Understanding student/alumni satisfaction from a consumer's perspective: The effects of institutional performance and program outcomes

The benefits of understanding and promoting student/alumni satisfaction are numerous. While this article draws on previous studies of the determinants of satisfaction in higher education, it has a different research focus. The study investigates the student/alumni satisfaction phenomenon in a consumer satisfaction framework. Results indicate that the formation of satisfaction judgments is a multidimensional process, and that the process is dependent on the degree of goal development that a student has for a particular aspect of his or her educational experience. If students have poorly formed goals for an aspect of education, they are likely to base their satisfaction judgments on institutional performance. If their goals are well formed, they are likely to base satisfaction judgments on the outcomes of the institutional performance. In general, however, student/alumni assessments of satisfaction with higher education are influenced by both the perceived quality of the service provider's performance and the perceived outcomes of that performance.The authors' names are ordered alphabetically to reflect equal contributions.     

校友情结:美国高校捐赠的主要动因

美国高校的捐赠收入已逐步成为高等教育发展的重要资金来源和缓解教育经费紧张的重要策略之一。其中,校友捐赠在资金来源中的比例逐年攀升,已成为不容忽视的捐赠力量。究其原因,校友情结是校友为母校捐赠的内在动因。美国高校校友会非常重视校友资本这一恒定持续的关系资源,采取各种措施加强与校友的联系,为高校的发展筹措源源不断的资金。     

略论地方普通高校校友的母校情结

地方普通高校处于中国高等教育这一金字塔的塔基。与塔顶名校软硬件设施齐备、师生优势巨大、优秀校友众多相比,它们经费有限、社会声望和品牌形象较弱,杰出校友数量稀少。必须充分挖掘运用相关资源、特别是努力培育母校与校友的深厚情感,发挥地方普通校友资源的群体优势,逐步改变自身的弱势和边缘格局。     

The role of student and alumni associations in the democratization process in Spain

Alumni associations are institutions that are used to create, maintain, or modify relations between educational organizations and their publics. Thus, student and alumni associations were a fundamental part of the workings of the education and employment engine in Spain during the political transition. Public relations managers of higher education institutions could gain information from alumni associations, professional associations, student associations, government, and the public in general, and therefore, achieve their goals with greater ease.     

The Effects of Passage of Time on Alumni Recall of ‘Student Experience’

‘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 of a predominantly quantitative survey of 883 alumni indicated that recalled academic experience had greater effect on subsequent loyalty attitudes and behaviours than recalled social experience. Cluster analyses indicated that alumni having strong ties with their university were more likely over time to identify with the recalled academic experience of their university, while those with weak ties were more likely to identify with recalled social experiences. Implications for development of alumni associations are made based on targeting groups with different levels of ties with the university.     

Beyond Giving: Political Advocacy and Volunteer Behaviors of Public University Alumni

College and university leaders have paid an enormous level of attention to one domain of alumni involvement: charitable giving. In light of the decline of state support for higher education and the shrinking ability of families to pay for college, such emphasis is understandable. However, this emphasis has blinded scholars and practitioners to understanding the important non-monetary support roles played by college alumni. Drawing on data from a research extensive university, this study employs a sequential mixed method design (focus groups and confirmatory factor analysis) to demonstrate that non-monetary support behaviors are best understood through the distinct, but interrelated domains of political advocacy and volunteerism. Political advocacy behaviors include contacting legislators, the governor’s office, local politicians and serving on a political action team, while volunteer behaviors include mentoring new alumni, recruiting students, and participating in special events. The study breaks ground for future research on alumni support for higher education, including strategies to recruit alumni volunteers and advocates.     

开放办学话语下的高校校友工作

开放办学是高等教育发展的内在规律之一,是现代高等教育的基本特征,也是高校存在与发展的重要基础和基本条件。校友是高校最宝贵、最丰富的开放办学资源,是高校伸向社会、联动世界的触角,做好校友工作、用好校友资源,是高校开放办学不可或缺的内容。在开放办学话语下,校友工作必须解放思想,实现"三个转变":从"囿于现状"到"积极作为",从"单方获益"到"合作共赢",从"偶尔联系"到"常来常往"。创新方法,构建"三好体系":建好"信息库",织好"校友网",打好"感情牌"。聚力开放,打造"三类平台":建设校友互动"根据地",构筑社会合作"主战场",搭建国际交流"桥头堡"。     

