Engaging Pre-Alumni and Alumni Through Activities and Traditions: A Case Study of Kaunas University of Technology

Abstract

Universities increasingly understand alumni relations as a strategic function that strengthens reputation, employability, knowledge exchange, and community identity. This paper develops an applied case study based on the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) approach to alumni support and engagement, with particular emphasis on the transition from student (pre-alumni) status to lifelong alumni belonging. Drawing on the presentation “Engaging Pre-Alumni and Alumni Through Alumni Activities and Traditions. KTU Real Case,” presented during the 11Th ICAReAlumni conference, the paper argues that effective alumni engagement begins before graduation, is sustained through coordinated institutional structures, and becomes most powerful when it is embedded as a culture rather than delegated only to a single administrative unit. The KTU case highlights five mutually reinforcing elements: an inclusive definition of alumni, a coordination model linking the Alumni Association and Alumni Center, an early engagement pathway for students, a diversified portfolio of alumni-student activities, and enduring traditions such as reunions, mentorship, networking events, alumni stories, and symbolic transition moments. The paper contributes a practice-oriented framework for higher education institutions seeking to convert episodic alumni events into systematic relationship management. It concludes that alumni engagement is not only a matter of fundraising or communication, but a form of identity-building through which students can recognize their future selves in alumni and alumni can continue to see themselves as part of the university’s living community