Alumni association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organization. These associations often organize social events, publish newsletters or magazines, and raise funds for the organization.

Additionally, such groups often support new alumni, and provide a forum to form new friendships and business relationships with people of similar background.

Alumni associations are mainly organised around universities or departments of universities, but may also be organised among students that studied in a certain country. They are often considered to be the university's or school's old boy network (or old boys network).

In Anglo-Saxon countries, membership of an alumni association often goes without saying. In continental Europe, alumni associations are getting more and more popular as universities receive less money from governments and depend more on networking within civil society for funding.

Alumni associations are often organized into chapters by city, region, or country.