Hail to Thee, Our Alma Mater: Alumni Role Identity and the Relationship to Institutional Support Behaviors

With the decline in state and federal support for higher education continuing to plague colleges and universities across the U.S., many institutions are looking to increase the levels of support annually received from alumni and other constituencies. Research on alumni relations in American colleges and universities has historically focused on different factors related to charitable giving. Although this study has resulted in some valuable information for institutions to use for alumni involvement purposes, most of the research has not been able to produce a meaningful look into how alumni identify with their college or university after graduation. The purpose of this study is to assess how college and university alumni view their role with these institutions after graduation and how that perception relates to behaviors of support. An online survey was constructed to assess three dimensions of alumni role identity based upon previous research on the identification process of blood donation. This study took place through the alumni association at a large, public research university in the Midwest and found that those who displayed increased alumni role identity were more likely to support the university through joining the alumni association, attending university sponsored events and charitable giving. This study breaks ground for a new method of measuring the role of alumni within colleges and universities in efforts to increase support and ease the financial pressures of today’s institutions.     

Assessment of curriculum quality through alumni research

In today's output defined society, alumni are the output of higher education. This article shows how alumni research can be used as an important indicator of curriculum quality. This relatively unexplored area of engineering education research in Europe is highlighted using a case study carried out in the Netherlands, the outcomes of which have served as a useful input for curriculum development at the institute where it was carried out.     

积极筹措校友基金,共谋学校发展战略

教育捐赠已成为一项广为称道的公益行为。面向社会,面向校友,多渠道筹措教育基金,是高校的重要资金来源。本文主要阐述了校友工作与基金工作的密切联系,并介绍了我校筹措校友基金,服务于学校的建设和发展的一些做法。     

Prestige,charitable deductions and other determinants of alumni giving: Evidence from a highly selective liberal arts college

Private institutions of higher education are highly dependent on alumni support to cover operating expenses, fund endowments and fuel large capital campaigns. For example, in 2004, alumni at private liberal arts colleges generated nearly 43% of total voluntary support and funded 21.5% of total institutional expenditures. This paper uses 15 years of detailed data on alumni donations to a private liberal arts college to explore a full range of potential determinants of giving. Results suggest that wealthy alumni who live in states that allow charitable tax deductions are more generous than otherwise similar alumni in states without such subsidies. Alumni contributions also increase in years when the college has achieved greater athletic prestige but fall when academic prestige rises. Furthermore, recent alumni are more influenced by institutional prestige than older graduates. With regard to other determinants, females tend to be more generous, as do alumni living in wealthier neighborhoods within 250 miles of the college. Alumni who have close alumni relatives tend to give more as do alumni who participated in campus activities during their college years. Undergraduate major and occupational sector are also strong predictors of giving behavior.     

需求与回应:处于母校和校友之间的大学校友会

本文根据访谈所获第一手资料,用马斯洛需求层次理论划分校友对大学校友会的需求,并将大学对校友会的需求也进行了分类,在此基础上对大学校友会存在的意义和作用进行了分析、探讨。     

Characteristics of Alumni Donors Who Volunteer at their Alma Mater

In the competitive marketplace of higher education, colleges and university leaders increasingly rely on the influence and service of their alumni to further institutional goals. Because of their demonstrated financial commitment to the institution, alumni donors are often enlisted to serve important roles as volunteers and political advocates. Using binomial logistic regression, this study examines a large sample of alumni donors from a large doctoral/research extensive university to predict donors who are most likely volunteer at the institution (via advisory board service, political advocacy, alumni club support). The study suggests that volunteering among alumni donors is predicted by capacity variables related to gender, residence, and overall civic engagement. Inclination to volunteer is associated with the quality of academic experience while an undergraduate student, beliefs about alumni volunteer roles, and number of degrees earned at the institution.     

