What can alumni tell us and why it matters

Dear Friends:

Last week, Alumni UK published its longitudinal study Alumni Voices. The title excited me! I read the report last weekend. The mixed methods research combined a robust alumni survey of international graduates and through consultations gathered data for thematic analysis. The results were not surprising aligning to the British Council's aims for internationalization. What did I really like? The report was peppered with quotes from alumni.

This offered the true essence of the alumni voice.

From the carefully selected alumni snippets, three things struck me:

1- The importance of belonging: alumni offered heartfelt examples of how they fit in as students and how this contributed to their positive educational experience. Quotes like: "I was in my small

community, and I always felt like I am one of them." Others expressed their disappointment of not feeling they belonged and how this tainted their experience.

2- The focus on looking back: naturally this links to the purpose of the survey, but I was left wondering: how do alumni feel today? Statistics say one thing, human stories of success or struggles today offer another.

3- Aspiration over transformation: alumni expressed a lot of hope that their UK educational experience would yield good returns. The Alumni voices focused on these hopeful expectations instead of transformative, lifelong potential of holding a UK qualification. The study focused on the transactional after graduation (such as how long it took to get a job after graduation) showered with hope over the transformational impact of education on building a meaningful career.

As alumni professionals, alumni and students what can we learn from this? (Your challenge!)

1- Belonging: begins as students and extends into alumni-land. Create meaningful opportunities for belonging - whether that is events or initiatives for alumni (or for yourself with your alumni friends!). Check out my guest spot on The Brand Called You podcast where I discuss a mash-up of belonging with networking.

2- Looking back: We are alumni now. Yes, our past story matters, but what's your story today? Check out Dr Jay Dillon's podcast episode 'Alumni are People too' as a reminder to serve your alumni current needs not their past identities.

3- Transformation: Hope is static, action is transformative. Shout out your alumni voice! In this guest blog piece for the University of Bristol, I discuss how to maximize your university experience and consider ways for us to expect more: more from ourselves, our alumni and from our alma mater.

Ready to energize alumni voices at your university? I will be based in North America in 2025 and available for speaking engagements or workshops to inspire alumni and alumni-facing professionals - book 15 minutes with me to discuss your needs!

Yours in triumphant alumni voice,

Maria