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<p>Alumni support mechanisms in stratified higher education systems remain understudied, particularly regarding how institutional type (public vs. private) moderates the interplay between private gains and organizational identification. Building on organizational identification theory and social exchange theory, this study develops an affective-transactional bidimensional framework to examine how emotional attachment and rational evaluations of private gains collectively shape alumni-university relationships across institutional contexts. Through structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analyses of a dataset comprising 3791 alumni (1893 from private universities and 1898 from public universities), notable differences between the two groups are uncovered. While educational outcomes significantly influence alumni identification and support across both types of institutions, the impact of student-university identification on alumni support is pronounced only in public universities. Intriguingly, alumni from private institutions tend to resonate more with a customer-oriented mindset, finding the affective model of alumni engagement less compelling. These findings emphasize the importance of considering institutional type and the need for tailored strategies to foster alumni engagement based on the unique cultural characteristics of each institution. By integrating the concept of private gains into the theoretical framework, this study offers novel insights into alumni-university relationships and provides valuable guidance for higher education marketers seeking to enhance alumni support and promote institutional success.</p>

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Private gains, organization identification and alumni support: a comparative study between private university and public university

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月7日

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  • Xianping Liang

摘要

Alumni support mechanisms in stratified higher education systems remain understudied, particularly regarding how institutional type (public vs. private) moderates the interplay between private gains and organizational identification. Building on organizational identification theory and social exchange theory, this study develops an affective-transactional bidimensional framework to examine how emotional attachment and rational evaluations of private gains collectively shape alumni-university relationships across institutional contexts. Through structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analyses of a dataset comprising 3791 alumni (1893 from private universities and 1898 from public universities), notable differences between the two groups are uncovered. While educational outcomes significantly influence alumni identification and support across both types of institutions, the impact of student-university identification on alumni support is pronounced only in public universities. Intriguingly, alumni from private institutions tend to resonate more with a customer-oriented mindset, finding the affective model of alumni engagement less compelling. These findings emphasize the importance of considering institutional type and the need for tailored strategies to foster alumni engagement based on the unique cultural characteristics of each institution. By integrating the concept of private gains into the theoretical framework, this study offers novel insights into alumni-university relationships and provides valuable guidance for higher education marketers seeking to enhance alumni support and promote institutional success.