A Tutor at the Koforidua SDA College of Education, Madam Rachael Ofori has admonished higher education institutions to take advantage of the Alumni body they have to develop their institutions.
She emphasized the heavy burden on the government to fund the many institutions in the country hence there is the need for key stakeholders such as the Alumni to be brought on board.
She emphasized this at the sidelines of the 6th edition of the 2024 Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) Students Expo organized for graduate students to showcase their research findings and creativity to the university community.
Madam Rachael Ofori who is also a student at the IEPA, UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence for West Africa- UCC shared her insightful research work with ATL FM NEWS and recommended that higher education institutions begin building and developing the Alumni body earlier than when students are about to graduate.
For this to be possible, she emphasized the need for higher institutions to collaborate with stakeholders such as alumni.
“The role of the alumni, we know are ambassadors to the institutions. They also provide for the institutions by mobilizing resources. And then also they allow people to enter the professional world and act as mentors and other things for them.”
In that regard, Rachael Ofori expressed that the alumni possess the characteristics and motivations that help to build relationships with the administration and their institutions.
She, therefore, encouraged institutions to take advantage of their alumni to develop their institutions.
“So, we recommend that the institution should take advantage of the nature of the alumni because it has separate things to do with them. They should also engage them earlier than they do. They shouldn’t wait until it is only graduation period they engage them,” she emphasized.
Madam Rachael Ofori further outlined from her research literature, the different characteristics of Alumni highlighting two groups: those who stayed on campus to complete while others completed online or through other distance learning methods.
She explained that the alumni are motivated to stay connected by a special link or love for the institution, and desire to give back.
She suggested that institutions engage alumni before graduation to establish a strong relationship with them.
Read also: UCC Hosts 6th Annual Student Research and Innovation Expo
Source: Flora Tang/ATLFMNEWS
