About the Episode
About The Episode:
In this episode of Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink, we turn to one of higher education’s most important, and according to our research, most underserved audiences: alumni.
Ologie’s national study revealed a striking insight: only 43% of respondents believe colleges and universities meaningfully benefit their alumni. Even more telling, most respondents hold college degrees themselves. These are alumni saying they feel least benefited by their alma mater.
Host Day Kibilds is joined by Molly Ranz Calhoun, President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, to explore what’s behind that perception. From rising debt and economic instability to outdated engagement models focused too quickly on fundraising, alumni are questioning the return on their investment.
Together, they unpack what alumni actually want: career navigation, community, personalization, lifelong learning, and systems of small, consistent support. This episode explores how institutions can shift from transactional outreach to long-term value exchange — and why alumni engagement must start long before graduation.
Episode’s Main Topics
Why Alumni Engagement Drops After Graduation
Ologie’s national study found that only 43% of respondents believe colleges and universities meaningfully benefit alumni. That means a majority either feel neutral or underserved.
Alumni cited rising debt, unstable job markets, and a perception that institutions “got what they needed” and moved on. The episode begins by examining where that perceived value gap actually forms — and why it tends to surface after commencement.
Why Alumni Trust Erodes (And How Fundraising Contributed)
Many alumni leaders are asking: why do alumni disengage?
Molly offers a candid insight. For years, institutions often prioritized fundraising over relationship-building. That transactional approach created a lingering perception that alumni associations exist primarily to ask for money.
Rebuilding trust requires shifting from short-term solicitation to long-term value exchange.
The Post-Graduation Support Gap: What Alumni Lose After Commencement
As students, graduates have structured support: career services, advisors, networks, mentorship. After graduation, that infrastructure disappears.
This “loss of structure and support” is a major driver of alumni disengagement. The need for career navigation, mentorship, and professional growth doesn’t end at graduation. Delivery simply becomes harder.
For institutions looking to increase alumni engagement, this gap is a critical place to start.
What Alumni Want From Their Alma Mater
If alumni aren’t primarily looking for fundraising outreach, what are they looking for?
This episode breaks down the consistent themes:
- Career navigation and transferable skills support
- Personalized communication
- Lifelong learning opportunities
- Community and belonging
- Low-effort, high-value digital experiences
Examples from Ohio State include international travel programs, micro-mentoring platforms, lifelong learning initiatives, and flexible digital engagement options.
The takeaway: alumni expect personalization and digital accessibility. not nostalgia alone.
Alumni Career Support That Moves the Needle
One of the most searched questions in alumni strategy is: what kind of career support works?
Molly explains that the answer is not one large intervention. It’s a system of small, consistent support:
- Resume and interview workshops
- Career navigation guidance
- Industry pulse updates
- Peer-to-peer advice
- Opportunities to mentor and speak
Career support builds confidence, not just competence. And positioning alumni as experts reinforces their professional identity.
What Alumni Career Programs Don’t Scale
Traditional one-to-one coaching and long-term mentoring models sound impactful but rarely scale across tens or hundreds of thousands of alumni.
Today’s graduates prefer:
- Quick, bite-sized guidance
- Flexible digital platforms
- Peer-based knowledge exchange
Technology-enabled systems allow alumni to get answers quickly without committing to formal programs.
How to Leverage Your Alumni Network at Scale
Institutions often try to provide every solution internally. This episode challenges that instinct.
Ohio State’s Buckeye Connect platform demonstrates how alumni can serve other alumni and students by answering specific career questions and offering real-time guidance.
The alumni network itself becomes the strategic asset.
How to Re-Engage Disconnected Alumni
Reactivation doesn’t start with a direct mail appeal.
Ohio State uses a journey-based continuum approach that tracks awareness, engagement, and participation across digital platforms.
The strategy shifts from “getting alumni back” to staying present across life stages — meeting alumni where they already are.
The Future of Alumni Engagement: Personalized, Real-Time Support
If technology were no constraint, Molly says she would “Amazonify” alumni engagement — delivering personalized resources at exactly the right moment in an alum’s life.
Whether someone is changing careers, relocating, caring for family, or pursuing further education, the institution would proactively connect them to relevant resources.
This is where alumni engagement strategy is headed.
Alumni Engagement Is a Value Exchange
Alumni are not asking institutions to solve their lives. Instead, they are asking for continued partnership.
Reputation with alumni is built through consistent, visible value — not one large campaign or fundraising push.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
The Reputation Rethink (Ologie Research Report)
Download the full report and explore the findings and recommendations.
Day’s Blog about the Report
Read more commentary and thoughts from Day about the research findings from The Reputation Rethink.
Ohio State Alumni AssociationExplore alumni engagement programs, career support initiatives, and lifelong learning opportunities.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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