Page 7 - UWI QUALITY CIRCLE Vol.19 May 2017

Alumni Cultivation:
From Recruitment to Graduation and Beyond
BY MRS. CELIA DAVIDSON-FRANCIS DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
THE UWI REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT DIVISION
Many persons erroneously believe that Alumni Relations begins at Graduation. Alumni are cultivated from acceptance and are our most valuable product as they are the living history of an institution. The University of the West Indies (The UWI) can
only recruit and retain its alumni population through the active involvement of everyone in the University community.
The life of a graduate starts from acceptance at one of our four UWI campuses, with our Registrars and Student Services welcoming students, sharing our history and traditions and making them feel like an important part of The UWI family. This sense of “belonging” is to be further enhanced from Orientation to Graduation. Research shows unequivocally that student experience directly impacts alumni loyalty. A negative student experience results in low loyalty to The UWI.
Our campus administrators, student services managers, faculty and staff therefore have a major role to play in the development of alumni, because students are all future alumni. Successfully engaged alumni were formerly successfully engaged students. Alumni who are connected with and involved in their alma mater are an invaluable resource as they are our advocates,
marketers, promoters, guest lecturers, mentors, e-mentors, donors and
The Alumni Relations arm of the Institutional Advancement Division (IAD) always bases its Strategic Plan on the current 5 Year University Strategic Plan, as well as the mandates of Ordinance 2: that alumni participate in the governing bodies of UWI, are benefactors, promote intellectual development and stimulation and foster Caribbean Unity. As a part of the IAD’s student alumni programming, The UWI Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (The UWI STAT) Vice-Chancellor’s Ambassador Corps promotes “Pelican Pride”, at Orientation; and through general peer education. The IAD’s Pelican Perks Programme adds value to The UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA) membership through discounts which also apply to students, so students see value in joining the UWIAA to continue these “perks”.
The alumni database enables graduates with emails to be contacted with special Birthday Greetings and to be given updates and news through the monthly UWI Nexus and the quarterly alumni magazine:
more.
UWI Connect. Through the e-mentorship programme alumni globally can provide academic and professional advice to UWI students. Pelican Talks, a quarterly Google Hangout, is an online interview designed to allow alumni to know of each other’s achievements and interests. Graduating classes are given complimentary UWI email addresses for life; and interactive social media is used to keep alumni engaged. In addition, the IAD instituted the Alumni Pledge which is recited at Graduation.
The Division strives in myriad ways to build “One UWI, One Alumni family”. Caribbean icon Eric Williams, said that “the rst duty of an alumnus is to his alma mater”. Above are some of the activities used by IAD to cultivate student af nity from acceptance to graduation and beyond in order to build a culture of lifelong alumni involvement and philanthropy, which is our collective goal. We believe that these varied kinds of involvement help our students to achieve success both academically and socially as they enjoy a unique UWI experience.
7