Guest Blogger Ian Moore: A UK Perspective on Alumni Reunions

Last Monday's Posting about the New York Times commentary on reunions and Facebook elicited some great comments. Among them was a reflection on reunions by Ian Moore, Deputy Director of Development & Alumni Relations at Coventry University in England. I thought it was worthy of its own posting, so Ian becomes the first non-North American guest blogger on Alumni Futures. Here's a slightly edited version of his remarks about reunions from a few days ago.

Large reunions can mean a huge workload, and yet proportionally reunions engage relatively few alumni annually. This is especially true when you consider what can be achieved if you allocate the budget and workforce to other schemes, including online community building.

I can understand that for established programmes in America, reunions may serve a justified purpose as part of a balanced programme of activities. However in the UK, many of us in start-up operations are being asked to create a tradition of reunions from scratch, with initial events expected to be sell-outs, as they are certain "that's what happens in the US." Obviously, it’s much easier to host a reunion if you have been actively stewarding alumni through structured alumni engagement since graduation (and before). However, not only is this not always true in America, for relatively new alumni relations operations, many graduates will have had lengthy periods with no contact from the institution. It always surprises me therefore how much importance is placed on reunions as a global measure of an alumni operation's success. Admittedly, events are a highly visible part of an alumni operation but so many other crucial yet less obvious activities must precede them. I would expect start-ups to put goals in order and 

1. create databases 
2. create communication channels (publications, e-newsletters, websites) 
3. establish & promote community connections (interaction with publications, personal updates, address changes, web communities, etc.)
4. encourage engagement (including asking alumni to return for reunion events)
5. harness alumni goodwill in some way, and steward at the next level 

1. and 2. can be set-up relatively quickly but creating a community is a slow, trust-building exercise. At my institution I expect to be in the community building phase for many years before sizable numbers of alumni wish to reunite with one another as standard practice. At the moment, alumni wish to reunite specifically with their old friends. If those friends are not attending, alumni do not want to come regardless of how exciting the event (and similarly those friends do not come for exactly the same reason – catch 22). I suspect that although this will undoubtedly be true in the US for some alumni, many will return for a reunion because they feel a commitment to the alumni community and a shared identity that they wish to demonstrate and nurture. This reflects the many decades' work in establishing an alumni culture. In the UK we need to recognise our cultural differences and our relatively late arrival to this profession. People do not attend reunions for another chicken dinner. They come to see old friends and reflect their commitment to a proud relationship with that institution that has not dulled over time. The alumni profession needs to accept that alumni, thanks to services such as Facebook, can now network more efficiently than ever and retain contact with friends much more easily. They may not need an official reunion if they wish to meet up with their old classmates. A simple email sent personally to a large group inviting them to a selected bar, restaurant or home may be just as effective. However, they cannot demonstrate their pride in their connection with an institution anywhere else. By offering institutional reunions we allow cherished memories to be dusted down and given greater value. Don’t we all at some stage want to look back fondly on our past in the belief that we have made good choices?

Do I think reunions have a future? Yes.

Do I think reunions are overrated? Yes.

Would I like to see equal or greater value given to other programmes, such as online community development? Absolutely.

Finally, some events serve multiple purposes and can help to establish community. In my list of 1. to 5. above, some reunions are worthwhile at an early stage of alumni operation development; indeed, some giveback (5.) is possible very quickly — but these should be the exceptions and not the rule. So pick the easy wins first and don’t chase the impossible dreams currently set by senior institution leaders who see the success in North America, and expect it can be duplicated quickly and easily elsewhere. Make it clear that American success is a product of long term investment in many things – not just hosting parties.