Academic literature on the topic 'University of Oxford Alumni and alumnae'

The Seven Sister colleges are well known for producing some of the nation's most successful women. At the turn of the century, they were recognized as the leading institutions for elite White women. In this article, Linda Perkins outlines the historical experiences of African American women attending the Seven Sister colleges from the institutions' founding to the civil rights era of the 1960s, a period during which approximately five hundred Black women graduated from these institutions. Through an exploration of university archives, alumni bulletins, and oral interviews with alumnae, Perkins shows that the Seven Sister colleges were not a monolithic entity: some admitted African American women as far back as the turn of the century, while others grudgingly, and only under great pressure, admitted them decades later. Perkins illustrates how the Seven Sister colleges mirrored the views of the larger society concerning race, and how issues of discrimination in admissions, housing, and financial aid in these institutions were influenced by, and had an influence on, the overall African American struggle for full participatory citizenship.

Mengacu pada daftar yang dilansir http://www.mbctimes.com/, 20 negara yang memiliki sistem pendidikan terbaik pada tahun 2015/2016 adalah: 1) Korea Selatan; 2) Jepang; 3) Singapura; 4) Hong Kong; 5) Finlandia; 6) Inggris Raya (UK); 7) Kanada; 8) Belanda; 9) Irlandia; 10) Polandia; 11) Denmark; 12) Jerman; 13) Rusia; 14) Amerika Serikat; 15) Australia; 16) Selandia Baru; 17) Israel; 18) Belgia; 19) Republik Ceko; 20) Swiss 1. Demikian halnya dengan daftar perguruan tinggi terbaik edisi tahun 2015/2016 yang dilansir berbagai media online seperti http://www.webometrics, mayoritas masih didominasi oleh negara-negara Barat, terutama Amerika Serikat (Harvard University [1], Stanford University [2], Massachusetts Institute of Technology [3]), Inggris (University of Oxford [13], University of Cambridge [14]) dan Kanada (University of Toronto [16]) 2. Terlepas dari bias media, sungguh miris jika menengok laporan ini, karena tidak ada satu pun negara mayoritas muslim yang masuk di dalamnya. Data ini menunjukkan dominasi sistem pendidikan Barat terhadap pendidikan Islam.Adalah fakta yang tak terbantahkan bahwa pendidikan Barat telah memberi pengaruh signifikan terhadap berbagai dimensi pendidikan Islam. Misalnya: Input peserta didik diklasifikasikan melalui tes IQ yang dikembangkan psikolog Perancis, Alferd Binet tahun 1905. Metode Binet dalam menghitung angka IQ adalah usia mental seseorang dibagi dengan usia kronologis, lalu dikalikan dengan 100. Rumusnya adalah: IQ = MA/CA x 100 di mana MA adalah Mental Age, sedangkan MC adalah Chronological Age3. Atau trend yang lebih mutakhir adalah tes Kecerdasan Majemuk yang dikenal dengan Multiple Intelligences Research (MIR). MIR adalah instrumen riset yang dapat memberikan deskripsi tentang kecenderungan kecerdasan seseorang. Dari hasil analisis MIR, dapat disimpulkan gaya belajar terbaik bagi seseorang. MIR ini mengacu pada Kecerdasan Majemuk (Multiple Inteligences) yang digagas psikolog Amerika Serikat, Howard Gardner 4.Metode pembelajaran berbasis siswa aktif mayoritas didasarkan pada teori yang digagas ilmuwan Barat, seperti Quantum Teaching oleh Bobbi DePorter dkk. Quantum Teaching diciptakan berdasarkan berbagai teori pendidikan, seperti Accelerated Learning (Luzanov), Multiple Intelligence (Gardner), Neuro-Linguistik Programming (Ginder dan Bandler), Experiential Learning (Hahn), Socratic Inquiry, Cooperative Learning (Johnson and Johnson) dan Elemen of Effective Instruction (Hunter). Jadi, Quantum Teaching telah merangkaikan yang paling baik dari yang terbaik, sehingga menjadi sebuah paket multisensori, multikecerdasan dan kompatibel dengan otak yang pada akhirnya akan melejitkan kemampuan guru untuk mengilhami dan kemampuan murid untuk berprestasi 5. Demikian halnya dengan model-model pembelajaran kooperatif seperti STAD (Student Teams Achievement Division) yang dikembangkan Robert Slavin dan Jigsaw oleh Elliot Aronson; model pembelajaran berbasis masalah (Problem Based Learning) yang dikembangkan Robert M. Gagne; Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) yang digagas Elaine B. Johnson; dan lain sebagainya 6.Evaluasi pembelajaran di lembaga-lembaga pendidikan Islam juga masih didasarkan pada taksonomi Benjamin S. Bloom, yaitu domain kognitif, afektif dan psikomotorik. Menurut Bloom, 90% perbedaan prestasi belajar disebabkan tiga faktor utama. Pertama, perilaku entri kognitif, yaitu kompetensi peserta didik ketika dihadapkan pada tugas belajar baru. Kedua, perilaku entri afektif yang terkait motivasi belajar awal hingga optimal. Ketiga, menyesuaikan pembelajaran yang berkaitan degan media dan waktu serta dorongan dan individualisasi 7. Pada praktiknya, penilaian yang dilakukan pendidik harus memuat keseimbangan ketiga domain tersebut. Penilaian aspek kognitif dilakukan setelah