Perspective Chapter: Alumni Engagement in Higher Education Institutions – Perspectives from India

Abstract

Engaging with alumni has become an institutional priority for many higher educational institutions. Alumni help in building the institutional brand and Universities are devising their own strategies for engagement with their alumni. In this pursuit, institutions also encounter certain challenges. Given the diversity in the institutional strategies toward alumni engagement, the challenges faced by them are also diverse. The purpose of this chapter is to study the key practices of higher education institutions in India in the area of alumni engagement and identify challenges faced by them in engaging with alumni, especially from a mid- to long-term perspective. The study has been done based on a purposive sample for institutions in India that have been graded high on quality assurance and sustenance by assessment and accreditation agencies such as NAAC and AACSB. The information available on the home pages of these institutions has been used for the purpose of the study. The study reveals certain key strategies and best practices that can be implemented by institutions for greater engagement. Involving the alumni in all aspects of the institutional functioning is the key to nurturing a healthy association.

1. Introduction

Higher education institutions in India are exploring innovative and effective avenues for alumni engagement going much beyond the conventional routes. It is imperative to study these practices to enable public dissemination and knowledge sharing of best practices [1].

Alumni are an important factor in the success of higher education [2]. University alumni are key stakeholders and important contributors to the growth and development of their alma mater. How a higher education institution engages with its alumni is increasingly becoming important, as alumni engagement is one of the essential indicators of quality assurance in education. Educational quality and stakeholder engagement are closely linked. Quality assessment and accreditation parameters recognize alumni engagement as an important criterion in assessing the quality of the institution.

Extant literature affirms the connection between alumni engagement and institution building. The cooperation between the university and its alumni facilitates the connection between the academic and the industry and serves as a precursor for an inclusive environment, facilitating the exchange of experiences and knowledge sharing. This, in turn, ensures that the quality of education is in sync with the industry needs [3]. A steady engagement with alumni is important for the strategic growth of higher education institutions [4]. Studies have documented that alumni with a stronger sense of belonging to their alma mater are more likely to give back to their alma mater [5].

2. Challenges

Alumni engagement strategies vary from institution to institution and as such the challenges faced by institutions would also vary. For the purpose of understanding, the challenges can be clubbed into three buckets: strategic, interactive, and technological. Certain challenges emerge because of the strategic implementation of alumni engagement activities. Prima facie, the key challenge is that most institutions do not see alumni engagement as a strategic initiative. Due to this, institutions often miss out on leveraging alumni in the truest sense.

2.1 Strategic

In terms of the strategic challenges faced by alumni engagement, there are three broad issues that emerge.

2.1.1 Defining alumni

Typically, alumni are seen as participants of flagship or full-time courses, and the outreach is limited to them. Since alumni are defined in a narrow sense, the efforts tend to exclude participants in short-term exchange programs, certification courses, and development programs, etc. These participants are often professionals or other educators, who carry a wide variety of in-depth experience. Including them in a separate class of alumni engagement activities can broaden the scope of the alumni network and enrich the audience as well.

2.1.2 Under-pressure budgets

Institutional budgets are under pressure, especially in a post-lockdown scenario. As a consequence, alumni relations budgets also suffer. Despite the intent, institutions are not able to engage alumni to the extent and in the manner, they would like to. To an extent, this also creates a reverse dependence of institutions on alumni and their financial contributions. Under-pressure budgets tend to make alumni engagement a lot more transactional in nature.

2.1.3 Lack of cohesiveness

Activities that are undertaken under the ambit of alumni engagement are often organized independently. This often leads to alumni engagement spreading thinly across multiple initiatives without a cohesive sense of direction. This may lead to duplication of efforts or duplication of bodies and entities as well. Some activities might even be organized independently by alumni themselves without the institution in the picture. This might hold well for informal gatherings; however, formal alumni engagement activities might face the brunt.

2.2 Interactive

There are three key challenges that alumni engagement faces when it comes to the interactions between alumni and the institution.