“双创”教育视阈下高职院校校友资源开发利用研究

深入推进“双创”教育是高校综合改革任务之一。针对高校“双创”教育师资配备、实践指导、资金配套等资源缺乏问题,提出了开发利用校友资源缓解这一问题的思路,并从体制建设、师资建设、基地建设、平台建设、机制建设五个方面,给出了校友资源开发利用路径,为高职院校利用校友资源推进“双创”教育工作提供借鉴。     

“校友党课”助推大学生就业的实践与思考——以莆田学院数学系为例

优秀校友是学校的宝贵资源,在学生中具有很强的亲和力和示范性。莆田学院数学系党总支创新性地引入"校友党课",独辟蹊径,邀请大学生村官校友、博士校友和教师校友返校上党课,创新思政教育,拓宽就业渠道,搭建全新平台,引领学生成人成才,实现了党建工作和就业工作的双赢。     

开展地方性高校校友会工作的若干思考——以台州学院校友会建设为例

随着知识经济时代的到来及我国高等教育大众化和教育管理体制改革的深入，地方性高校校友会工作已经成为高校发展的支撑力量之一。目前校友会工作存在认识不到位等困难，更新观念、找准定位，积极完善自身组织建设和制度规范，进一步参与地方经济社会发展。使校友会成为凝聚校友力量并促进学校发展的阵地，提升学校知名度和美誉度的窗口。     

International alumni affairs and an emerging trans-national public service landscape

ABSTRACT

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 number of countries worldwide. This paper analyses the current public or community service operations of international alumni clubs representing American colleges and universities. An exploratory document analysis will produce an initial typology of service-oriented activity, and in select institutional cases will also evaluate to what extent the priorities of independent alumni clubs align with the institutional priorities of the home institution. Attention is paid to the sustainability of these service-oriented efforts, relevance to the local environment, and direct support of university faculty, staff and students.     

College Rankings as an Interorganizational Dependency: Establishing the Foundation for Strategic and Institutional Accounts

Higher education administrators believe that revenues are linked to college rankings and act accordingly, particularly those at research universities. Although rankings are clearly influential for many schools and colleges, this fundamental assumption has yet to be tested empirically. Drawing on data from multiple resource providers in higher education, we find that the influence of rankings depends on constituencies?? placement in the higher education field. Resource providers who are vulnerable to the status hierarchy of higher education?C?Ccollege administrators, faculty, alumni, and out-of-state students?C?Care significantly influenced by rankings. Those on the periphery of the organizational field, such as foundations and industry, are largely unaffected. Although rankings are designed largely for stakeholders outside of higher education, their strongest influence is on those within the higher education field.     

Editorial

Abstract

Based on a recently completed alumni study of 522 graduates at a private college in the northeastern Unites States, this paper presents a model for designing alumni research to assess higher education's effectiveness in preparing graduates for work and life. Results revealed substantial variation in alumni evaluation of their education. While alumni reported a high level of satisfaction with the academic programme and career preparation, their feedback suggests they seek more from their college experience. Results reveal that students who feel a sense of community are more satisfied with their overall college experience and those who are satisfied with their social life are more likely to recommend the college to prospective students.     

Predictors of adult quality of life for foster care alumni with physical and/or psychiatric disabilities

INTRODUCTION: This study used quality of life and resilience as theoretical frameworks for evaluating predictors of outcomes for adults who received foster care services alumni of foster care and were diagnosed with a physical or psychiatric disability while in foster care. METHOD: First, outcomes for foster care alumni with and without physical and psychiatric disabilities (N=1,087) were compared according to quality of life variables. Second, using only participants with disabilities (N=578), stepwise regression analyses were performed to determine whether risk and protective factors were associated with specific outcomes. RESULTS: Alumni with disabilities had significantly lower economic (p=.020) and health (p=.001) outcomes; and reported lower educational attainment (p=.002), more difficulty paying monthly bills (p=.026), more psychiatric diagnoses (p=.006), lower self-esteem (p=.013), and worse physical health (p=.001) than those without disabilities. For alumni with disabilities, receiving special education services and experiencing sexual abuse while in foster care were significant risk factors for poor self-esteem; conversely, receiving services and resources that prepared foster care alumni for leaving foster care (e.g., protective factors) predicted better outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: By expanding the quality of life outcomes analyses to investigate the impact of risk and protective factors on outcomes of foster care alumni with disabilities, this study fills a gap in the literature by assessing outcome differences within the foster-care population. The study found protective factors were associated with more educational attainment and higher self-esteem in adulthood. Conversely, those who received special education services and experienced sexual abuse while in foster care may be at the greatest risk of poor self-esteem and therefore, could benefit from services that enhance self-esteem.