peserta didik mempelajari satu kompetensi dasar yang harus dicapai. Penilaian aspek afektif dilakukan selama berlangsungnya kegiatan belajar mengajar, baik di kelas maupun di luar kelas. Penilaian psikomotorik dilakukan selama berlangsungnya proses belajar-mengajar 8.Paparan di atas mengindikasikan bahwa pendidikan Barat telah berpengaruh signifikan terhadap pendidikan Islam, baik pada tahap pra, proses maupun pasca pembelajaran.Di samping membawa pengaruh positif, pendidikan Barat juga membawa pengaruh negatif terhadap pendidikan Islam. Inilah pandangan Mujamil Qomar yang menegaskan bahwa problem utama pendidikan Islam saat ini adalah problem epistemologi. Hal ini disebabkan filsafat pendidikan yang diberikan pada departemen kependidikan Islam sekarang ini, sepenuhnya filsafat pendidikan Barat, sehingga sistem pendidikan Islam kental oleh pengaruh pendidikan Barat. Sedangkan pendidikan Barat dibangun di atas filsafat pendidikan yang menggunakan pendekatan epistemologi yang banyak bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam, semisal anti-metafisika 9.Misalnya: Filsafat pendidikan Barat yang bersifat Pragmatisme dan Materialisme berimplikasi pada tujuan pendidikan yang cenderung diorientasikan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat, terutama dunia korporasi; sehingga mengantarkan keterampilan vokasional sebagai tujuan pokok pendidikan. Parameter kesuksesan lembaga pendidikan pun menjadi lebih dangkal, yaitu seberapa besar alumni yang berhasil diserap oleh dunia usaha. Orientasi vokasional yang berlebihan tersebut telah mengikis orientasi spiritualisme dalam pendidikan Islam. Dampaknya adalah krisis moral yang mengarah pada dehumanisasi. Contoh konkretnya adalah fenomena “Indonesia Darurat Moral” yang digaungkan oleh para tokoh nasional, seperti Mantan Ketua Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK) Hamdan Zoelva yang menyebut Indonesia saat ini tengah dilanda darurat moral lantaran maraknya kejahatan seksual yang sudah masuk ke berbagai generasi bangsa 10.Dalam konteks rekonsiliasi antara pendidikan Barat dan pendidikan Islam, penulis tertarik untuk membangun “jembatan emas” antara aspek positif pendidikan Barat dengan aspek positif pendidikan Islam. Jembatan emas tersebut dibangun di atas pilar Maqashid Syariah. Maqashid Syariah adalah tujuan-tujuan agung Syariat Islam atau hikmah-hikmah yang diletakkan oleh Allah SWT dalam setiap hukum syariat Islam. Inti Maqashid Syariah adalah merealisasikan kemaslahatan umat manusia, di dunia maupun di akhirat; baik dengan cara mendatangkan manfaat maupun menampik mafsadat 11. Inilah yang penulis maksudkan dengan redaksi ‘rekonfigurasi’ sepanjang bahasan dalam tulisan ini.

Dr. Richard Heinzl is a McMaster Medical School alumni. He also studied at Harvard and Oxford University, where he received Master degrees in Public Health and Science, respectively. Dr. Heinzl was connected to McMaster University prior to becoming a student himself as his father, Rudy Heinzl, was the Dean of Student Affairs for 11 years. Dr. Heinzl founded the Canadian chapter of Médicins Sans Frontières only a year after graduating from Medical School. When he is not abroad practicing medicine or performing research, Dr. Heinzl often returns to McMaster to share his immense knowledge and life experiences. His most recent presentation at McMaster on October 19th was organized by the Medical School community. During this presentation, Dr. Heinzl shared key aspects of a health plan he is constructing for the Kalinago people of Dominica.

This research aims to determine the influence of role ambiguity and role conflict on employee creativity. This research used the causal method by collecting primary data obtained through distributing questionnaires. Samples are 126 respondents of Faculty Economics and Business University Lampung alumnae who graduated 2015-2017. Data processed using multiple regression method. Result analysis shows that role ambiguity has a positive and significant influence on employee creativity with a value of 44%. Another result of this research shows that role conflict positively influences employee creativity with a value of 19%.
 Keywords:Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, Employee Creativity
 ABSTRAK
 Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh dari ambiguitas peran dan konflik peran terhadap kreativitas karyawan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kausal dengan menggunakan data primer dari penyebaran kuesioner. Sampel penelitian adalah 126 responden alumni Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Lampung lulusan tahun 2015 sampai 2017 dan sudah bekerja. Data diolah dengan menggunakan metode regresi berganda. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa ambiguitas peran memiliki pengaruh positif dan signifikan sebesar 44% terhadap kreativitas karyawan. Hasil lain dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa konflik peran memiliki dampak positif sebesar 19% terhadap kreativitas karyawan.
