Alumni funding has been the way that most of the universities in the US have financed their growth and expansion. In the Indian context, the story has been some what different. Barring a few instances of IIT/IIM alumni contributing , the story hasn't been encouraging.
While India traditonally encouraged and honoured 'dhaan' as a great virtue, we seem to have lost it somewhere along the way of modernising. Karan of Mahabharat exemplifies the traditional Indian ethos and poets have eulogised and immortalised kings who were great donors. Unfortunately, the tradition hasn't sustained and this I can state having been in the education field close to a quarter century. This, inspite of the fact that Indians, on an average, tend to be more emotional.
Indian culture reveres teachers and places them only next to parents and above God in the order of importance. Yet, when it comes to supporting educational institutions, we fall short.
While the mindset of the contemporary Indian society could be one of the reasons, I guess, the educationists and people who provide leadership at academic institutions have to accept part of the responsibility as they generally fail in making the right impression on the student population when they are there.
Many among us look back to our school and college days with a mix of emotions. While Individual teachers remain etched in our memory, the overall experience somehow doesn't necessarily leave a delighful memory. This could partly be due to the fact that we tend to be very authouritarian as teachers and administrators.
The leadership also fails in proactively cultivating a sense of ownership and belonging and making efforts to keep up the connect even after one passes out / graduates. Even regular alumni meets organised by the institution are few and rare. Mostly they are organised by alumni and that too often restricted to their own batches plus or minus one batch.
The unstated assumption appears to be that alumni on their own will come forward. While they do, the untapped potential is huge. The irony really is that US universities have received significant amounts from alumni from India such as Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra etc., The latest being Chandrika and Tandon who donated 100 million USD to NYU.
(The writer is executive director emeritus & distinguished visiting professor, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai )
