A New Era of Alumni Research: Improving Institutional Performance and Better Serving Alumni
A New Era of Alumni Research: Improving Institutional Performance and Better Serving Alumni

Author: Joseph Pettit

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Published: 1999-03-29

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780787914073

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Alumni play a variety of roles that contribute to the health of their alma mater—recruiting students, donating money, supplying student internships and employment, attending athletic events, and much more. This volume of New Directions for Institutional Research represents a unique collaboration between higher education researchers and practitioners to explore how institutions can work with and serve alumni more effectively. Drawing from information generated by mail and telephone surveys, focus groups, and institutional data analysis, the authors examine various facets of an institution's relationship with alumni—including fundraising from alumni, services for alumni, and occupational and other outcomes of college. They also assess the impact of an undergraduate program designed to strengthen alumni ties to an institution, and show how alumni and their employers' evaluation of college curricula can be used to improve institutional practice.

Enhancing Alumni Research
Enhancing Alumni Research

Author: David J. Weerts

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Published: 2005-08-16

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13:

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The increasing globalization of higher education has made it easy to compare problems, goals and tools associated with conducting alumni research around the world. This volume draws of the perspectives of authors from the United States, German, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands to illustrate the opportunities and challenges of applying alumni research to guide public policy and institutional reform. Topics include: Making an impact with alumni surveys Alumni studies as instruments of public policy: the US experience Increasing potentials of alumni research for curriculum reforms: German Research Institute Measuring competencies of higher education graduates Using alumni research to align program improvement with institutional accountability The emerging uses of alumni research in Spain Alumni studies in the United Kingdom The chapter authors examine ways in which alumni research in the United States and Europe is becoming more relevant to key audiences outside the university and how it is being used to inform important constituencies about the impact, purposes, and successes of higher education. The goal of this volume is to help institutional leaders use alumni research to respond to the increasing demands of state officials, accrediting agencies, employers, potential students, parents, and the general public. This is the 126th volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education report series New Directions for Institutional Research. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

The Handbook of Institutional Research
The Handbook of Institutional Research

Author: Richard D. Howard

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-06-28

Total Pages: 691

ISBN-13: 1118234510

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Institutional research is more relevant today than ever before as growing pressures for improved student learning and increased institutional accountability motivate higher education to effectively use ever-expanding data and information resources. As the most current and comprehensive volume on the topic, the Handbook describes the fundamental knowledge, techniques, and strategies that define institutional research. The book contains an overview of the profession and its history, examines how institutional research supports executive and academic leadership and governance, and discusses the varied ways data from federal, state, and campus sources are used by research professionals. With contributions from leading experts in the field, this important resource reviews the analytic tools, techniques, and methodologies used by institutional researchers in their professional practice and covers a wide range of topics such as: conducting institutional research; statistical applications; comparative analyses; quality control systems; measuring student, faculty, and staff opinions; and management activities designed to improve organizational effectiveness.

Higher Education in the United States [2 volumes]
Higher Education in the United States [2 volumes]

Author: James J. F. Forest

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2002-06-21

Total Pages: 850

ISBN-13: 1576078965

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Surveys the changing landscape of American higher education, from academic freedom to virtual universities, from campus crime to Pell Grants, from the Student Privacy Act to student diversity. In the years following World War II, college and university enrollment doubled, students revolted, faculty unionized, and community colleges evolved. Tuition and technology soared, as did the number of first-generation, minority, and women students. These changes radically transformed the American system of postsecondary education. Today, that system is in trouble. Its aging professoriate prepares for retirement, but low academic salaries can no longer attract the best minds to replace them. A flood of corporate dollars funds commercial research, but money for basic research—the seedbed of American scientific preeminence—has dried up. Colleges and universities also face heated competition with for-profit education providers for students, faculty, and external financial support, along with the costs of providing remedial education to growing numbers of students who are unprepared for postsecondary education. Higher Education in the United States provides a comprehensive analysis of these issues and others that scholars and practitioners of higher education study, discuss, and grapple with on a daily basis.

Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education
Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education

Author: Noah D. Drezner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-04-17

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1136287973

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Winner of the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2014 Skystone Partners Research Prize in Philanthropy and Fundraising Traditionally, institutions have relied on wealthy White men to reach their fundraising goals. But as state investment in public higher education lessens and institutions look to philanthropy to move from excellence to eminence, advancement officers continually need to engage all populations, including many that have historically been excluded from fundraising strategies. Based on theory, research, and past practice, Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education explores how colleges and universities can build culturally sensitive fundraising and engagement strategies. This edited book presents emerging research on different communities that have not traditionally been approached for fundraising—including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) alumni, African Americans, Latinos, graduate students, young alumni, women, and faculty donors. Chapters discuss and analyze successful programs and provide practical suggestions and strategies to create and implement fundraising programs that engage these new donor populations. Expanding the Donor Base in Higher Education is an essential resource for any institution looking to expand their pool of donors and cultivate a more philanthropic mindset among alumni and students.

Learning to Serve
Learning to Serve

Author: Maureen E. Kenny

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 472

ISBN-13: 1461508851

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Service learning, as defined by the editors, is the generation of knowledge that is of benefit to the community as a whole. This seventh volume in the Outreach Scholarship book series contributes a unique discussion of how service learning functions as a critical cornerstone of outreach scholarship. The sections and chapters of this book marshal evidence in support of the idea that undergraduate service learning, infused throughout the curriculum and coupled with outreach scholarship, is an integral means through which higher education can engage people and institutions of the communities of this nation in a manner that perpetuate civil society. The editors, through this series of models of service learning, make a powerful argument for the necessity of "engaged institutions".