 Kata Kunci: Ambiguitas Peran, Konflik Peran, Kreativitas Karyawan

Introduction In an era of upheaval and uncertainty for higher education institutions around the world, scholars, like those in many in other professions, are increasingly using social media to build communities around mutual support and professional development. These communities appear to offer opportunities for participants to exert more positive influence over the types of interactions they engage in with colleagues, in many cases being valued as more altruistic, transformational, or supportive than established academic structures (Gibson, and Gibbs; Mewburn, and Thomson; Maitzen). What has been described as ‘digital scholarship’ applies social media to “different facets of scholarly activity in a helpful and productive way” (Carrigan 5), with online scholarly communities being likened to evolutions of face-to-face practices including peer mentoring (Ferguson, and Wheat) or a “virtual staffroom” (Mewburn, and Thomson). To a large extent, these accounts of scholarly practice adapted for digital media have resonance. From writing groups (O’Dwyer, McDonough, Jefferson, Goff, and Redman-MacLaren) to conference attendance (Spilker, Silva, and Morgado) and funding (Osimo, Priego, and Vuorikari), the transformational possibilities of social media have been applied to almost every facet of existing academic practices. These practices have increasingly attracted scrutiny from higher education institutions, with social media profiles of staff both a potential asset and risk to institutions’ brands. Around the world, institutions use social media for marketing, student recruitment, student support and alumni communication (Palmer). As such, social media policies have emerged in recent years in attempts to ensure staff engage in ways that align with the interests of their employers (Solberg; Carrigan). However, engagement via social media is also still largely considered “supplementary to ‘real’ scholarly work” (Mussell 347).Paralleling this trend, guides to effectively managing an online profile as a component of professional reputation have also become increasingly common (e.g. Carrigan). While public relations and management literatures have approached reputation management in terms of how an organisation is regarded by its multiple stakeholders (Fombrun) this is increasingly being applied to individuals on social media. According to Gandini a “reputation economy” (22) has come to function for knowledge workers who seek to cultivate a reputation as a good community member through sociality in order to secure more (or better) work.The popularity of professional social media communities and scrutiny of participants raises questions about the work involved in building and participating in them. This article explores these questions through analysis of tweets from the first year of #ECRchat, a Twitter group for early career researchers (ECRs). The group was established in 2012 to provide an opportunity for ECRs (typically within five years of PhD completion) to discuss career-related issues. Since it was founded, the group has been administered through partnerships between early career scholars using a Twitter account (@ECRchat) and a blog. Tweets, the posts of 140 characters or fewer, which appear on a user’s profile and in followers’ feeds (Twitter) are organised into a ‘chat’ by participants through the use of the hashtag ‘#ECRchat’. Participants vote on chat topics and take on the role of hosting on a volunteer basis. The explicit career focus of this group provides an ideal case study to explore how work is represented in an online professionally-focused community, in order to reflect on what this might mean for the norms of knowledge work.Digital Labour The impact of Internet Communication Technologies (ICT), including social media, on the lives of workers has long been a source of both concern and hope. Mobile devices, wireless Internet and associated communications software enable increasing numbers of people to take work home. This flexibility has been welcomed as the means by which workers might more successfully access jobs and manage competing commitments (Raja, Imaizumi, Kelly, Narimatsu, and Paradi-Guilford). However, hours worked from home are often unpaid and carry with them a strong likelihood of interfering with rest, recreation and family time (Pocock and Skinner). Melissa Gregg describes this as “presence bleed” (2): the dilutions of focus from everyday activities as workers increasingly use electronic devices to ‘check in’ during non-work time. Moving beyond the limitations of this work-life balance approach, which tends to over-state divisions between employment and other everyday life practices, a growing literature seeks to address work in online environments by analysing the types of labour being practiced, rather than seeing such practices as adjunct to physical workplaces. Responding to claims that digital communication heralds a new age of greater freedom, creativity and democratic participation, this work draws attention to the reliance of such networks on unpaid labour (e.g. Hearn; Hesmondhalgh) with ratings, reviews and relationship maintenance serving business’ economic ends alongside the individual interests which motivate participants. The immaterial, affective, and often precarious labour that has been observed is “simultaneously voluntarily given and unwaged, enjoyed and exploited” (Terranova). This work builds particularly on feminist analysis of work (see McRobbie for a discussion of this), with behind the scenes moderator, convenor, and community builder roles largely female and largely unrecognised, be they activist (Gleeson), creative (Duffy) or consumer (Arcy) groups. For some, this suggests the emergence of a new ‘women’s work’ of affective immaterial labour which goes into building transformational communities (Jarrett). Yet, digital labour has not yet been foregrounded within research into higher education, where it is largely practiced in the messy intersections of employment, unpaid professional development, and leisure. Joyce Goggin argues that convergence of these spheres is a feature of digital labour. Consequently, this article seeks to add a consideration of digital labour, specifically the cultural politics of work that emerge in these spaces, to the literature on digital practices as a translation of existing academic responsibilities online. In the context of widespread concerns over academic workload and job market (Bentley, Coates, Dobson, Goedegebuure, and Meek) and the growing international engagement and impact agenda (Priem, Piwowar, and Hemminger), it raises questions about the implications of these practices. Researching Twitter Communities This article analyses tweets from the publicly available Twitter timeline, containing the hashtag #ECRchat, during scheduled chats, from 1 July 2012 to 31 July 2013 (the first year of operation). Initially, all tweets in this time period were analysed in anonymised form to determine the most commonly mentioned topics during chats. This content analysis removed the most common English language words, such as: the; it; I; and RT (which stands for retweet), which would otherwise appear as top results in almost any content analysis regardless of the community of interest. This was followed by qualitative analysis of tweets, to explore in more depth how important issues were articulated and rationalised within the group. This draws on Catherine Driscoll’s and Melissa Gregg’s idea of “sympathetic online cultural studies” which seeks to explore online communities first and foremost as communities rather than as exemplars of online communications (15-20). Here, a narrative approach was undertaken to analyse how participants curated, made sense of, and explained their own career stories (drawing on Pamphilon). Although I do not claim that participants are representative of all ECRs, or that the ideas given the most attention during chats are representative of the experiences of all participants, representations of work articulated here are suggestive of the kinds of public