OHIO faculty, staff asked to provide information about alumni volunteers for past academic year

Ohio University’s Division of University Advancement is asking all faculty and staff to provide information on alumni who volunteered in the past year, specifically July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. 

Volunteering can include alumni speaking in classrooms, mentoring students, serving on college advisory boards, or assisting at University events such as Commencement or the recent Juneteenth Festival. 

The survey is part of a national study conducted every year on alumni engagement at colleges and universities around the world and is being spearheaded at OHIO by the Ohio University Alumni Association (OUAA). 

“Alumni volunteers provide incredible support to OHIO’s students and programs,” said Jenn Bowie, executive director of the OUAA and associate vice president of alumni relations and annual giving. “We know that faculty and staff across the University’s colleges and campuses engage alumni in their classrooms, on committees and councils, as internship hosts, and more. You’re encouraged to share any information you can about alumni who are engaging with your department or unit. The more you share, the better we can tell the story of how Bobcat grads connect to this special place in support of students.” 

Volunteers play an essential role in OHIO’s mission 

Volunteers are critical to Ohio University’s mission and the overall student experience. In addition, the work of alumni volunteers ties directly into OHIO’s Dynamic Strategy. One of the defined strategies of the Engage Pillar is to “Enhance alumni engagement including student mentorship, student placement, volunteerism and giving.” 

The vital work of alumni volunteers also showcases the impact that Bobcats have beyond graduation. These alumni contributions help to elevate the University’s prestige, enhance OHIO’s national reputation, and help to attract new students and supporters. 

The CASE alumni engagement survey 

OHIO faculty and staff are asked to fill out this form collecting information for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) alumni engagement study.  The study uses a set of standardized measures to assess and benchmark alumni engagement efforts across universities and colleges. These metrics include various dimensions of alumni involvement and interaction with their alma mater and are broken down into four categories: Volunteerism, Experiences, Communication and Philanthropy. 

This survey allows universities to benchmark their alumni engagement efforts against peer institutions and provides valuable insights into how they compare in terms of alumni participation and involvement. 

Ohio University has greatly increased its alumni engagement in recent years, according to the most recent CASE studies. All OHIO employees are asked to fill out the form this year to provide the most up-to-date information possible on alumni volunteerism. The form should be completed by Aug. 31. 

You can fill out the form at this website.