Young Alumni Research Articles

Unveiling the power of word-of-mouth in pre-recruitment employer branding strategy during COVID-19

PurposeThis study, based on signaling theory, examines the pre-recruitment employer branding strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates the relationship between spontaneous word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations for companies and prospective candidates' job application intentions. Specifically, the study explores serial mechanisms mediating the characteristics of company online career pages, including the perceived informativeness of online job advertisements (ads), candidates' preferences for its web approach to them and the company’s reputation.Design/methodology/approachReflecting prospective candidates from students and young alumni of universities, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed on a sample of 737 individuals representing various fields of study from Greek universities.FindingsThe findings highlight the effectiveness of positive WOM recommendations during the initial stages of recruitment, particularly amidst COVID-19 challenges in the labor market, notably impacting young candidates. The study suggests that spontaneous WOM, originating from trustful sources, motivates job seekers to actively engage with the company’s web career channels, seeking information and favorable indications of the company’s approach toward its candidates. Positive WOM, combined with informative content and a friendly communication style, plays a critical role in shaping the company’s reputation. Consequently, this encouragement motivates individuals to start their job search efforts and consider applying for positions within the specific organization.Practical implicationsThis research provides valuable empirical evidence in the pre-recruitment field, particularly in unforeseen crisis circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines how spontaneous, positive WOM from sources, like peers and alumni, significantly influences young job seekers' perceptions and preferences regarding the company’s career web channels as sources of information and signals about working conditions. The combination of positive WOM with informative content and a friendly communication style in the web approach plays a crucial role in shaping a positive company reputation. Consequently, this encourages candidates to consider applying for positions within the company.Originality/valueThis research contributes to pre-recruitment studies, especially amidst crises like COVID-19. It examines how positive WOM from trusted sources like peers and alma mater alumni influences young job seekers' views on the company’s career web channels. By emphasizing the importance of combining positive WOM with informative web content and a friendly communication style, the study offers insights into effective recruitment strategies. It highlights the significance of positive and spontaneous WOM in attracting young talent and its impact on job seekers' decision-making, even in uncertain conditions. Overall, it advances recruitment practices for attracting candidates.

Immersive Intercultural Learning Experiences in High School: Reflections From Independent School Alumni

Many educators are considering ways to increase student intercultural competence and support student identity development as they seek to create more inclusive and equitable schools and contribute to more just societies. This study provides analysis of one type of learning experience intentionally designed around intercultural engagement—independent high school programs that immerse students in international contexts for short-term learning experiences. This mixed-method study included 191 young alumni from six different independent schools in North America and focused on better understanding how these learning experiences have lived with their participants over time. Due in part to adolescent neuroplasticity, the study demonstrates that intercultural experiences that immerse students in relational learning beyond their home culture can influence them over time, including in their intercultural and identity development. The study specifically demonstrates that participants self-report continued influence of the program on their intercultural communication and perspective-taking skills and behavior frequency. The study identified two areas of limitations, namely that participants reported a conflicted or negative response to community service-focused programs over time and that participants with a transnational identity reported limited influence. These limitations and the participant reflections on the importance of relational learning suggest a dialectic approach as an effective way to reach the full potential of immersive learning for adolescents. Educators who strive to teach essential intercultural competencies that support school or districtwide efforts to create more inclusive and equitable school cultures might gain insights from this study's findings on the power of relational intercultural engagement for student learning.

Tap into TikTok with strategies for engaging with your students

TikTok is no longer just for young teenagers. In fact, a large portion of your current and prospective students — and even young alumni — likely spend more than an hour per day on the app, where they go for entertainment, for inspiration, and to learn new things, according to Morgan Campbell, Social Media Manager at Purdue University Krannert School of Management.

Tap into TikTok with strategies for engaging your students

TikTok is no longer just for young teenagers. In fact, a large portion of your current and prospective students — and even young alumni — likely spend more than an hour per day on the app, where they go for entertainment, for inspiration, and to learn new things, according to Morgan Campbell, Social Media Manager at Purdue University Krannert School of Management.