utterances that were considered reasonable within this open online space. Participants are identified according to the twitter handle and user name they had chosen to use for the chats being analysed. This is because the practical infeasibility of guaranteeing online anonymity (readers need only to Google the text of any tweet to associate it with a particular user, in most cases) and the importance of actively involving participants as agents in the research process, in part by identifying them as authors of their own stories, rather than informants (e.g. Butz; Evans; Svalastog and Eriksson).Representations of Work in #ECRchat The co-creation of the #ECRchat community through participant hosts and community votes on chat topics gave rise to a discussion group that was heavily focused on ‘the work’ of academia, including its importance in the lives of participants, relative appeal over other options, and negative effects on leisure time. I was clear that participants regarded participation as serving their professional interests, despite participation not being paid or formally recognised by employers. With the exception of two discussions focused on making decisions about the future of the group, #ECRchat discussions during the year of analysis focused on topics designed to help participants succeed at work such as “career progression and planning”, “different routes to postdoc funding”, and “collaboration”. At a micro-level, ‘work’ (and related terms) was the most frequently used term in #ECRchat, with its total number of uses (1372) almost double that of research (700), the next most used term. Comments during the chats reiterated this emphasis: “It’s all about the work. Be decent to people and jump through the hoops you need to, but always keep your eyes on the work” (Magennis).The depth of participants’ commitment comes through strongly in discussions comparing academic work with other options: “pretty much everyone I know with ‘real jobs’ hates their work. I feel truly lucky to say that I love mine #ECRchat” (McGettigan). This was seen in particular in the discussion about ‘careers outside academia’. Hashtags such as #altac (referring to alternative-academic careers such as university research support or learning and teaching administration roles) and #postac (referring to PhD holders working outside of universities in research or non-research roles) used both alongside the #ECRchat hashtag and separately, provide an ongoing site of these kinds of representations. While participants in #ECRchat sought to shift this perception and were critically aware that it could lead to undesirable outcomes: “PhDs and ECRs in Humanities don’t seem to consider working outside of academia – that limits their engagement with training #ECRchat” (Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester), such discussions frequently describe alternative academic careers as a ‘backup plan’, should academic employment not be found. Additionally, many participants suggested that their working hours were excessive, extending the professional into personal spaces and times in ways that they did not see as positive. This was often described as the only way to achieve success: “I hate to say it, but one of the best ways to improve track record is to work 70+ hours a week, every week. Forever. #ecrchat” (Dunn). One of the key examples of this dynamic was the scheduling of the chat itself. When founded in 2012, #ECRchat ran in the Australian evening and UK morning, eliding the personal/work distinction for both its coordinators and participants. While considerable discussion was concerned with scheduling the chat during times when a large number of international participants could attend, this discussion centred on waking rather than working hours. The use of scheduled tweets and shared work between convenors in different time zones (Australia and the United Kingdom) maintained an around the clock online presence, extending well beyond the ordinary working hours of any individual participant.Personal Disclosure The norms that were articulated in #ECRchat are perhaps not surprising for a group of participants seeking to establish themselves in a profession where a long-hours culture and work-life interference are common (Bentley, Coates, Dobson, Goedegebuure, and Meek). However, what is notable is that participation frequently involved the extension of the personal into the professional and in support of professional aims. In the chat’s first year, an element of personal disclosure and support for others became key to acting as a good community member. Beyond the well-established norms of white collar workers demonstrating professionalism by deploying “courtesy, helpfulness, and kindness” (Mills xvii), this community building relied on personal disclosure which to some extent collapsed personal and professional boundaries.By disclosing individual struggles, anxieties, and past experiences participants contributed to a culture of support. This largely functioned through discussions of work stress rather than leisure: “I definitely don’t have [work-life balance]. I think it’s because I don’t have a routine so work and home constantly blend into one another” (Feely). Arising from these discussions, ideas to help participants better navigate and build academic careers was one of the main ways this community support and concern was practiced: “I think I’m often more productive and less anxious if I'm working on a couple of things in parallel, too #ecrchat” (Brian).Activities such as preparing meals, caring for family, and leisure activities, became part of the discussion. “@snarkyphd Sorry, late, had to deal with toddler. Also new; currently doing casual teaching/industry work & applying for postdocs #ecrchat” (Ronald). Exclusively professional profiles were considered less engaging than the combination of personal and professional that most participants adopted: “@jeanmadams I’ve answered a few queries on ResearchGate, but agree lack of non-work opinions / personality makes them dull #ecrchat” (Tennant). However, this is not to suggest that these networks become indistinguishable from more informal, personal, or leisurely uses of social media: “@networkedres My ‘professional’ online identity is slightly more guarded than my ‘facebook’ id which is for friends and family #ECRchat” (Wheat). Instead, disclosure of certain kinds of work struggles came to function as a positive contribution to a more reflexive professionalism. In the context of work-focused discussion, #ECRchat opens important spaces for scholars to question norms they considered damaging or at least make these tacit norms explicit and receive support to manage them. Affective Labour The professional goals and focus of #ECRchat, combined with the personal support and disclosure that forms the basis for the supportive elements in this group is arguably one of its strongest and most important elements. Mark Carrigan suggests that the practices of revealing something of the struggles we experience could form the basis for a new collegiality, where common experiences which had previously not been discussed publicly are for the first time recognised as systemic, not individual challenges. However, there is work required to provide context and support for these emotional experiences which is largely invisible here, as has typically been the case in other communities. Such ‘affective labour’ “involves the production and manipulation of affect and requires (virtual or actual) human contact, labour in the bodily mode … the labour is immaterial, even if it is corporeal and affective, in the sense that its products are intangible, a feeling of ease, well-being, satisfaction, excitement or passion” (Hardt, and Negri 292). In #ECRchat, this ranges from managing the schedule and organising discussions – which involves following up offers to help, assisting people to understand the task, and then ensuring things go ahead as planned –to support offered by members of the group within discussions. This occurs in the overlaps between personal and professional representations, taking a variety of forms