Alumni Role as Agents of Social Change

You are the light of the world. A city on the hill cannot be hidden

                                                                    – Mathew 5:15

Some of the founder members of Dr.BAMU Alumni Association – Kenya during the inaugural meeting that resolved to register the Association on the 8th of July, 2017.

 

The noun Alumnus describes a former pupil or student of a particular school, college or university. This definition has in recent times been broadened to encompass former members of specific organisations or companies.

Being referred to as an Alumnus of a particular educational institution or organisation, therefore, is not a vacuous acclamation; it signifies having passed stringent criteria to the satisfaction of the examining entity, culminating in a graduation.

The undeniable sense of personal triumph after attaining this huge milestone is what gives birth to the deep connection with the alma mater and fellow Alumni, as well as a sense of elation even as one continues to accomplish more in life.

One of the critical roles of a structured Alumni body is to conduct its affairs in such a manner that gives credit to its Alma Mater. Just like a parent is happy with how his or her child turned out as a grown up, the former educational institution derives immense pride from its former students’ association, as well as in their success in their chosen fields as they continue to push industry frontiers.

The Alumni support, either resource-wise or by enabling future graduates seamlessly assimilate in to the job market is, therefore, a partnership any alma mater looks forward to.

Importantly, the wherewithal, humility and maturity to associate after their graduation when they, individually, have every right and reason to remain isolated and aloof epitomises learned minds.

That is to say that if the alumnus only exists for self, then they miss out on the enriched communal experiences occasioned by the synergies of connecting with fellow Alumni from diverse professional backgrounds, social status and seniority in age, most of  whom are by now masters in their respective crafts.

It goes without saying that Alumni form the main pool for any nation’s human resource, and thus their association directly contributes towards building bridges between what is offered in the school curriculum and the ever evolving market requirements.

 

Social development

As the main agent for social change and development, the Government is burdened by inherent governance weaknesses and competing interests that hamper its ability to discharge this pivotal role effectively.

Not for profit entities have been partially successful in filling this gap owing to their reliance on the unpredictable benefactors who come with strings attached, as well as the perennial instances of conflict of interest in the boardrooms.

Alumni Associations, therefore, have an opportunity to step in to narrow this divide even further, but this time at a more personal level.

Social development entails organising and executing around those areas that bring out the best out of every human being in order to realise their full potential and in turn assist those who come after them.

Within the Alumni body, this occurs in a structured manner through mentorship and networking programs. It is however, more selfless and impactful when Alumni, as individual flames, unite behind a common cause to form an inferno that can light up societal gloom.

The eventual beneficiary thus becomes that young man or woman who might otherwise have been left in abject poverty and wallowing in bitterness at the cruel hand that life has dealt them.

Instead of embarking on crime and other vices in an effort to avenge for this perceived social injustice, and, most probably on the insensitive seemingly privileged Alumni, they will begin to look inward and discern glimpses of their potential as well, and who they can eventually become if they work hard and shelve gratification.

The positive outcome is that Alumni gradually depart from the narrow, self-centred paradigm, and with just a little effort and sacrifice emerge as key drivers of social change by expanding the growth and development space of the generation behind.

Alumni in positions of authority or those who are successful entrepreneurs can purpose to redefine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the traditional sharing of what is left after everything else has been taken care of, to ensuring that the affairs of their respective entities are conducted in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. This could be in their hiring, production, waste management and so forth.

Alumni role

Most Alumni who maintain a detached stance from their Alumni bodies tend to gloat over their respective alma maters’ brand and pedigree while contributing very little or nothing to the same.

Such brand and pedigree being the result of persistent, compounding efforts by former Alumni over time is the foundation upon which you build when you join your Alumni Association.

An important question which every Alumnus should ask themselves is, “Are you a credit to your Alma Mater’s brand or are you selfishly riding on the efforts of others indefinitely?” Connecting with fellow like-minded alumni guarantees that you will make an indelible contribution to something greater than yourself within your sphere of excellence.

When such Alumni join hands to form an Association, there is no limit as to how far they can go to positively impact the generations to come.

All that is required is a trustworthy and effective leadership that is willing to be held accountable and that accommodates the views of each and every member.

This is possible when bonafide members who have subscribed to the respective Association’s By-laws regularly participate in the elections of officials and, notably, offer themselves for leadership in the areas of their gifting.

