This study examines alumni motivations for engagement and philanthropic contributions at one small, public, liberal arts college struggling with low alumni participation. In an electronic survey, three categories of alumni (donors, inconsistent donors, and non-donors) responded to 28 multiple choice questions and two open-ended questions. The…

Alumni associations are established by higher education institutions to formalise relationships with alumni, and to nurture alumni loyalty over time. This study investigates drivers of perceived value for an alumni association, and the effects that perceived value and satisfaction have on alumni loyalty. Data were collected from 1711 respondents…

Alumni demographics are rapidly changing, and alumni associations are looking for new ways to increase alumni engagement. Using Lewin's (1947) organizational change theory and Homans's (1958) social exchange theory, this study examines two Research 1 institutions in a comparative case study. By comparing the experiences of two institutions, alumni…

This paper is an evaluation of undergraduate college students' participation in the Student Alumni Association (SAA) at the University of South Florida. I evaluated benefits of participating in the program, why students do not participate in the program, and if participation affected students' persistence through college. Undergraduate students…

This dissertation aims to explore the donor characteristics at a large southern public doctoral granting university. The goal is to better understand alumni donor motives and the changing intrinsic needs of the donor across generations. Economic and philosophical theories including Social Exchange Theory, Warm Glow, and Recognition Theory will be…

Alumni boards have historically been a leading source for alumni to receive tremendous personal and professional satisfaction by giving of themselves to their alma mater and to fellow alumni. These boards have roles and responsibilities including social events, networking, and raising funds for the college or university. Many alumni boards provide…

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…

International alumni affairs is a relatively new addition to the landscape of higher education, particularly outside the elite sphere of the Ivy League and Oxbridge. These privileged institutions have seen comparatively high numbers of international students enrol for many years and have gradually developed a formalised alumni presence in any…

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…

Alternative Breaks are service trips that occur at colleges and universities all around the United States, but little is known of their long-term impact on the participants. This study explored how alumni of Alternative Break programs were civically engaged in their communities post-graduation. The survey instrument, modeled on the Life After…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether giving to an institution by a graduate differs based on participation in various types of alumni programming. With the continuing cost pressures on higher education institutions, growing alumni donations is increasingly seen as a way to increase revenue. While alumni relations offices have…

International higher education student mobility can lead to social change in the students' home countries. This article examines the case of the Ford Foundation's International Fellowship Program Alumni Association in Ghana and how it has organized to affect change. Findings show that this association has assimilated many of the attributes of…

The time has come for community colleges to realize the potential of alumni private funding gifts. While some community colleges have developed alumni associations with success as a source for private fundraising, there are many that have not been successful. Today leaders are still perplexed as to the strategies and factors that contribute to the…

"Student experience" has become a popular term with higher education managers but is theoretically under-developed. This paper conceptualises student experience as a construction from memory and advances previous discussion within the higher education sector by distinguishing between recalled academic and social experience. The results…

In recent years, philanthropy in higher education has shifted from a value-added financial benefit into a necessary component for balancing annual budgets and increasing college access. Identity-based philanthropy in higher education is gaining prominence in both practice and scholarship, recognizing that social identities are strong influences on…