from everyday reassurance, affirmation, and patience: “Sorry to hear - hang in there. Hope you have a good support network. #ECRchat” (Galea) to empathy often articulated alongside the disclosure discussed earlier: “The feeling of guilt over not working sounds VERY familiar! #ecrchat” (Vredeveldt).The point here is not to suggest that this work is not sufficiently valued by participants, or that it does not parallel the kinds of work undertaken in more formal job roles, including in academia, where management, conference convening or participation in professional societies, and teaching, as just a few examples, involve degrees of affective labour. However, as a consequence of the (semi)public nature of these groups, the interactions observed here appear to represent a new inflection of professional reputation work, where, in building online professional communities, individuals peg their professional reputations to these forms of affective labour. Importantly, given the explicitly professional nature of the group, these efforts are not counted as part of the formal workload of those involved, be they employed (temporarily or more securely) inside or outside universities, or not in the paid workforce. Conclusion A growing body of literature demonstrates that online academic communities can provide opportunities for collegiality, professional development, and support: particularly among emerging scholars. These accounts demonstrate the value of digital scholarly practices across a range of academic work. However, this article’s discussion of the work undertaken to build and maintain #ECRchat in its first year suggests that these practices at the messy intersections of employment, unpaid professional development, and leisure constitute a new inflection of professional reputation and service work. This work involves publicly building a reputation as a good community member through a combination of personal disclosure and affective labour.In the context of growing emphasis on the economic, social, and other impacts of academic research and concerns over work intensification, this raises questions about possible scope for, and impact of, formal recognition of digital academic labour. While institutions’ work planning and promotion processes may provide opportunities to recognise work developing professional societies or conferences as a leadership or service to a discipline, this new digital service work remains outside the purview of such recognition and reward systems. Further research into the relationships between academic reputation and digital labour will be needed to explore the implications of this for institutions and academics alike. AcknowledgementsI would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions and support of everyone who participated in developing and sustaining #ECRchat. Both online and offline, this paper and the community itself would not have been possible without many generous contributions of time, understanding and thoughtful discussion. In particular, I would like to thank Katherine L. Wheat, co-founder and convenor, as well as Beth Montague-Hellen, Ellie Mackin, and Motje Wolf, who have taken on convening the group in the years since my involvement. ReferencesArcy, Jacquelyn. “Emotion Work: Considering Gender in Digital Labor.” Feminist Media Studies 16.2 (2016): 365-68.Bentley, Peter, Hamish Coates, Ian Dobson, Leo Goedegebuure, and Lynn Meek. Job Satisfaction around the Academic World. Dordrecht: Springer, 2013. Brian, Deborah (@deborahbrian). “I think I’m often more productive and less anxious if I’m working on a couple of things in parallel, too #ecrchat” (11 April 2013, 10:25). 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This project investigates why alumni do not become donors to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Interviews with non-donors created the opportunity for an in depth qualitative examination of the motivating process that led these non-donors to abstain from giving. This study used the Van Slyke and Brooks (Van Slyke & Brooks, 2005) model of alumni giving and the Schervish (Schervish, The spiritual horizon of philianthropy: New directors for money and motives, 2000) supply side theory of philanthropy, which has been successfully applied in similar studies (Wastyn, 2008), to provide the conceptual framework. This framework maintains that donors and non-donors differ in that the manner in which they socially construct their university experience in creating their own realities. This constructed reality becomes the filter through which non-donors pass requests for financial support (whether direct or indirect) from the institution. The study revealed that at NMMU factors including generic donor behaviour among alumni, the status of current non-donors as being mostly past donors to their respective constituent institution, attitudes toward the institutional reputation (or aspects thereof) of the NMMU, identified obstacles to engagement, pervasive negative attitudes to institutional giving and alumni support for commercialised but not tiered giving activities, can play a major role in restructuring the manner in which non-donor alumni should be approached. The study demonstrates the need to include non-donors in research that explores alumni giving to the university. It confirms the distinct impact of the abnormally distributed demographic characteristics of this university and confirms that examining the impact of these characteristics and experiences cannot be effectively done by simply relying on one or two simple variables. Being a management project, 13 (thirteen) distinct categories of management recommendations are made, ranging from strategy development, through accounting and budgeting practice, to proposing specific revenue generating initiatives. The study concludes with the view that Alumni can and should be able to make a notable contribution to the revenue of the university and in so doing, contribute to the sustainability of the pro-social transformation process of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Those who enter into graduate study bring with them a diverse array of needs and interests. Graduate programmes are called upon to meet these needs and in endeavoring to do so,institutions providing training must look at the increasing diversity of the field. One way to do this is to determine what graduates of professional training do as practicing adult educators. This study was designed to answer some of the questions regarding the impact of a degree for men and women in adult education on their career paths, job mobility, income levels, and so on. In this study, current patterns in career development of adult educators and trends in the field of adult education were profiled by surveying 1960 through 1988 graduates of the Adult Education Programme at the University of British Columbia. The study examined occupational placement of graduates and the factors determining their mobility. As well, the relationship between training and work activities was explored. Further, graduates described their learning needs which were examined in terms of their work activities. The nature and degree of their participation in continuing professional education were examined. In addition, the reasons for initial enrollment in the programme were investigated. One of the major facets of the study was to discover the differences, if any, between men and women in many areas of career development. The following general research questions were pursued: 1) What reasons do graduates give for their participation in the adult education programme? 2) Do men and women share a similar education and occupation profile? 