Members can then support their Association by the timely settlement of their subscription dues as well as by offering their talents, resources and time to the Association so that the common objectives can be actualised.

Being volunteer-based, their leaders will be able to offer social and welfare support to their members by harnessing the strength of the group in order to identify cases needing urgent intervention as well as get the most out of actionable opportunities.

This can serve to uplift some of their members through mentorship, inspiration as well as create a conducive environment for each member to feel valued and utilise the readily available platform to hone their skills.

Individual members can be accorded an opportunity to develop and share their vocational as well as leadership and organisational skills in a defined setup towards various social initiatives.

The wider membership can also expect accountability which is statutorily enforced through external audits as well as the provisions in the Association’s By-laws.

In the final analysis, the Association’s role in this regard would be to offer its members an opportunity to fully express themselves in spheres where they would like to give back and grow in, as well as maintain group camaraderie.

Pitfalls that Associations can avoid

Most societies and other volunteer-based organisations fail as a result of certain seemingly innocuous missteps in their early life.

That is why entrenching a culture of selflessness with the overall objective of perpetually improving and jealously defending the Association’s brand equity is critical.

Some of the pitfalls to avoid include:

1. Massaging egos: No one is greater than the Association – In short, the entire membership should not be cowed or pressured to go by the whims of any one member or category of membership, regardless of their status in society, wealth or office held in the Association. The denominator should be the level of commitment of any member to the Association’s overall success. A case in point is John Arrillaga, one of Stanford University’s greatest benefactors and Alumnus, who once contributed over $ 55 million to clear students’ tuition fee balances so that they could comfortably focus on theirs studies and life thereafter. In other Associations, he would have been treated as a god, but that was not his intention; and neither did the respective Alumni body feel threatened by his influence but rather now considers him a formidable partner who has bought in to the Association’s strategic intent.
2. Adherence to the Association’s By-laws saves the incumbent office a lot of ambiguity and guess work. Structures and processes derive their authority from the Constitution’s provisos, and until amended procedurally, they must be strictly adhered to. A well-crafted, member-driven constitution will serve to offer consistency in policies as well as a fall back in the event that interpretation is needed to clarity on a particular issue.
3. Everyone’s input is welcome – Encouraging generation and incubation of ideas, including dissenting ones, is a hallmark of servant-leadership and participative thinking. No member should have their views stifled or muffled into silence as long as what they front is towards the overall membership’s benefit and not for self-interest. An open-door policy will increase the confidence of the reclusive members who might have excellent ideas but are reluctant to share them when there is a convergence of their agenda with the overall group objectives.
4. Not everyone can be in leadership at the same time – Just like in any facet of life, if you have something to offer, you can use the present moment to prepare for your season when it’s due. Till then, it is important for every member to support the incumbent office as the same support will be reciprocated when their time comes to take the helm. A litmus test for any potential leader should be selflessness and the desire to consistently produce excellent work. Leaders can only reproduce what they are and not what they talk about. Experience and or expertise in specific areas by members of the governing body are a definite bonus to the Association since a healthy mix of skills can produce creative solutions and optimal alternative perspectives. This serves the membership particularly well when they can adopt best practices learned from their Association and apply them successfully in their diverse spheres of influence.
5. Being volunteer-based, no one joins their Alumni body to be served, which is often a misconception. The wrong question often asked is, “What are the benefits of joining the Society?” The right approach should be, “How can I utilise my skills to serve within the defined structures in order to add value to the Association and make a difference in society?” Selflessness, commitment to the overall goals and giving back is what should be in every member’s mind.

When members start feeling that one’s success is everyone else’s, the Association is set on the right trajectory.

The role of a well-organised and committed Alumni Association towards social change, therefore, cannot be gainsaid.

Social initiatives will give hope to children and the youth from disadvantaged backgrounds or broken homes and motivate them to embark on their academics and develop their talents more seriously because you’ll have expanded their awareness by modelling excellence.

Such meaningful endeavours will not only improve the camaraderie and fraternity among the membership, but will literally create better social transformers in the individual members who can then replicate the good deeds elsewhere.

As someone rightly said, the solutions to some of the world’s major problems such as climate change and the elusive cure for cancer and other terminal illnesses are probably locked up in the mind of a child who cannot access education.

You are the light of the world. Will you step forward?

Eddy Ngugi

Secretary General,

(2018- 2021)