How CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business Is Enhancing Young Alumni Engagement

Choosing a college major can be challenging. Although some students enter their first year with a clearly defined path toward achieving a specific degree, others are still determining what academic avenues best suit their unique interests. From political science and psychology to engineering and fine arts, students can pick from a wide array of options. However, one major has continuously set itself apart from the rest. According to recent surveys, the most popular major among incoming college students is business – 6.93% and 6.57% of students chose this field of study in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Even though some students opt to switch their core concentration to one that sits outside the realm of the business school, the number of individuals that go on to complete their business degree is significant – the number of people in the workforce with jobs in business has increased approximately 2.34% over the last few years.

So how can schools maintain relationships with these students upon graduation, and how can they assist in cultivating lasting alumni connections? The answer is simple: they must implement a well-planned alumni engagement strategy. As a result, many schools are turning to new and innovative ways, such as digitization, to attract alumni and increase participation rates.

Creating Alumni Connections at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business

The University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business decided that creating digital connections with its young alumni would properly align with its alumni engagement strategy. Understanding the importance of building relationships early on, the school chose to incorporate digital books for new graduates to stay connected with their peers and their alma mater.

In 2022, the Leeds School of Business launched two digital books – one targeting recent 2022 undergraduate alumni and the other focusing on the current MBA graduates. The goal was to allow alumni the opportunity to share their stories and provide life updates in a secure manner. Hoping to piggyback off recent graduates' school pride and sense of community, Leeds School of Business worked to develop a network for their alumni before they potentially became less connected over time.

Enhancing Alumni Engagement With BrightCrowd

Partnering with BrightCrowd allowed the Leeds School of Business to expand its young alumni engagement strategies. Rather than only relying on traditional engagement methods, the school harnessed the power of technology to help create digital connections among its alumni. The digital books were an easily accessible way for former students to stay connected with one another, and it took minimal effort on the school's part to generate the book once the alumni relations staff finalized the book's design. After they inserted their desired questions or topics of discussion, participants received individual invitations to join their respective books.

The digital books included standard questions provided by BrightCrowd and customized prompts that incorporated the school’s personality while speaking directly to students about their experiences. Having seen the success experienced by the University of Colorado’s Law School, the business school had valuable insight into how to effectively create alumni connections by utilizing BrightCrowd’s capabilities for its undergraduate and CU Boulder MBA alumni.

Some critical data that the Leeds School of Business saw include:

• The MBA Class of 2022 had a participation rate of 59%
• Both 2023 books (undergraduate and MBA alumni) are on track to meet or exceed 2022’s numbers
• Across all books, the school currently has 1,138 pages

BrightCrowd's services help schools like CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business pave the way for future alumni engagement initiatives. Contact us today to learn how we can help your school develop powerful alumni connections.