3) In what way has self-assessed occupational prestige changed over time? 4) Do graduates of the five Adult Education Programmes (Diploma, M.Ed., M.Sc., M.A., and Ed.D.) perform different occupational functions in their present work? 5) What factors influence occupational mobility? and 6) Are there relationships between present occupational activities, self-perceived quality of training in specified occupational activities and self-reported need to continue learning in these activities? Respondents (approximately half of all graduates) were typically female (59.2%), age 39 on graduation. She had worked four and a half years in adult education prior to entry in the programme and was motivated to participate in the programme to increase her chances of professional advancement. She took less than three years to complete her degree and has held three jobs since graduation. She works full-time in a position where administration or management is the primary function and considers her opportunities for occupational mobility as average or high. She earns $46,000 per year (1988). In general, respondents cited reasons related to professional advancement as their motivation for participation in the programme. Women and men tended to be similar in their educational and occupational profile, which was unanticipated in examining previous research. However, a significant discrepancy was found in the annual income earned by women and men working in adult education positions. This discrepancy was not evident between men and women working outside of the field. Generally, self-assessed occupational prestige increased over time, though the biggest jump was seen in the period since graduation. Graduates of the five departmental programmes weighed similarly, though not identically, the amount of time spent in fourteen specified occupational activities. Very few occupational, educational, or demographic factors seemed to influence occupational mobility, except age at graduation. There seemed to be a weak relationship between occupational functions performed by graduates at the time of the survey, their assessment of the programme in preparing them to perform these functions, and the self-reported need to continue their education in these specified functions.<br>Education, Faculty of<br>Educational Studies (EDST), Department of<br>Graduate

The success of a course offered by a university and the effectiveness of the instructors have commonly been measured by means of student evaluations. The feedback generated is typically used to identify instructors who need additional training, courses that need to be restructured or the need for financial rewards for those who excel. The principal objective of educating students is, knowledge, training and skills they can use and apply after graduating, regardless of the field of study. The perception of the Alumni about the extent of learning and the usefulness of the knowledge is a key measure for universities to assess their success. A service guarantee is defined as a formal promise made to customers about the service they will receive or it is a written promise made by the company through advertising or company literature that it will provide compensation if promises are broken. In order to ensure customer satisfaction in a service offering, the quality of service performance needs to be guaranteed. Many service industries promise a level of service performance, with or without conditions attached. Customer value is a complex concept as it is often interpreted with various meanings depending on the point of view adopted. A definition of customer value is the perceived value that the customer gains when purchasing a product or receiving a service. However, customer value can be used in a variety of contexts. The purpose of this research study is to measure the perception and satisfaction of Alumni of the Department of Computing Sciences and identify areas for improvement by performing a systematic analysis of the determinants of satisfaction. This research is an exploratory, quantitative study consisting of literature- and case-study components used to test proposed hypotheses. The literature study was performed on secondary sources to establish the key concepts related to the topics of Service Guarantee and Marketing, Stakeholder Theory, Customer-perceived Value and Alumni Perceptions. The empirical study consisted of surveys (questionnaires) completed by Alumni of the Department of Computing Sciences. The questionnaire used in this research consisted of questions regarding demographic data and questions regarding perceived perception of the Department of Computing Sciences and influencing factors. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data into a more compact form which could simplify the identification of patterns in the data. Inferential statistics were used to verify if conclusions made from the sample data could be inferred onto a larger population. Recommended university and teaching practices based on the statistical analysis of the survey results were identified. A model identified the following factors as having an influence on Alumni Satisfaction with the NMMU Department of Computing Sciences: Customer Satisfaction, Course Contents, Modern Technologies, Academic Staff, Admin. Staff, Departments, University Atmosphere and Perceived Value. The importance of each factor was identified to understand how to improve the Alumni perception. According to the inferential ranking of Alumni Satisfaction that ranks the factors on the average mean values, a factor that should be improved upon is the Alumni Network. Recommended improvements were suggested for the Department of Computing Sciences based on the statistical analysis of the survey results. Two sub-groups were defined by different levels of education and they were found to have different perceptions of the factors that were measured. It was shown that there are small and medium significant differences in only two of the factors of the proposed Alumni satisfaction model, distinguising through different levels of education. The Alumni Satisfaction model developed in this study specified the factors that influence Alumni Satisfaction with the Deptarment of Computing Sciences and the effect that each of these factors has on that satisfaction.

An examination of sociology student satisfaction levels is performed and an attempt is made to explain variations in degree program satisfaction. A comparison is made between current student and alumni regarding the coursework and experiences they feel should be offered in the undergraduate degree program in sociology at Portland State University (PSU). The study population consists of all PSU students who have obtained an undergraduate degree in sociology since the program's inception and all students currently attending PSU and majoring in sociology. The typical respondent is female (the ratio of females to males being higher for current students than for alumni) and is 39 years old. Close to half of the respondents have at least one parent with a college degree. Most current students work while attending school. Current students earn less than alumni (they are also more likely to work part-time). Around half of the alumni respondents stop their educational career with their undergraduate degree. The majority of those who continued beyond the undergraduate level do so in a field outside of sociology. Alumni are predominantly employed in white collar jobs involving computers and writing -- skills they rank as important attributes of a good department. The majority of current students are full-time seniors who transferred from another institution, and chose to attend college to gain personal knowledge and to prepare for employment. When asked about their goals, the majority of current students intend to find employment in the six months after graduation. Current students are more satisfied with the degree program than alumni respondents. Age is not related to a stronger vocational orientation. The level of financial hardship incurred by alumni to attend college is positively correlated with a vocational orientation. This was not the case for current students who show no relationship between the two variables. Degree program satisfaction is positively correlated with job satisfaction, but the relationship is weak. The more vocationally oriented students and alumni are more satisfied with the degree program. Finally, the more useful the student feels sociology is in their present job, the more satisfied they are with the program.

