This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

University of Florida Alumni Association

The Alumni Visitor Center of California State University, Monterey Bay.

An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organization. These associations often organize social events, publish newsletters or magazines, and raise funds for the organization. Many provide a variety of benefits and services that help alumni maintain connections to their educational institution and fellow graduates.

Additionally, such groups often support new alumni, and provide a forum to form new friendships and business relationships with people of similar background.

Alumni associations are mainly organised around universities or departments of universities, but may also be organised among students that studied in a certain country. In the past, they were often considered to be the university's or school's old boy network (or old boys network). Today, alumni associations involve graduates of all age groups and demographics.

In Anglo-Saxon countries, membership of an alumni association often goes without saying. In continental Europe, alumni associations are getting more and more popular as universities receive less money from governments and depend more on networking within civil society for funding.

Alumni associations are often organized into chapters by city, region, or country.

[edit] Corporate alumni

Alumni associations can also include associations of former employees of a business. An alumnus of a company is one who was formerly employed by it. These associations are growing in popularity and becoming an important part of a personal business network."Corporate, Military, and Government Alumni Groups (250+)". 20008-06-01. http://www.job-hunt.org/employer_alumni_networking.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-08. 

[edit] See also

• British and Irish Graduates in America
• Capital Alumni Network
• Old Boy Network
• GCE Salem Alumni Network
• GCE Salem Discussion Forum