and continued to grow as a prominent American artform. Though musical theater has roots in classical style singing, it quickly capitalized on the inclusion of contemporary music trends, notation, orchestration, and themes. Because of its influence from contemporary styles, musical…

This article describes how my psychology department utilizes our alumni to educate current and prospective students about careers in psychology. I explain how we developed an alumni careers website and on-campus alumni careers sessions for students. High school students and our psychology majors reported that they found this information valuable,…

Facebook pages have been promoted as a cost-effective way of communicating with department alumni, students, faculty, and friends. We analyzed Facebook engagement metrics across a 2-year span for the page for one department of psychology. In addition, we surveyed followers of the page to determine whether different constituency groups appreciated…

The widely acknowledged need to include chemical information competencies and communication skills in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum can be accommodated in a variety of ways. We describe a team-taught, semester-length course at Wright State University which combines chemical information literacy, written and oral communication skills,…

Three advancement professionals discuss what their colleagues need to understand about their jobs. The Ohio State University Alumni Association is currently integrating into the university's advancement office at the behest of the board of trustees, so Andy Gurd is now working more closely with his development and communications colleagues than…

This qualitative study sits at the intersection of two trends in vocational education. The first trend is a narrative approach to understanding cooperative education learning; the second is a movement away from career development theories toward the view that individuals use work experiences to help construct their lives. Both trends view learning…

In the mad dash to complete the plethora of projects that lead up to the public launch of a campaign, it would be easy to start thinking of the kickoff as a goal in itself, but it's merely a mile marker in the marathon of a fundraising campaign that may last five to 10 years. Given that only a fraction of an institution's constituents may attend a…

From its roots as a nonsectarian school started by Christian evangelists in 1850 to its heyday as a hippie headquarters, Antioch College has generated both heat and light as a beacon of progressive education. Admission has always been color- and gender blind, and it was the first coed college to allow women full participation in the classroom.…

When the U.S. Census Bureau began releasing population reports from the 2010 count, the findings reaffirmed demographers' projections about the nation's rapidly changing racial, ethnic, and economic makeup. African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American populations grew about 30 percent since 2000 and will account for a majority of the…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the phenomenon of participation in a high school rock orchestra from the perspective of alumni. Specific research questions addressed the musicians' reflections on experiences in the rock orchestra and the perceived possible impact on their current musical and professional lives. Survey and…

"Campuses in general are paying much more attention to sustainability," says Paul Rowland, executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which is dedicated to empowering colleges and universities to lead the sustainability transformation in society. Rowland says that in the past four…

The idea behind integrated advancement is simple and dates back to the 1990s: A strong relationship between advancement offices conserves resources. It leads to a more efficient workforce. It portrays a highly unified message to stakeholders, including donors, alumni, local officials, and opinion leaders. In short, the entire advancement team…

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for donors on how to target their giving, with profiles of successful gifts. American philanthropists long have been generous in their support of colleges and universities. But donors do not always find the results they envisioned for their generosity and good intentions. ACTA has responded by…

This article reports on Wittenberg University's different approach to reach alumni by sending three young graduates on a 2008 version of the classic college road trip. Armed with air mattresses, laptops, and a video camera, the three young graduates drive cross-country to help the university reconnect with alumni. Over three weeks, they would stop…

Campuses with student trustees often see them as both an efficient way to get a student perspective on issues the board is dealing with and a way to use student trustees' active engagement with student organizations to explain board and administrative decisions to the student body. To maximize the contributions a student member can make on the…