The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

At Penn State A Tense Battle For Trustee Seats Unfolds

The contest for an alumni seat on Pennsylvania State University's board of trustees usually is a genteel affair that does not arouse great interest, even among graduates who are fervent about the school's academic fortunes and its typically powerful football team.This year is different.  More than 80 candidates are vying for three open alumni seats on the 32-member board, which has become a lightning rod for criticism. Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120422_A_polarizing_figure_emerges_in_normally_quiet_vote_for_Penn_State_board.html?cmpid=125459048

Avoiding The Obsolescence Of The College Alumni Association

Alumni associations' future roles will be less authoritative and more participatory. They will be equal contributors to online conversations, not know-it-all sources of official information. There are too many channels for alumni to choose from when seeking solutions to real-life problems. We'll need to be happy serving as one source among many, and will need to adjust our expectations for online interaction accordingly. And I'm sure we can make the transition. The question is, will we do it before we render ourselves obsolete to alumni? Read more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-shaindlin/alumni-associations-facebook_b_1375765.html

IHEs See Increase In Donations From Their International Alumni

Businessman Mustaque Ahmed's home country is Bangladesh, but philanthropy ties him to the University of Texas at Arlington, where he invests in students. Ahmed and a growing number of other international alumni are helping the American universities where they earned degrees. They are donating as U.S. universities compete for the brightest students, modernize facilities and step up research amid cuts in higher-education funding. Experts say unique ties have emerged so that international alumni are not just giving money -- they are promoting good will between nations and helping recruit students through word of mouth. Read more at:
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/12/3729579/international-alumni-are-filling.html

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/12/3729579/international-alumni-are-filling.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/12/3729579/international-alumni-are-filling.html#storylink=cpy

Contributions To Colleges On The Rebound

Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania are leading a rebound in contributions to colleges as donors who held back during the recession are writing checks again following two years of a rising stock market. Gifts to universities will probably increase 5.7 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, after slumping the past two years. Read more at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-17/yale-leads-rebound-in-donations-as-gifts-multiply.html

Dating Service Brings Alumni Together And Donates To Their Colleges

Connect. Rekindle. Give back. That’s the slogan of AlumniDate, a dating site tailored to alumni that also offers “an unprecedented way to generate money to help the budget-tightened schools,” according to a release. The Florida site says it will donate 10 percent of every $29.95 monthly subscription to the member’s college or university. The donations continue for the duration of the membership. Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/dating_site_connects_alumni__and_donations/2011/04/15/AFFXqjkD_blog.html?wprss=college-inc 

 

Dilbert Creator Says More Students Need Entrepreneurship Courses For A Real Education

I understand why the top students in America study physics, chemistry, calculus and classic literature. The kids in this brainy group are the future professors, scientists, thinkers and engineers who will propel civilization forward. But why do we make B students sit through these same classes? That's like trying to train your cat to do your taxes—a waste of time and money. Wouldn't it make more sense to teach B students something useful, like entrepreneurship? Read more at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704101604576247143383496656.html?mod=djemWMP_h

Calling All Alumni: Public IHEs Need Your Help

As state legislatures cut back support for higher education, public colleges and universities across the country are turning to their alumni, hat in hand, as never before - hiring consultants, hunting down graduates and mobilizing student phone banks to raise private money in amounts they once thought impossible. A culture of class reunions and identification with one's graduating class - the ethos of belonging and giving back that has been ingrained at many private colleges for generations - is less developed at most public universities. While there are exceptions, alumni networks at public universities are not quite as deep-pocketed as those in the private sphere. The biggest task, administrators say, is simply making alumni and other potential donors aware that public campuses can no longer get by on public money. Read more at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/05/MNT21H9G77.DTL#ixzz1DHY6VJez

At These NYC Apartment Complexes It's Like Being Back At Your Dorm

Among the steppingstone buildings in Manhattan are several tall apartment houses in Murray Hill, like Windsor Court. There, recent college graduates can find themselves among fellow alumni, meet up for familiar drinking rituals and flock to the frozen-yogurt shops and sushi bars that help them stay fit and find a mate for the next stage of life. Colleges like Syracuse, Emory and Michigan seem overrepresented among the tenants, many of whom have their rents subsidized by parents. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/nyregion/19about.html?_r=1&src=me

In Tough Times Public IHEs Reach Out To Alumni For Donations

As state legislatures cut back support for higher education, public colleges and universities across the country are turning to their alumni, hat in hand, as never before — hiring consultants, hunting down graduates and mobilizing student phone banks to raise private money in amounts they once thought impossible. The rush to catch up has placed public campuses in an awkward stance: cutting academic programs and instructors at the same time they are expanding development staffs and investing in a fund-raising infrastructure. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/education/16college.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Latest Issue Of University Business Now Available Online

The October 2010 issue of University Business in now available online. This month's feature article is about alumni, and how IHEs can do a better job of getting new alumni to be more involved. Other articles cover using survey research to better understand constitutents, connecting with the press, and developing a business continuity plan. Read more at:
http://universitybusiness.com/toc/default.aspx