Building and maintaining relationships with alumni is essential for the success of students and higher education institutions.
Students benefit from the mentorship opportunities and improved job prospects that engaged alumni can bring.
Schools can benefit by maintaining a strong relationship with students beyond graduation. Successful alumni can also provide excellent marketing opportunities through testimonials, word-of-mouth and social media.
Alumni relations
Relationships with students continue after graduation and evolve as needs and expectations change.
Alumni relations and engagement used to be treated as stand-alone activities that revolved around fundraising and other advancements. Today, proud alumni often serve as influential ambassadors for their institution’s brand and speak highly of their years at college and university.
For current students and alumni, upskilling and networking are important for career development. As industries emerge and expand, new skills are needed to remain competitive in the workforce. By harnessing data, institutions can offer certifications or advanced degree programs that would enhance career success for alumni to help them stay ahead.
Connecting alumni to other graduates and advanced learning opportunities offered at higher education institutions not only encourages alumni to re-enroll but also reinforces the value of their degrees.
Alumni are an institution’s most loyal supporters and generate invaluable word-of-mouth marketing among their social and professional networks.
Keeping a solid relationship with your alumni means that their messages about your institution will remain up-to-date and positive. Maintaining communication channels with alumni means schools can keep them informed and make them part of your institution’s future endeavours.
The effect of alumni on current students
A solid alumni network can play an essential role in the student experience from recruitment to graduation and beyond – serving as a point of access to a diverse set of opportunities.
Some opportunities alumni can provide to students include mentorship, experience, internships and employment.
Mentorship
For students, mentorship is an integral part of the higher education experience and student success. Mentors provide guidance, insight and feedback, often drawing from on-the-job expertise and their educational background.
While professors are one source offer mentorship, having an engaged alumni network can open the door for many more candidates, including those with immediate involvement in the professional sector. This means that students will have access to direct support and insight from someone in the profession they hope to enter soon. It’s also a chance for students to develop valuable professional relationships and expand their network.
Experience
Aside from being successful graduates, alumni are working professionals and may be leaders in their respective fields. From business executives to data analysts, their diverse knowledge and skillset will give students a first-hand glimpse into their future careers.
Internships and employment
For students, the best way to get started in finding employment is with a relevant practicum during undergraduate studies. Some programs require students to earn some portion of credits through co-op and practicum opportunities.
Strong alumni relationships are an excellent opportunity for students to gain practical experience with alumni in their specific fields of study. Internships also provide a significant way to prepare graduates for future employment.
When students build connections before graduation, they increase their chances of making a seamless transition into their first role and kickstarting their careers.
Another crucial aspect that alumni bring to post-secondary institutions is international marketing. Former students can represent their schools in leadership roles worldwide. And after reaching senior positions, there is a possibility that they will hire students from their college or university for internships or job roles.
Conclusion
Fostering alumni relations will forever be necessary for all colleges and universities. From being campus ambassadors to becoming recruiters and helping to place new graduates into jobs, alumni are lifelong supporters staying active in their fields.
Good alumni relations benefit alumni as well as the institution. By supporting alumni in their professional and personal lives through activities such as the growth of social and professional networks, they are likely to be loyal lifelong supporters.
Institutional support will also help alumni advance their careers and influence, which will benefit universities and colleges as they give back.