Beyond divine providence: religious identity and cultivating alumni support for religiously affiliated colleges and universities.

Abstract

Religiously affiliated colleges and universities in the United States face a number of significant challenges due to recent demographic and economic shifts. This research project seeks to gain perspective into how different religiously affiliated institutions approach their religious identity and cultivating support from alumni. The project seeks to provide actionable insights for university administrators who work in various areas, including admissions, student affairs, mission and identity, and alumni relations/advancement. Data was collected from three different institutions from the same metropolitan area and these case studies were compared. Data sources included interviews with 11 administrators, site visits, and studying documents produced by the institutions. Institutions reported very different approaches to how they communicate their religious identity/heritage with their students and families. These differences spanned the lifecycle of a student – from pre-enrollment to student years to alumni status. Key themes from the study include the importance of understanding the demographics of the student body, tailored messaging around religious identity is essential, and cultivating a sense of belonging is important for all institutions regardless of religious affiliation. These findings indicate a need for religiously affiliated colleges and universities to consider what makes them truly distinctive, how to effectively communicate how the religious tradition is lived today, and how to work across all areas of the lifecycle of the student – from admissions to alumni – to deliver a cohesive message about who the institution is and why alumni should continue to financially support the school through financial gifts.