The purpose for conducting the study was to explore and describe the use of alumni societies and associations in community colleges, particularly focusing on the intended outcome of their implementation. To collect data for the study, the research-team developed a survey instrument that was distributed electronically to 250 community college…

With the decrease in enrollment and increase in cost over the past decade, private colleges and universities have experienced financial hurdles, requiring the need to raise private funds. The financial viability of these colleges and universities depends upon the ability of university presidents to raise money. However, challenges must be overcome…

Institutional Advancement (IA) professionals employed in higher education institutions play a critical role in building relationships with external constituents that lead to philanthropic support for strategic priorities. While IA activities have been part of the fabric of higher education since the 18th century, IA has only been a recognized…

The United States has a long history of hosting international students at colleges and universities dating back as far as 1784. In 2017, this country hosted more than one million international students for the second consecutive year. Considering the millions of international students who have studied in the United States over the last…

Extant literature examines the role of alumni in supporting higher education institutions (HEIs) through donation behavior. However, scant empirical studies examine the influence of alumni in the context of extra-role brand building behaviour in HEIs. This study examines university identification and university social community identification in…

Scholars have long documented the intersection between social identity and experiences within higher education. However, we know very little about the role of social identity in shaping alumni engagement with their alma mater, specifically through philanthropic giving. Building upon social identity and social distance theories and the…

Many schools put a great deal of emphasis on their social media marketing strategies -- updating and maintaining their social media channels with the purpose of building identity by connecting with prospective students and alumni. At a time when immediacy is seen as being prevalent to university marketing, social media is viewed as a viable method…

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and mStoner conducted a survey of how schools, colleges and universities use various digital tools and techniques in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. The study focused on how higher ed is adopting various digital tools and integrating them into advancement…

The purpose of this mixed-method study is to understand the role Advancement plays in addressing the financial needs of Christian colleges, particularly institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, since the Great Recession as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the lived experience of Chief Development Officers…

Since Delaware Technical Community College opened its doors over five decades ago, over 50,000 people have graduated from the institution. There are currently 15,000 students enrolled at campuses statewide, and since 97% of those students are Delawareans, there is an extremely large untapped group of individuals who could be engaged to become…

In the past 7 years of working at and in community colleges, the author has seen two distinct trends: (1) Community colleges appear to be ushering in a new era of advancement; and (2) Community colleges themselves are often the biggest impediment to successful advancement efforts. Despite millions of grateful learners and business and community…

Institutions face both challenges and opportunities in communicating with external constituent groups, from marketing new programs to attracting visitors and soliciting alumni. A college or university's tight-knit community of students, alums, and friends adds a special dimension to the higher education experience; bonds formed in college often…

This dissertation charts that growth of the profession of fundraising at American colleges and universities. Fundraising has been central to college and university operations from the beginning of American higher education; the fundraising professional, however, is a 20th century phenomenon. From their first campaigns to erect a building or…

Last summer, the University of Liverpool welcomed the 4,000th graduate of its online programs to its alumni community. This is a significant milestone in the expansion of their international footprint, considering that just five years earlier the university had enrolled half as many online. Equally as important as the growth of their online…

Good alumni relations are key to universities and colleges winning support from their graduates. With reference to social capital theory, an important problem in establishing strong alumni relations is how to turn alumni resources, an important university social network, into productive, public, and abundant capital. Based on the established…