Dissertation
Why do colleges find it difficult to engage young alumni?
University of Iowa
Doctor of Education, University of Iowa
Spring 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007659
Abstract
At colleges and universities across the country, young alumni are the least engaged group of alumni with their alma mater. It takes a few decades after they graduate for alumni to want to get involved in their alma mater by attending events, volunteering, and making financial donations. This dissertation looks at the experiences of young alumni to hear from them directly how they engage or don’t engage with their alma mater in the last up to ten years after graduation. The data were collected through structured/semi-structured online
interviews with ten young alumni who graduated with their bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). The interviews were analyzed for themes and subthemes using a grounded theory approach as the foundation.
Reasons why young ACES alumni are not engaged with their alma mater include a lack of finding connections with both people and their university/college after graduation, not
understanding about engagement opportunities at their alma mater, and conflicts that prevent their engagement from falling into place easily. Hurdles that were mentioned during the
interviews included time constraints, geographic proximity, the lack of virtual engagement opportunities, early career stage and thus not a lot of disposable income, giving
misconceptions, and not knowing “what’s in it for me?”
The findings can help alumni offices rethink their engagement strategies to increase young alumni engagement metrics. While the findings are not surprising, they do allow for enhancements to be made.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Why do colleges find it difficult to engage young alumni?
- Creators
- Amanda J Shoemaker
- Contributors
- Cassie L Barnhardt (Chair) - University of Iowa, Educational Policy and Leadership StudiesTess Barker (Committee Member)Brooke Strahn-Koller (Committee Member) - University of Iowa, Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Project Type
- Dissertation in Practice
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education, University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Educational Policy and Leadership Studies (Higher Education)
- Date degree season
- Spring 2025
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007659
- Number of pages
- 127 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2025 Amanda J. Shoemaker
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Educational Policy and Leadership Studies; Education Doctorate Dissertation in Practice
- Record Identifier
- 9984821643902771
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