This project developed a resource development plan for the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, San Bernardino. It employs research in organizational communication and applies the theory of organizational identification to the relationship / donor aspect of the program. It also covers research in the field of organizational identification and its relevance to college alumni.

M.A.<br>The dissemination of relevant information is of critical importance to the success of any organisation that aims at realising its corporate objectives and meeting the requirements of its stakeholders. The emergence of information and communication technologies (ITCs) has had a far-reaching impact on the relationship and power structure between organisations and their audiences, stakeholders and the media. It has become extremely difficult for organisations to define and segment these audiences as, for example, Internet audiences are widely spread across geographical, cultural and economic boundaries. This makes the packaging and dissemination of information a near Herculean task, as information needs to be generic enough to be commonly understood and accessed, yet personalised and customised in such a way that it still addresses the various audience segmentations effectively. The identification and profiling of target audiences, however, are critical for successful information dissemination too, as the information thus gained will guide communicators within organisations to compile relevant (to the specific target audiences) content and to package the information in such a way that it be best suited to the needs and resources of their target groups. Extensive market research should, therefore, be an integrated organisational activity that is performed on an ongoing basis and in a structured manner. The principal aim of this research project is to determine the extent to which information and communication technologies could enable the Alumni Office of the University of Johannesburg (as a newly merged institution) to disseminate information to its alumni effectively. This target audience consists mainly of the merged partners’ alumni groups, namely the RAU and TWR alumni, but also makes provision for the establishment of a third alumni affinity group in the foreseeable future, namely the alumni of the University of Johannesburg. The research consists of an in-depth literature review, followed by an empirical component. The purpose of the literature review is to create a theoretical framework in order to lay a solid foundation from which to conduct the empirical research. The various components of the research problem are discussed, as well as the variables that could possibly influence the outcome of the research. Next, the possible challenges facing the Alumni Office of the University of Johannesburg are investigated, with special emphasis on RAU and TWR alumni, as these two groups would (at least initially) form the basis of the alumni target audience of the University of Johannesburg. The various information and communication technologies that could be employed as information-dissemination tools by the Alumni Office of the University of Johannesburg in order to build and maintain valuable relationships with the alumni target audience are also explored. Following, the so-called “digital divide” is investigated, with an overview of the factors influencing this divide in South Africa, as well as the impact it may have on disseminating and sharing information to and with alumni of the University of Johannesburg. For the empirical study, the sample population for answering the quantitative, close-ended questionnaire by means of telephonic surveys was selected by means of stratified sampling from the RAU and TWR alumni databases respectively. Three hundred RAU alumni and three hundred TWR alumni were sampled from the total target-group population, of which 25% were males older than 35 years, 25% males 35 years and younger, 25% females older than 35 and 25% females 35 years and younger. The research results indicate that information and communication technologies could, to a large extent, enable the Alumni Office of the University of Johannesburg to disseminate information to its alumni effectively. In addition, it indicates that a total of 92.80% of respondents feel that contact between them and the Alumni Office would inspire greater loyalty towards the University. A majority of alumni (86.80%) indicated that they would like to receive information about the benefits to be derived from joining the Alumni Association of the University. A strong correlation exists between the establishment of an alumni benefits programme and the level of alumni involvement with the University. The research findings could provide the Alumni Office with valuable guidelines to plan and implement an interactive information-communication strategy by means of effective information dissemination, which could be to the mutual benefit of both the University and its alumni.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology: Public Relations Management, Department of Public Relations, Durban University of Technology. Durban. South Africa, 2015.<br>The alumni form the largest stakeholder group of any higher education institution (HEI). Representatives from this constituency occupy seats on t he Council (the highest governing body of a higher education institution). Institutions, worldwide, look to their alumni, as a source of funds, to provide expert advice and general support. Therefore, higher education institutions and alumni have to share a mutually beneficial and ongoing relationship. This relationship is maintained through constant and regular communication. Loyal alumni are a mainstay of financial support for many universities. It is important, though, that universities, not only focus on gifts but rather on a br oad and deep engagement with alumni. Alumni relations with their colleges and universities seek to generate interest that eventually translates into financial contributions and volunteer service, which means giving back to their alma mater. To achieve this goal, communication is extremely important. Alumni respond to a call for assistance from their alma mater for many reasons. Some of the reasons include having had good experiences during their undergraduate years as well as their academic qualifications holding them in good stead in the work place. The value that universities place on t heir alumni cannot be underestimated. Many hold influential positions and can assist in contributing to the financial coffers of the university as well as sharing their expertise.