2.2.1 One-sided interactions

Institutions in most of their interactions tend to remain one-sided. Despite all the communication happening, there is an absence of a feedback mechanism to listen to and act upon alumni suggestions. In addition to this, the primary focus of alumni interactions is the dissemination of information — most of the communication is about what the current students are doing. This tends to give alumni the impression that the institution does not pay heed to their perspective. One of the most prominent reasons for this phenomenon is the absence of a technology platform. Be it through snap polls for succinct feedback or through discussion boards for detailed interactions, a technology platform can provide greater depth and make interactions two-sided.

2.2.2 Impersonal interactions

Most alumni communication is addressed to a bulk audience (one-to-many). The space for customized interactions is still unutilized. The topics tend to be general issues rather than addressing specific points of concern. The communication is typically supplemented by engagement events such as alumni meets. The modus operandi of these events is that of large gatherings, where interactions are typically between alumni themselves. This does not give a lot of focus on the interactions between alumni and the institution itself. The reinforcement of the sense of belongingness through informational and emotional connect is possible only through interactions that happen with and within the institution.

2.2.3 Non-value adding interactions

The alumni community has the potential to provide significant benefits to its members through various features; however, the current approach taken by the institutions to interact with these members is mainly focused on theoretical aspects and lacks incentives to motivate alumni to invest their time and resources in developing a relationship. This should be addressed in order to encourage alumni to take advantage of the tangible and immediate benefits offered by the alumni community. Jobs, internships, industry events, and self-interest groups — all these initiatives make alumni interactions much more relevant.

2.3 Technological

There are two major facets of technology that pose challenges to alumni interactions.

2.3.1 Legal and infrastructural challenges

Data integrity and IT security have emerged as obstacles to collecting, storing, and utilizing alumni information. Organizations that do not have policies for data collection and storage find it, especially difficult to maintain consistent communication.

2.3.2 Inefficient and outdated technology

Alumni associations and universities are facing a major challenge in the form of outdated technology and data. With approximately 50% of the email addresses on the record being undeliverable, many institutions are unable to extract meaningful information from their alumni database beyond basic contact and graduating class details. As a result, universities are forced to invest their scarce marketing resources in generic mail and email campaigns that often fail to generate any returns. These generic campaigns typically lead to an increase in opt-outs and unsubscribed, with no benefit to the university.

3. Recommendations

3.1 Define alumni personas

Alumni relations experts understand that one single audience cannot encompass all alumni. People have diverse beliefs, so their interests vary as well. The best practice for alumni relations is to define alumni personas. This can be done by considering alumni demographics, behaviors, and common interests, or a combination of all three. By understanding personas, alumni relations teams can better identify, which motivators and communicators will be effective for different alumni groups, making it easier to determine the best practices for a large audience.

3.2 Keep engagement “light touch” but relevant

Begin your outreach to alumni by using soft and gentle communication that links them to your institution without asking for a major commitment. Additionally, provide sufficient opportunities for alumni to stay in touch with you, such as social media platforms, newsletters, and events, in order to keep them updated on the institution’s successes.

Creating personalized content for each alumni persona is essential for building rock-solid alumni relations. Additionally, it is important to share content in a way that your alumni persona can relate to. For example, to your philanthropic alumni persona, you could share information about recent donations, charity events, and giveaways. After cultivating a connection with them, you can then ask for their support for your fundraising efforts.

3.3 Recognize alumni

The alumni network can be experts, future employees, future employers, and mentors — recognizing them in these capacities can go a long way in building institutional capacity. There are many ways to do this, such as inviting alumni to attend events and meet high-level visitors, asking alumni to represent the university at various expos, and including alumni in the selection process for admissions and scholarships (alumni are familiar with the culture of the institution or program and know what it takes to succeed). In addition, alumni can be invited or encouraged, formally or informally, to mentor prospective students. Alumni can be great role models and can offer practical guidance to students as they start their studies and careers. Lastly, celebrating alumni achievements reflects their experience in your university or country. All of these efforts establish a mutually beneficial relationship, acknowledging that past attendees and scholarship recipients participate in well-established networks, and connect with a wider community of potential and influential stakeholders.

