Alumni's engagement and contributions are mission-critical to a university. Alumni's role can be both financial as well as engagement in promoting and supporting the university's vision, mission, and operations. In the case of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), alumni members also play a significant key role in communicating the…

Like any profession, advancement has its terms of art: "the ask," "prospects," "quiet phase." A relatively new one is "culture of philanthropy." As in, "We need to build a culture of philanthropy at this institution." The general idea is that everyone from the campus CEO to the students understands…

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…

For the last few years, Georgia State University has taken steps toward becoming a more traditional college instead of a commuter school. It bought two Atlanta hotels to be used as residence halls, started a football team, and is building townhouses for Greek fraternities and sororities. "When alumni come back to campus, they are shocked at…

This research explores the role of "advancement-enabling" technologies in helping institutions meet the challenges of engaging constituents and attracting private support. It includes data on the use of technology, the barriers to effective use of technology, and strategies for effective deployment of technology. First conducted in 2010,…

As an educational leadership department chair or college of education dean you are increasingly facing the need to cut budgets and try to develop funds to keep your academic programs afloat. The use of oral history with your education alumni can serve as a way to bridge and remind both the institution and the former graduates of the value the…

Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are reaching out locally, nationally, and internationally to a variety of audiences, articulating their important role in society. One major objective of this outreach is to attract the financial resources that will enable these institutions to achieve their educational aspirations. One might imagine…

For years, the University of California, Los Angeles, has been a rare holdout. As other colleges, universities, and independent schools rushed to create their own private online social networks, the UCLA Alumni Association stood on the sidelines. This fall, UCLA will join the game, launching its own online community. According to Ralph Amos,…

It's official: Online social networking is mainstream. Once the domain of teenagers and techno-geeks, sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly gaining popularity with the multi-aged masses. Last year, in fact, Facebook reported its fastest growing demographic was those 25 years and older. There's no question that this new…

This research explores the role of "advancement-enabling" technology in helping institutions meet their development and alumni relations goals. It includes data on how technology is being used, barriers to effective use of technology, and strategies for effective deployment of technology. The report is based on data provided by 357…

Some off-campus activities for alumni are outlined including: a bluegrass music performance for Carleton College alumni, a week-long "alumni summer college" offered by Lehigh University, and a week-long boat trip down the Colorado River for Arizona State University groups. (MLW)

An effective alumni relations program provides the base on which an overall program of institutional advancement can be planned and implemented. The alumni director and staff are essential to such a program, and the prudent college president will use the alumni board as a forum for advancing programs that benefit the entire institution. (MSE)

Alumni relations is defined as working to motivate alumni to be understanding and supportive of their university. The alumni association should be a community catalyst for moving people. A largely overlooked role for alumni is their involvement in the decision-making processes of a university. (MLW)

This book presents summaries of 16 papers presented at a conference on increasing the amount and usefulness of research on alumni relations. Following an introductory paper, "On the Art and Science of Surveying Alumni" (Donna Shoemaker), the papers are: (1) "Targeted Research Gets Results. Comprehensive Research on Alumni Relationships: Four Years…

Four direct mail pieces show how alumni associations find their way to reach former students. The schools are Emerson College, Episcopal High School (VA), Emory University, and University of California, Santa Cruz. (MLW)