A cancer partnership was established between the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) Georgetown University Medical Center in 2000 to focus on Cancer Prevention and Control. The major goal of the Partnership was cancer research, education, and cancer outreach. African American populations…

Radiation, radiation detection and radiation protection are topics in physics and its applications which generate a wide interest in the public. This interest is either generated through medical procedures, applications of nuclear energy or nuclear accidents. The technical nature of these topics usually means that they are not well covered in the…

In this article, Elizabeth B. Herman, a trainer, facilitator, and coach with 25 years' success leading higher education campaigns and advancement teams, offers the following eight ways to bring out the best in a major gifts team: (1) Match ability and temperament to the job; (2) Allow autonomy and celebrate small wins; (3) Make prompt, fair…

Traditional alumni relations programs are about prompting graduates to do something--anything--for or with the institution. In this article, the author proposes something different: an outcome-oriented alumni relations programming model, which the author calls "strategic advancement," that focuses on smaller, targeted sets of graduates…

Like any profession, advancement has its terms of art: "the ask," "prospects," "quiet phase." A relatively new one is "culture of philanthropy." As in, "We need to build a culture of philanthropy at this institution." The general idea is that everyone from the campus CEO to the students understands…

Last summer, the University of Liverpool welcomed the 4,000th graduate of its online programs to its alumni community. This is a significant milestone in the expansion of their international footprint, considering that just five years earlier the university had enrolled half as many online. Equally as important as the growth of their online…

As one of the top U.S. choices for international students, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a solid reputation in China and a history of educating Chinese students that goes back more than a century. But the university did not realize until last June that its nickname in China is the "Cornfield Ivy" and that Chinese…

Community colleges are often viewed as the gateway to higher education as well as institutions that can rapidly prepare students to enter the workforce. Yet, in spite of widespread acclaim for their effectiveness and success, community colleges have done very little to garner volunteer and financial support from their alumni. Admittedly, many…

For the last few years, Georgia State University has taken steps toward becoming a more traditional college instead of a commuter school. It bought two Atlanta hotels to be used as residence halls, started a football team, and is building townhouses for Greek fraternities and sororities. "When alumni come back to campus, they are shocked at…

As the director of alumni affairs at the University of Waterloo, the author had two questions to answer: How engaged are the university's alumni, and how can advancement professionals double the current level of alumni engagement and alumni giving? The author explored these questions, found answers, and implemented the solutions. This was the…

If more conservation-minded citizens were aware of certain environmental threats and how to resolve them, these issues could be resolved more effectively. Scientific conferences focusing on conservation bring together countless experts on environmental problems and solutions, but are not an effective means of reaching the interested public on a…

Libraries frequently apply for grants to help fund special projects and resources, such as purchases for library collections, innovative instructional technologies, and research subscription databases. Grants provide support for cultural events, professional development sessions, new construction, and building renovations. Like other library…

Many professional library associations and affiliates "strongly encourage" the marketing of libraries and their wares. These organizations present awards, certificates, and monetary enticements to honor outstanding marketing programs. For most individuals or teams who are already working on and implementing marketing programs, the added effort of…

As an educational leadership department chair or college of education dean you are increasingly facing the need to cut budgets and try to develop funds to keep your academic programs afloat. The use of oral history with your education alumni can serve as a way to bridge and remind both the institution and the former graduates of the value the…

Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are reaching out locally, nationally, and internationally to a variety of audiences, articulating their important role in society. One major objective of this outreach is to attract the financial resources that will enable these institutions to achieve their educational aspirations. One might imagine…