Research in Alumni Relations
Research in Alumni Relations

Author: Donna Shoemaker

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13:

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This book presents summaries of 16 papers presented at a conference on increasing the amount and usefulness of research on alumni relations. Following an introductory paper, "On the Art and Science of Surveying Alumni" (Donna Shoemaker), the papers are: (1) "Targeted Research Gets Results. Comprehensive Research on Alumni Relationships: Four Years of Market Research at Stanford University" (Jerold Pearson); (2) "An Unvarnished Look: Evaluating Alumni Services and Planning Alumni Programs" (Diana Tilley Strange; William J. Hecht); (3) "Our Grads Are Doing Great! Uses of an Alumni Survey by Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania" (Michael D. McGuire; Jason P. Casey); (4) "A Model for Nurturing Students: What Makes a Difference? The Cornell Tradition Program" (Yuko Mulugetta; Scott Nash; Susan H. Murphy); (5) "How a Degree Rates in the Workplace: Building the Campus Impact of Assessment Through a Program of Linked Alumni and Employer Survey Research" (J. Joseph Hoey; Denise C. Gardner); (6) "If You Build It, Will They Come? The Heart of Campus: Alumni Facilities and the Impact on Alumni Giving and Programming" (Gene C. Crume; Jason Embry; Donald Smith); (7) "Testing Why Alumni Give: A Model of Alumni Gift-Giving Behavior" (J. Fredericks Volkwein; Kelli Parmley); (8) "The Data That Drive MIT's Success: Fund Raising from Alumni" (Joseph S. Collins; Diana Tilley Strange); (9) "Real-World Realities for Vets: Alumni as a Component of Assessment" (Dawn Geronimo Terkla; Kelli J. Armstrong); (10) "HEDS Up on Student Debt. Effective Alumni Surveys: A Tool for Addressing Institutional and National Concerns" (James F. Trainer; Melinda K. Ellis); (11) "Two States Benchmark Accountability: Conducting Alumni Research in and for State Higher Education Systems" (Marsha V. Krotseng; Darrell E. Glenn); (12) "Surf's Up on Satisfaction: Using Alumni Follow-Up to Assess Institutional Quality" (Larry H. Kelley); (13) "Super Cyber Surveys: Surveying and Reporting Alumni Data in the Information Age: The Case for Using the Web" (Nancy L. Ahson; Karen M. Gentemann); (14) "The Plight of Ph.Ds. Doctoral Graduates in Today's Employment Marketplace: Are They Really Driving Taxi Cabs?" (Nancy Garrett; Sandra H. Hoeflich); (15) "Would Alumni Do It All Again? Influences on Alumni Willingness to Attend the Same Institution, Select the Same Major, and Enter the Same Career" (J. Fredericks Volkwein; Fuqin Bian); and (16) "Engineer Good Feedback: Using Data from a Survey of Alumni to Promote Change in the Academic Program at MIT" (Lydia Snover). A final chapter offers remarks by five conference participants. (DB)

Black Graduate Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Black Graduate Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Author: Robert T. Palmer

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2012-08-01

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1617358525

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This book provides context about the experiences of Black graduate and professional students attending HBCUs. Indeed, such research is important, particularly since HBCUs play a significant role in the number of Blacks who receive doctorates and professional degrees (i.e. M.D., D.D.S., J.D. etc.), especially in science and engineering. In fact, according to Redd and Minor (2008), the role of HBCUs in graduate education will become even more significant as more seek to offer graduate and professional programs, particularly at the doctoral level. This book focuses on the historical nature of graduate and professional education at HBCUs and the programs’ contribution to society. Further, it provides context about the experiences of students who have attended these institutions for their post-baccalaureate pursuits. Finally, the book addresses the future of graduate and professional education at HBCUs and what fundamental aspects are needed to ensure their survival, competitiveness, and growth. This book appeals to faculty, departmental chairs, administrators, and students. Furthermore, higher education scholars, who conduct or have an interest in pursuing empirical research on Black graduate and professional education or the efficacy and relevance of HBCUs, will find this book useful given its unique and comprehensive approach focusing on supporting retaining, and graduating Black graduate students at HBCUs. In addition, this book is an invaluable teaching resource for faculty in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, or Sociology program.

Assessing Student Outcomes - Why, Who, What, How?
Assessing Student Outcomes - Why, Who, What, How?

Author: J. Fredericks Volkwein

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-11-22

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 1118279174

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This volume offers administrators and practitioners a summary guide to assessment in higher education, from the reasons for undertaking assessment to the delivery of findings. It opens with the questions that precede an effective study and drive research design: To what extent is the study aimed at educational improvement, and to what extent is it aimed at external accountability? Are the results expected to demonstrate goal attainment, improvement, comparison to others, meeting standards, cost-effective investment? What is the population from whom assessment data are being collected: Are we measuring the knowledge and skills of individuals and making decisions about their remediation, certification, or development? Or are we sampling from particular groups of students and comparing them to each other, or perhaps to themselves over time? The core of the volume is devoted to the objects of assessment: basic skills, general education knowledge, attainment in the major, personal growth, attitudes and satisfaction, and alumni outcomes, keeping in mind both cognitive and noncognitive measures. One chapter describes common obstacles to effective assessment; others describe conceptual models, research methods, and data collection strategies and instruments. The concluding chapter underscores the importance of communicating research results effectively. This is a special volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series New Directions for Institutional Research. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.