Building the Case for an Alumni Program By Paul J. Clifford
Copyright © by CASE, 2007. All rights reserved.
Alumni relations is a 19th century practice that has evolved into a cornerstone of advancement operations for institutions of higher education worldwide. Before the car, before the phone and before the light bulb, institutions have placed a value on maintaining relationship with their alumni. In today’s world, nobody questions the relevance of the car, telephone or light bulb, and yet here we are discussing the relevance of alumni relations and how we build a case to convince our institutions of its value.
As a 19th century invention, how can we advance the concept of alumni relations to meet our 21st century needs? American institutions like professional baseball, another 19th century invention, have survived, remained relevant throughout the 20th and into the 21st century for two main reasons . . .