Recognizing that a university’s relationship with its alumni is an essential ingredient for an institution’s long-term health and viability, the Wittenberg Alumni Board, in the fall of 1999, committed to undertake a study of alumni relations to assist university leaders in considering possible changes to Wittenberg’s alumni operations.

The board defined “alumni operations” as the campus-based human, fiscal and capital resources allocated primarily for the purpose of building and maintaining positive relationships between the university and its graduates.

Activities conducted as part of alumni operations typically include various alumni programs, alumni awards and recognition, mailings and other communications.

The decision to embark on this study, which was funded entirely by the Alumni Board, stemmed from the board’s concern that current alumni operations may not be sufficient to achieve the level of commitment needed to meet future institutional challenges in recruiting, infrastructure and technology.

As part of this comprehensive study, board members reviewed Wittenberg’s current alumni operations and professional literature in alumni relations, and conducted in-person interviews or phone interviews with a select group of peer institutions.

Members of the Alumni Board then presented their findings to the Wittenberg Board of Directors earlier this year. Look for more on the board’s findings in a series of articles in upcoming issues of Wittenberg Magazine.