Why international alumni can fall through the cracks
Even as colleges have grown more sophisticated about international-student recruitment and support services, for many institutions, overseas alumni still fall through the cracks.
A new group hopes to change that, offering networking, professional advice, and training on international alumni relations and fund raising. They hope to win recognition as a member-interest group through NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
That the area of international alumni relations should be relatively underdeveloped might come as a surprise. After all, American colleges have long had sophisticated systems for maintaining ties with and raising funds from domestic graduates. What’s more, no other country educates as many students from abroad as does the United States.
Yet for many institutions, international alumni, including American expatriates overseas, have remained an afterthought. Dispersed around the globe, they don’t return to campus for activities, like homecomings, reunions, and football weekends, that often help maintain ties. Sending glossy alumni magazines abroad can be cost prohibitive. Differing cultural views of philanthropy mean they might be written off as donors.
Just keeping track of foreign graduates can be challenging. Jim Brosam II, an international-education consultant who is among those working to start the interest group, said historically some alumni databases don’t even have the capacity for entering overseas addresses. As a result, the last-known contact information on file for international graduates might be their campus address, required for student-visa records. “They were sort of the stepchildren,” said Brosam, president of Jameson Global.
But Brosam, who is working on his dissertation on international alumni affairs, said the ground is shifting. The most-recent generation of international students is more likely to pay the full cost of an American degree than past cohorts, meaning some may have deeper pockets. Not only do more colleges recognize international alumni as potential donors, they see them as key to building their reputations overseas and as a critical resource for student recruitment, networking, and job placement abroad.
Global alumni, many of whom spent formative undergraduate years in America, want to stay connected to their alma mater. And technology is making it easier to keep in touch.
Dilnoza F. Khasilova, a global engagement fellow at the University of Wyoming, started a LinkedIn group for fellow international alumni, building a network of more than 600 Wyoming graduates. Now they hold regular online get-togethers and events. “You don’t have to have a lot of money to get started,” Khasilova, who is originally from Uzbekistan, said.
Likewise, Brosam said he has met groups of overseas alumni who have connected through social-media platforms like China’s WeChat, sometimes informally and without institutional involvement.
Colleges can tap into these existing networks, but technology has also made virtual outreach easier and more routine, especially in the wake of Covid-19. Graduates may now be more willing to log on for online meetups or to beam in campus speakers. Karla McCollum, director of development for international engagement for Iowa State University Foundation, previously worked in international admissions. “I’ve done a lot of recruitment events at 3 a.m. or 6 a.m. on Zoom,” she said. “Now I’m transferring it into this field.”
With American colleges graduating more international students, there are now critical numbers of alumni in certain parts of the world, and more institutions have begun to establish overseas chapters. McCollum’s work takes her regularly to Asia, Latin America, and Canada.