Alumni loyalty: examining the undergraduate college experience and alumni donations

This dissertation presents a model of the college experience and contribution decisions to a large, public institution of higher education. It provides a review of the literature and a comprehensive model, or Systems Influence Digraph, that considers the relationships between 11 major affinities related to college experiences and contribution decisions: (a) Dorm Life; (b) Necessary Evils; (c) Relationships; (d) Academic Life; (e) The Good Life; (f) University Financial Perceptions; (g) Nostalgia; (h) Degree of Bonding; (i) Educational Contract; (j) Benefits of Giving; and (k) Closing the Deal. The findings show that the college experience can be used to understand or predict alumni contribution decisions.