A university’s alumnus grouping is one of its most valuable assets in terms of its potential financial, strategic and social contribution towards the credibility and longevity of the institution. The goodwill and support of a primary stakeholder grouping such as the alumni is crucial to the aspirations of a Higher Education institution wanting to prosper in a fast-changing and highly competitive market. Alumni members have the capacity to assist in strategically positioning a tertiary institution as a market leader in the South African Higher Education Sector (SAHES) by means of representation on the institutional council and their involvement in networking, lifelong learning, career services, mentoring, fundraising and community development activities. In light of the restructuring and transformation that this sector has undergone since 1994, building and maintaining valuable relationships with alumni stakeholders of tertiary institutions in South Africa has become a new and more difficult challenge. The integrated network approach of relationship management could give an institution the opportunity to create a win-win situation for all stakeholders involved. Information technology has had a significant impact on the power structure and relationship between organisations and their publics, stakeholders and the media. It has become extremely difficult for organisations to define and segment these audiences as, for example, Internet audiences are widely spread across geographical, cultural, and economic boundaries. This makes the packaging and dissemination of information a much more challenging task, as information needs to be generic enough to be commonly understood, but should also be personalised in such a way that it still addresses the different audience segmentations effectively. However, the identification and profiling of target audiences is critical for successful information dissemination, as this knowledge will guide the information managers within organisations in compiling relevant (to the target audiences) content and packaging the information in a way that is most suitable to the needs and resources of the targeted group. At the core of developing an alumni network is a secure database with an interactive Web-based platform allowing the alumni management teams and members to disseminate and share relevant information freely. According to a research project (the first phase of a longitudinal study) about disseminating information to UJ alumni, 98,2% of the respondents indicated that they wanted to have contact with the UJ Alumni Relations Office (Barnard, Rensleigh & Niemann, 2005). The majority of respondents, 86,7%, indicated that they preferred to receive the information via electronic mail or from the website. The research findings indicated that the UJ alumni stakeholder group is part of a privileged section of the South African population in the global and national digital divide. Thus, the alumni management of UJ had the opportunity to explore and use the information-sharing options offered by online and digital technologies. This research project forms the second phase of the ongoing research project in an attempt to discard the “one-size-fits-all” notion with regard to information sharing with the alumni stakeholders of tertiary institutions in South Africa. The aim of this research project is to determine the extent to which an online community portal could manage the information needs of alumni stakeholders in the SAHES, using the alumni of the University of Johannesburg as a case study. Establishing an online (virtual) community Web portal for UJ alumni will support a customised approach in terms of information content, dissemination, context and commerce. An online community environment will offer alumni opportunities to re-establish contact with peers and nurture relationships with one another through frequent social interaction (chat). Such a facility would allow and encourage conversations that are of value to all stakeholders, as these communities can exist beyond the boundaries of location and time. They foster not only the potential to promote business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C), but also consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interaction and could even exploit the possibilities of human-resource placements. The research consisted of an extensive literature review followed by a quantitative empirical survey and a qualitative discussion forum. The purpose of the literature review was to establish a theoretical framework in order to lay a solid foundation from which the empirical research was conducted. The different components of the research problem were discussed as well as possible variables that could influence the research problem. The restructuring of the South African Higher Education Sector was investigated, with specific focus on the University of Johannesburg and its alumni stakeholder group, taking an in-depth look into the value that an alumni stakeholder group holds for an institution. The management of alumni information needs was discussed, using Web-technology as focal point. Online community portals were defined, emphasising the benefits that this information tool could have for Higher Education alumni. As part of the quantitative study, an empirical survey was conducted in April 2006 among the alumni of the University of Johannesburg to determine their information needs concerning an online community portal, and the content required of such an online community model. A total number of 10 380 questionnaires was distributed to graduates of the University of Johannesburg at the Autumn Graduation ceremonies. The questionnaire consisted of four sections, namely Section A: Biographical Information, Section B: Online Activities, Section C: Alumni Information Services and Section D: Alumni Community Needs. In total, 1 703 questionnaires were completed and returned by these graduates to the UJ Alumni Relations Office. In addition, a qualitative discussion forum was conducted among 35 alumni management representatives from fourteen SAHES institutions during August 2006. The representatives indicated how information was disseminated electronically to alumni target audiences and their opinions towards alumni online community portals were tested. The research results indicated that an online community portal, could manage, to a great extent, the information needs of alumni in the South African Higher Education Sector (UJ alumni case study). Consequently, a prototype was proposed for an online community portal for SAHES alumni that would have a significant impact on the information and communication methods used to build alumni networks, for the benefit of both the alumni stakeholders and the Higher Education institutions in South Africa. Although the alumni of the University of Johannesburg served as a case study for this research project, the proposed prototype could be tailored to the needs of other alumni organisations throughout the South African Higher Education Sector. In terms of inter-institutional collaboration, this research project offers an opportunity to liaise and share information with other alumni organisations of the SAHES. This could result in successfully identifying a best practice model for managing the information needs of alumni stakeholder groups of tertiary institutions in developing countries, which is significantly different from the philanthropic approach to these stakeholder groups in first world countries. As a result, the employment sector of Higher Education institutions in South Africa could gain from the research outcomes, as the proposed prototype will offer an ICT and Web-based solution which could be applied for the mutual benefit of the relevant stakeholder groups and the institutions.<br>Prof. Chris Rensleigh

In the early nineteenth century, as alumni associations quickly became commonplace, Oxford and Cambridge colleges established their own alumni magazines and societies. This raises questions such as: what kinds of friendships were created at medieval universities? How commonly did university men retain lasting connections with those they had met years ago as scolares? The answers to these questions tell us something about the medieval universities as institutions capable of forging new social identities for their members. This chapter reviews the available evidence for friendships among old members of medieval Oxford and Cambridge. Nearly all of the evidence discussed comes from previously published sources, including institutional records and official correspondence, letters from formularies and at least one real-life example of how such formulas might be employed, the theories of friendship taught in the classroom and those theories as embodied in popular handbooks for students, and the evidence of wills.