Tap into TikTok with strategies for engaging with your students

TikTok is no longer just for young teenagers. In fact, a large portion of your current and prospective students — and even young alumni — likely spend more than an hour per day on the app, where they go for entertainment, for inspiration, and to learn new things, according to Morgan Campbell, Social Media Manager at Purdue University Krannert School of Management.

Critical thinking and non-formal Islamic education: Perspectives from young Muslims in the Netherlands

Critical thinking is a highly valued skill in the twenty-first century, and its incorporation into formal school curricula as a core skill is nearly ubiquitous globally. It is considered imperative for educational quality, employability, competitiveness, and for promoting democratisation and social integration. While schools are tasked to promote critical thinking, non-formal Islamic education (NFIE) provided by mosques or by private organisations or tutors is often criticized for its emphasis on rote learning and memorisation, and for fostering an uncritical acceptance of authority. Based on interviews with 27 young adult alumni from four different Muslim communities in the Netherlands, this study seeks to explore the pedagogy of NFIE, with a focus on critical thinking. The accounts of young adults revealed that an emphasis on stimulating critical thinking was largely absent, and there were limited opportunities for interactions, questions, debating or challenging the authority of religious educators or Islamic texts. The traditional pedagogical approach, discouraging attitudes of educators and peers, lack of language proficiency, the young age of learners, and a perceived lack of need for critical deliberations were identified as key challenges. Young adults called for reforming the pedagogy of NFIE to allow for more reflexive, inquisitive and dialogical learning. Some argued that lack of critical deliberation would lead to weakness in the belief structures and faith of new generation Muslims in Europe, resulting in a sense of confusion and disorientation, and limited embodiment of Islamic principles.

School sex education: Teachers' and young adults' perceptions of relevance for LGBT students

LGBT inclusive sex education is one way to address health disparities that exist between students who identify as LGBT and those who identify as heterosexual and cisgender. This study examined the inclusivity of sex education in Montana’s high schools and the challenges faced by teachers in providing sex education that is relevant for LGBT youth. Data were collected via electronic questionnaires from 237 young adult alumni of Montana’s high schools, about half of whom identified as LGBT, and 64 health enhancement teachers tasked with teaching sex education. Nearly 90% of respondents rated the nine sex education topics listed on the questionnaire as “somewhat or very important.” While the importance of sex education was affirmed by most of the young adults and teachers represented in this study, fewer than 30% recalled topics related to LGBT sexual health being “fully covered.” Lack of teacher training was the most salient factor related to the paucity of coverage. Meeting the needs of all students in Montana’s schools requires professional training and development for teachers that includes a focus on delivering inclusive, comprehensive sex education.

Colleges, universities need to revamp strategies for attracting young alumni donors

If colleges and universities want to attract the support of their young alumni, it's critical that they identify the areas they are passionate about and make it easy for alumni to fund those specific areas, according to new research from Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a provider of higher education fundraising services.

Empowering youth in rural, up-country Sri Lanka through gender-equitable education and employment

ABSTRACTThis article explores findings from a qualitative case study on how young adults living in tea plantations in rural, up-country Sri Lanka identify and challenge community gender norms, and seeks to understand the role of educational development programmes in advancing gender equality. The study involved qualitative in-depth interviews, conducted over a period of two months, of young alumni and staff of a local non-government organisation that focused on rural youth education and employment in the area. With the support of the organisation, these youth – the majority of whom are female and from low-income backgrounds – have identified and are working to address many gender inequalities within their community. The article also seeks to understand how the organisation works within societal constraints, such as social and cultural norms, education, and family expectations, to advocate for the young women in this community. Participants of the study described major challenges to gender equality, as well as the strategies used to combat these issues. This article presents the organisation as a case study of rural youth empowering their peers through non-formal education and employment training, as told through the voices of its alumni and staff.

