Over the years, there has been a radical change in the way educational institutions see and interact with their alumni. While earlier, alumni and their alma-mater were considered as different entities, alumni relationship today has taken a different flavor. All thanks to the digital transformation and social media!
With the advent of social networking, educational institutions and universities have now started harnessing the power of alumni via various networking platforms and AlmaBay is one of the most used platform for engaging the Alumni. According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, 83% of U.S. educational institutions are using social networking sites to engage alumni.
While there is no doubt in the ever growing popularity of the alumni, questions often arise on the significance of alumni community for the education industry.
Importance of Alumni
Alumni are the representatives of their institutions. In simple words, graduates of any university reflect a lot about their institution from where they passed. Many institutions link the success of their alumni with their university environment, resources and other amenities they have been offering to the students. In this era of social networking, institutions have realized that having strong and positive relationships with their alumni can significantly benefit them academically, socially, and professionally. In the same way, the alumni too have realized that associating with their alma-mater is beyond just being nostalgic.
Social media sites these days are overcrowded with myriads of alumni groups with many active members linked to them. Here are the various ways by which alumni community proves to be significant for all those associated with it.
Fund-Raising – Having a strong alumni association can be considered as the biggest supporter for any institution that can contribute towards its developmental activities.
Mentorship and Scholarships – Alumni is a great way to encourage and motivate their current students. Alumni can play an active role in volunteering programs such as mentoring current students in their areas of expertise.
Networking Platforms and Career Opportunities – The alumni network is one of the biggest sources of placement opportunities for the current students of any institution. Since alumni community offers a great exposure to the students to build their network, it is likely for them to get increased career opportunities and get placed at their respective organizations.
Career Assistance – Alumni is a huge talent pool and its guidance can be significant to many students in their respective areas of study. Mentors can share their experience and challenges they have faced all through their struggling period.
Conclusion
Upon understanding the power of alumni network, we can see a major change in the way educational institutions are interacting with their alumni. Leveraging the alumni community can be a win-win situation for both the institution and the alumni. In order to express their love and gratitude towards their institution, alumni are eager to associate with their alma-mater. Likewise, alma-mater offers many different opportunities to their alumni community like inviting them to participate in various university activities. Both alma mater and alumni are therefore playing a vital role in improving and strengthening the educational systems globally.