The 2016 ICARS survey reports on data collected September 2015 to November 2015 in the International CASE Alumni Relations Survey. The findings are drawn from 84 responding institutions across 12 European countries. 76 percent of respondents are from the UK and 24 percent are from other European countries. ICARS emphasises the link between alumni…

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) launched the volunteer-led Asia-Pacific Alumni Relations Survey in 2014 to provide a resource for alumni relations professionals to benchmark performance internally and against fellow institutions of higher education. That was the first survey CASE has done on alumni relations programmes…

Concerns about the cost of higher education and student loan debt have resulted in increasing efforts by policymakers and university administrators to find alternative ways to support the financing of higher education for students. The authors present a case study of a student-led philanthropy campaign to generate funding for social work student…

This article discusses the story behind American University's brand campaign. Colleagues and peers are asking how American University developed a brand strategy--"KNOW/WONK" campaign that launched in fall 2010--that's original, authentic, and representative of AU's distinctive personality. What they really want to know is how AU got it through the…

In an era of increasingly hyped Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that seem to evoke feelings of both promise and peril for higher education, many institutions are struggling to find their niche among top-tier Ivy League schools offering courses to thousands of participants for free. While the effectiveness of MOOCs in terms of learning outcomes…

Today's institutions of higher education are facing an increased number of significant challenges taking place in the political, economic, social and technological environment. Accordingly, the issues of performance, accountability, and marketing strategies have become ever more important. It has been suggested that universities that are more…

Experience at Washington University (Missouri) illustrates the importance of careful media relations planning, including pinpointing what the institution wants to accomplish, establishing ground rules, and working with the institution's communications team to draw up a media relations plan. Planning steps are outlined. (MSE)

A guide to developing a college marketing plan defines key marketing terms, outlines the development of a plan (including institutional analysis, market research, strategy formation and execution, and program evaluation), and provides a list of important principles with which to operate a program. (MSE)

Experiences of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas Wesleyan University illustrate steps in planning special events. Steps include reconsider the proposed event; coordinate with other campus activities; make a master plan; know the target audience; highlight unique features; build a budget based on facts; evaluate everything; and keep…

Because of limited resources and rising populations, more intentional relationships among university departments are needed to achieve common goals, especially in parent programming. Article focuses on novel partnering opportunities for student affairs and institutional advancement departments. (GCP)

Ways to create and implement a master marketing plan for college campuses are described. The best marketing plans describe both objectives and methods for all appropriate areas within the institution. (MLW)

In an interview, Dorothy A. Durkin, a successful marketing specialist at a major university's school of continuing education, discusses her approach to marketing, specific strategies, and techniques for using and storing information. She offers five guiding principles for reaching prospects personally and persuasively. (MSE)

Developing creative and appealing new college alumni programs need not be laborious and time consuming. A variety of familiar events and items can be sources of inspiration: a staff retreat, professional conference, a bulletin board, a telephone call, or the phone book. A positive attitude plays an important role in designing interesting programs.…

Guidelines for managing fund-raising programs are presented including: recognize variability of costs, understand salaries as major cost, compare institution only with its peers, manage volunteers well, allocate enough resources for the long-range development of young alumni and planned giving, pursue endowment gifts, etc. (MLW)

Parents represent a major but largely neglected source of annual, capital, and deferred gifts. An important dividend of any effective parents program will be the volunteers it turns up. These volunteers can help with fund raising. (MLW)