Communication and contribution preferences: An investigation of millennial alumni

Shrinking university budgets make the efforts of development offices even more critical. Before alumni give financially, they must feel emotionally connected to an institution. To keep alumni engaged and connected, institutions must develop effective communication strategies. This paper investigates preferred methods of communication among millennial alumni, topics of interest to alumni and ways that alumni would like to give back to their alma maters. Alumni are most interested in staying connected to the university through mail, whether that is traditional postal mail or e-mail accounts. With respect to using social media, alumni were most likely to use Facebook. This study sampled young alumni so it is not surprising that the respondents were interested in job opportunities. The other topics of interest seemed to have to do with general campus updates as opposed to specifics such as Greek life, faculty and student activities. In terms of making contributions, respondents were most interested in maintaining a connection with their major field of study by serving in an advisory capacity to some degree for their major. They also indicated a willingness to stay connected by attending events. There seemed to be at least some willingness to give back financially.

Going, going, gone! A profile of graduating students to inform engagement strategies

How do we know that students are satisfied with their education so that they come back as engaged alumni? After speaking to 97 graduating students at Simon Fraser University (SFU)’s Department of Economics, we have developed a profile of our students that examines how they were engaged at SFU, their satisfaction with their education, their perception of the university and their future plans. A template of exit interviews is shared. This paper discusses engagement strategies for future students and these young alumni to combat the challenges we found in this study such as English as an Additional Language challenges in and outside of the classroom and international and domestic students challenges with finding post-graduate work.

Miami University: A case study of young alumni programmes

As the demographics of college campuses are changing, so must the programmes that keep alumni engaged. By better understanding the demographics, inclinations and tendencies of the millennial generation, higher education institutions will be better prepared to create authentic and engaging opportunities for connection. This paper focuses on Miami University and several of its young alumni programmes.

I Gave at the Campus

This study examined the determinants of student contributions to their senior gift campaign while currently enrolled at a university and whether student giving predicted young alumni giving patterns after graduation. Determinants of student giving were largely consistent with those of alumni giving, although parental support was found to be an important difference. Financial aid in the form of parental support and scholarships, but not loans or grants, increased the likelihood of student giving. College experiences including group participation and positive subjective evaluation also increased the likelihood of giving. Student giving was then found to be a strong predictor of future donation patterns of young alumni. Students who did not contribute to the senior gift campaign despite repeated, in-person solicitations from peers were less likely to donate after graduation.

Young Alumni Donations to a Selective Liberal Arts College: Who Gives?

We examine the factors behind young alumni donations to a selective liberal arts college. Coming from a wealthier background and having less financial need increases giving, but there is no definitive pattern to the effect of differing financial aid on giving. Alumni who majored in economics or government, studied abroad, were 4-year athletes, were members of the Greek system, or had higher GPA’s, contribute more. Students with closer connections to the institution as alumni (living closer, marrying a fellow alum, or through employment) are larger contributors. International and minority American graduates donate less. Giving is higher in key reunion years. A better academic ranking or higher endowment per student leads to lower giving, while athletic team success has little effect. These findings can assist college administrators in their solicitation of donations from alumni and in determination of which programs to protect or enhance during times of budget cutbacks.

Entrepreneurship as a Career (Innovations Case Narrative: The Launch Pad)

people are of necessity critical players in that effort. It follows, then, that to participate fully in the mission of national renewal, higher education should make studies in entrepreneurship broadly available to its students. The Launch Pad, a novel entrepreneurship initiative developed at the University of Miami (UM), aims to address that goal. The Launch Pad has two fundamental aims: to open entrepreneurship studies to all UM undergraduates, and to encourage and enable them to start new ventures in South Florida. The Launch Pad achieves these aims by treating entrepreneurship as a mainstream career and a legitimate way to make a living, and by linking young entrepreneurs to regional commercial and community networks. Because of The Launch Pad, entrepreneurship is a fundamental component of career counseling at UM. The Launch Pad teaches undergraduates that entrepreneurship is a valid career option, and it reaches an exceptional number and range of students through its connection to MU’s Toppel Career Center. Since its establishment in August 2008, The Launch Pad has become the largest single student activity at the University of Miami. Over 2,100 students and young alumni have participated in the program, 80 percent of them from fields other than business, The Launch Pad has generated 65 new companies, which have created approximately 150 new jobs. The Launch Pad’s programs by design are experiential, cocurricular, and voluntary. Pragmatic and concrete, they provide the knowledge young entrepreneurs need to assess and develop their ideas and plans for new enterprises. The Launch Pad offers guidance, encouragement, and immediate access to a dedicated group of mentors from the local business community. The Launch Pad process is outlined in the text box on the following page. The Launch Pad sponsors regular programming—workshops, seminars, and networking events—and maintains a website that is both a clearinghouse of events