3.4 Start alumni engagement early

Universities must create strong connections with alumni by providing an excellent student experience. Building this bond before students graduate is vital for establishing a positive relationship with them during and after their college years. If students feel supported, respected, and valued during their time at the university, they will develop a lasting affinity for the institution. It is much easier to foster these connections, while they are still students than after they have left and any negative experiences they had may have already caused them to lose their connection. Investing in the student experience is key to cultivating loyalty and maintaining strong relationships with alumni.

3.5 Consistency is vital

In order to achieve long-term success with alumni engagement, a comprehensive strategy must be designed and implemented. Short-term goals must be met while striving to maintain a consistent approach that will lead to the desired long-term outcomes. It is essential that the institution is committed to this sustained approach in order to ensure success.

If you want alumni to engage with your alumni relations program and form strong connections, you must continuously inspire them through your content, intent, and actions. Be consistent in sharing relevant information and invite them to events, contests, and campaigns to make them feel appreciated. With these practices, you can build a lasting bond with your alumni.

3.6 Content is key

In order to build lasting alumni relations, personalized content must be created for each alumni persona. For example, those alumni who are interested in entrepreneurship should be provided with content related to thought leadership, startup stories, and other relevant topics. Additionally, the content should not be solely focused on asking alumni to contribute funds to your fundraising efforts. Instead, it should foster a sentiment of connection and appreciation. For example, philanthropic alumni can be informed of the latest donations, charity events, and giveaways. Once a sense of loyalty has been established, alumni can then be asked to help support fundraising efforts.

To ensure successful alumni engagement, it is essential to make all content, such as information, landing pages, donation pages, websites, and forms, mobile-optimized and easily accessible on smartphones. This will create an esthetically pleasing and user-friendly experience for alumni regardless of the device they are using.

3.7 Invest in your alumni

The alma mater should strive for a two-way relationship with their alumni. To achieve this, alumni outreach should include professional and personal support such as professional networking events and career services, continuing education opportunities, and the use of campus facilities. Moreover, alumni should be connected through reunions, directories, and technology. Additionally, alumni should be offered continuing education in their career fields or general learning opportunities such as speaking events and seminars.

3.8 Be open to feedback

It is essential to maintain open lines of communication with alumni at all times. All feedback from alumni should be accepted and appreciated as it is a crucial part of the university’s commitment to excellence. Alumni engagement programs should also actively seek alumni feedback and incorporate alumni suggestions into their development strategies. To measure the effectiveness of existing approaches, regular feedback from alumni should be sought and used to incrementally improve the program.

3.9 Avoid only financial requests

Outreach should not focus exclusively on donations. While universities are aiming for financial contributions, this should not be the only communication that alumni get. All content should be interesting and engaging, which is hard to do if alumni are all treated identically.

3.10 Assign a reasonable budget

If universities prioritize alumni, they must allocate a budget to do so. Though spending money upfront is necessary, the long-term benefits will be substantial if done right. Therefore, it is important to remember that you have to spend money to make money.

3.11 Invest in technology

Investing in a technology platform for maintaining an updated database, regular communication through emails and messages, hassle-free engagement and discussions, and seamless grievance handling. It can also act as an interface to share news and insights about the institution, furthering the cause of alumni connection and engagement.

4. Conclusion

The study has revealed some of areas that higher education institutions must work on to strengthen alumni engagement. These can serve as guiding principles for other institutions to emulate. The study has also revealed some common aspects that alumni respond positively to, contributing to alumni engagement. These include providing professional support through networking events and career services, continued use of campus resources, and higher education opportunities among others. It is also important to promote camaraderie through introductions between interested alumni at events, e-seminars, and virtual events, etc.