Survey results: Alumni searching for affinity groups

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumni enjoy connecting with the affinity groups they identified with when they were on campus, according to a recent online survey of UWO grads.

“Alumni are interested in seeing or reconnecting with others who graduated the same year, shared the same major, joined the same club or lived in the same residence hall,” said UW Oshkosh Alumni Association board member Scott Barr ’86. “It struck us that we ask people to connect to the University as a whole, but we might have more success in making an overall impact by facilitating connections on a more micro-level.”

Toward that end, UWO alumni are invited to join or form chapters based on affinity groups or geographic location. Official chapters formed thus far include Arizona (Phoenix/Scottsdale area), Athletic Hall of Fame, Central Florida, Cross Country / Track and Field, Madison, Radio-TV-Film, College of Business and the College of Education and Human Services.

In addition, plans are underway for a first-ever, All-Greek Reunion to take place Oct. 12-13 in conjunction with Homecoming 2012 “A Titan Throwback: Everything Old School.”

More than 1,400 alumni responded to the fall 2011 alumni survey.

“An amazing number of people responded to the survey and provided good information, which will help direct the efforts of the Alumni Association. Particular thanks go out to the many respondents who took the time to include thoughtful comments and suggestions,” said Barr, who chairs the board’s Alumni Engagement Committee.

Twenty percent of the 1,130 who answered a question about their participation in UWO alumni activities indicated they haven’t been involved but would like to be. “There is a market here, we just have to find a way to tap into it,” Barr said.

A wide range of alumni participated in the survey. The oldest respondent was 83 years old, while the youngest was 22.

“Given that this survey was exclusively electronic, we expected 20- and 30-somethings to be the bulk of the respondents,” Barr said. “We were surprised to find that responses from alums aged roughly 55-65 were very high. This corresponds to graduation dates from 1970 to 1979. We are curious about the cause(s) of this and wonder how it might affect how we reach out to alumni.”

Barr also sees the potential for continued involvement by these alumni in the future.

“This group of alumni has an awful lot of experience and talent to offer. As they reach retirement age, they’ll have more time to focus on their community activities of choice. We want to figure out how to reach out to them and offer them interesting ways of making UW Oshkosh their community activity of choice,” Barr said.

The survey also showed that alumni who live at a distance from campus sometimes feel disconnected from their alma mater.

“While a large portion of UWO alumni live within a pretty short driving distance of campus, there are thousands who do not,” Barr said. “How do we connect with these people? What can we offer as a way for them to give back and reconnect with the University?”

The alumni group on LinkedIn and the Mentor Network subgroup offer opportunities for alumni who don’t live nearby to stay connected and make an impact in a current student’s life.

Moving forward, alumni board members and Alumni Relations staff will continue to look for ways to put the survey data to good use.

“We are grateful for the alumni who responded to the survey, because we want to know how we are doing and how we can improve,” said Alumni Director Christine Gantner. “We are committed to offering quality programs and services and increasing the opportunities for our graduates to stay engaged with UW Oshkosh.”