Anthea Cuddihy

Proposed title

Ties that (don’t?) bind: University strategic plans as drivers of Alumni Relations programming

Supervisors

Principal Supervisor: Professor Philip Hider

Co-Supervisor: Dr Roslyn Cox

Co-Supervisor: Dr Deborah Wise

Research

In Australia, Alumni Relations (AR) activities are undertaken by all public universities, however there is no research into how or why universities undertake AR and whether or how much AR is considered a strategic tool to achieve institutional priorities, despite alumni typically being the largest stakeholder group of a university.

This research will use a communications and public relations lens to investigate whether regional Australian universities undertake AR as a strategic activity of the University, and whether the results of AR programs match any identified aims.

The findings of this investigation may lead to recommendations for universities on topics including: opportunities to enhance public trust in institutions, methods to increase aspiration to study at uni / attract more students, enhanced government relations, enhanced philanthropy and other income streams, and improved conditions for industry engagement.

Why I chose Charles Sturt

The Communications School at CSU has a very strong reputation, which drove my decision to study my Master of Communications here. I had a really positive experience studying online, part-time during my Masters, and that, combined with the availability of supervisors, led me to choose CSU for my PhD.

Engagement and Memberships

• Council for the Advancement and Support of Education – Member / Speaker / Circle of Excellence Judge
• Australian Universities Alumni Professionals Group (AUAPG) – National Executive Committee member
• Regional University Network Alumni Relations Community of Practice – Founder / convenor
• Australian Dual Sector Universities Alumni Relations Community of Practice – Founder / member
• CSU School of Information and Communication Studies External Advisory Committee - Member

Publications

Research Gate

LinkedIn

ORCID

Presentations

Cuddihy, A. (2018, June, 19-20). Graduation is just the beginning [Conference presentation]. 3^rd Asia-Pacific Graduation Conference, Rockhampton, Qld.

Cuddihy, A. (2019, August, 30). Research findings: Skillsets of Australian alumni relations practitioners [Conference presentation]. AUAPG Winter Forum, Sydney, NSW.

Cuddihy, A. (2020, April, 20-23). Getting the job done: Getting and keeping the critical skills for success in alumni relations[Conference presentation]. CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference, Singapore.  (Conference cancelled due to COVID19).

Cuddihy, A. & Lee, B. (2022, April, 19-21). Student and Young Alumni Engagement [Conference presentation]. CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference, Online. https://www.case.org/conferences-training/2022-asia-pacific-advancement-conference/programme

Cuddihy, A. (2022, September, 9-14). Could micro-volunteering increase your alumni engagement? An overview of CQUniversity’s 30-minutes-a-month program [Conference presentation]. Tertiary Education Management Conference, Online & Hobart, Tas. https://www.temc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TEMC-2022-Program-as-at-08092022.pdf

Bentley, M., Blandford, R. & Cuddihy, A. (2023, May). Crisis Management: Alumni Communications in Challenging Times [Conference session]. CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference, Melbourne, VIC.  https://www.case.org/conferences-training/2023-asia-pacific-advancement-conference/main-conference