Appraisal of Alumni Association Reciprocity for Enhanced Quality Education in Tertiary Institutions in Imo State

Abstract

This study appraised the Alumni Association's reciprocity for enhanced quality education in tertiary institutions in Imo State. The descriptive survey design was adopted, and a sample size of 16 respondents was purposively drawn from four universities in Imo State. A researcher-constructed questionnaire titled "Appraisal of Alumni Association Reciprocity for Enhanced Quality Education in Tertiary Institutions" was used to collect data. It has three Clusters and 21 items with Yes or No response options which was dully validated with the reliability index of 0.88 using Cronbach alpha statistics. The study revealed a good state of high prevalence of Alumni Associations in tertiary institutions in Imo State, where there exist functional Alumni Associations with structured leadership (offices/officers) and that they relate with the institutions management in certain decisions. The Tertiary institutions in the state employ; Establishment of Alumni office on campus, Honorary Awards to Alumni, Naming a building after an Alumnus, Involving Alumni in fund raising campaigns, Using influential Alumni to reach out for assistance and Engaging the Alumni to speak to students during orientation programs as encouraging strategies on the Alumni Association to ensure their reciprocal contributions. The study recommends that Tertiary Institutions should encourage Alumni Associations to get involved in supporting research activities, create adequate awareness on the activities/contributions of Alumni Associations in the Institutions so as to attract more adequate and meaningful assistance from the Alumni. The study's findings have implications for policymakers, administrators, and stakeholders in tertiary education, highlighting the potential of alumni associations to enhance quality education through reciprocal relationships