Table of Contents

AbstractExecutive SummaryForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe Concepts and Mechanics of FundraisingUnderstanding How Endowments WorkSignificance of Contemporary Philanthropy in Higher EducationThe Great Wealth TransferAn Organizational Guide to the Rest of the MonographThe Influence of Philanthropy on American Higher EducationBritish Support for the Creation of American Higher EducationSupport from the American ColoniesInfluence of Individual DonorsIssues of Donors' ControlGiving as a Collective: Alumni Giving and the Beginning of Systematic SolicitationConclusionWho Is Philanthropic? Philanthropy by Nontraditional DonorsOverview of the LandscapeAfrican American Giving and PhilanthropyLatino PhilanthropyAsian American PhilanthropyAmerican Indian PhilanthropyConclusionWomen and PhilanthropyVolunteeringGiving Decisions Among CouplesOrganizational ChoiceConclusionWhat Guides the Study of Philanthropy and Fundraising?MotivationsConclusionEngaging Students and Young Alumni: The Importance of Cultivating the Next Generation of DonorsGiving Across the GenerationsEngaging Youth in PhilanthropyWho Gives?Adding Science to the Art of Fundraising: The Power of Using Data in Fundraising StrategyA Critical Look at Philanthropic GivingConclusion and Challenges for Future ResearchNotesAppendix A: Fundraising MechanicsAppendix B: Philanthropic Research ResourcesReferencesSupplemental BibliographyName IndexSubject IndexAbout the Author

What's in it for me: A qualitative look into the mindset of young alumni non-donors

This study analyzed the open-ended responses given by young alumni during an institutional survey conducted by the annual giving office at a large, public university. For this study, 204 responses from non-donors were analyzed and coded. Several keys themes were identified in the analysis, including young alumni's attitudes regarding career services, how incentives may motivate this population to make gifts and the desire for this generation to specify how their donation will be used. All of these themes were evaluated in regards to how they may increase the giving behaviors of recent graduates.

Why give?: Exploring social exchange and organization identification theories in the promotion of philanthropic behaviors of African-American millennials at private-HBCUs

African Americans give a larger percentage of their disposable income to non-profits than any other racial group, including Whites. However, there is a lack of literature on Black giving to higher education. This lack of research is particularly acute in our current state of decreased funding to higher education. This case study of the United Negro College Fund's (UNCF) National Pre-Alumni Council (NPAC) explores how organizational identity and social exchange theories apply to African-American students and young alumni of the millennial generation at private-historically Black colleges and universities. The study includes 25 interviews of NPAC participants and advisors from 13 institutions, representing one-third of the UNCF. This research broadens our understanding of how African Americans in the millennial generation think about and choose to act philanthropically and the role that Black colleges play in the cultivation of these behaviors.

Characteristics and institutional factors related to young alumni donors and non-donors

This study examined the results of an institutional survey conducted by the Annual Giving Office at a large public university in the Midwest. Overall, 2,273 young alumni participated in an online survey that assessed personal and institutional factors related to an alumna's willingness to make donations to the university. The results of the study indicated that factors such as residential status, receiving financial awards and making donations to other charities have positive correlations with young alumni being donors to the university. A multiple regression analysis shows that an alumnae's overall positive experience at the university, being an in-state student, and giving to other charities are significant predictors of an alumnus making gifts to the institution.

Alumni of educational residential settings in Israel: A cultural perspective

This study explores the current status of young alumni of educational residential settings (Youth Villages) in Israel. The goal was to describe their current functioning in a variety of life domains and their current perceptions of the transition to independent living, as well as to explore differences between groups of different national origin. A two-stage non-proportional probability strata sample combined with quota sampling yielded a nationally representative sample of 500 young adults. Most of the alumni present positive outcomes, with full matriculation, complete army service, steady income and housing arrangements, and they are in good physical and mental health. Still, 5–10% of the alumni demonstrate outcomes that are not as good. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.