Alumni Hub Report Part 2-2
Alumni Hub Report Part 2-2
Alumni play a crucial role in shaping the growth and success of an educational institution. They
are not just former students but lifelong ambassadors who represent their alma mater in the
professional world. Beyond this, they serve as invaluable resources for mentorship, networking,
and career advancement. However, maintaining a strong and continuous connection between
alumni and their institutions has always been a challenge. Traditional methods such as in-person
reunions, printed newsletters, and informal social media groups often fail to keep alumni actively
engaged. Over time, many graduates lose touch with their institutions, missing out on the
opportunity to contribute, reconnect, and benefit from a well-established alumni network.
With the advancements in technology, institutions now have the potential to bridge this gap
through digital platforms that facilitate meaningful alumni engagement. The Alumni Hub is
designed to serve as a dynamic, web-based platform that enhances alumni interactions by
providing a structured and interactive space where graduates can stay connected with their alma
mater and fellow alumni. By integrating networking opportunities, mentorship programs, event
participation, and career support, the platform ensures that alumni remain an active part of their
institution’s ecosystem long after graduation.
The Alumni Hub transforms alumni engagement from a passive relationship into an active and
thriving community. By leveraging technology, it offers a seamless experience where graduates
can not only stay connected but also actively participate in the institution’s growth. The platform
enables alumni to create and manage their profiles, engage in discussions through forums, and
post or explore job opportunities within their network. Events such as workshops, seminars,
meetups, and fundraising activities can be organized and attended, fostering a stronger sense of
community. One of the most impactful features is the mentorship program, where experienced
Through these features, the Alumni Hub ensures that graduates continue to be an integral part of
their institution’s journey. It strengthens bonds between alumni and students, creating a culture
of continuous learning, professional development, and mutual support. This project aims to build
a modern, user-friendly digital solution that not only makes alumni engagement more accessible
but also more interactive and meaningful. By creating a space where alumni can collaborate,
mentor, and network, institutions can cultivate a lifelong relationship with their graduates.
The Alumni Hub is not just a platform; it is a bridge that connects the past, present, and future of
an institution. It transforms scattered alumni connections into a strong and engaged community
that grows together. By fostering an environment where knowledge and opportunities are shared,
it ensures that alumni remain active contributors to their institution’s success while benefiting
from its expanding network. This digital solution redefines alumni engagement, ensuring that the
connection between graduates and their alma mater remains strong, vibrant, and impactful for
years to come.
Sturgis and Belanger (2017) explore the strategic importance of alumni networks in higher
education. They argue that alumni networks not only contribute to the financial growth of
universities through donations but also enhance the institution's reputation and visibility. Alumni
networks are integral for long-term institutional development, and universities that invest in
alumni engagement see higher levels of donor contributions and more robust professional
networks for current students. The study highlights the shift towards digital platforms that have
become essential tools for fostering these connections.
Snyder and Pomerantz (2020) focus on the direct benefits of alumni networks for career
development. They examine how alumni networks facilitate career advancement through
mentorship, job opportunities, and professional advice. The study emphasizes the importance of
maintaining an active alumni community that not only supports career placement but also helps
alumni build lifelong careers through networking and sharing industry-specific knowledge. The
paper underscores the growing need for universities to create digital hubs that can facilitate these
exchanges at scale.
Chung and Lee (2019) investigate the use of digital platforms in alumni engagement. Their case
study highlights how universities have integrated technology to create virtual spaces where
alumni can interact with peers and current students. These platforms, often designed with user-
friendly interfaces, help alumni stay connected with their institution while providing them with
opportunities to contribute to the community through mentoring, career advice, and donations.
The study identifies the key features of successful alumni platforms, including professional
networking tools, event scheduling, and messaging systems that encourage ongoing engagement.
Schultz and Young (2018) explore the transformative impact of social media on alumni
engagement. With platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, alumni can now maintain
Smith and Johnson (2021) focus on the growing trend of alumni mentorship programs, which
have become central to the alumni engagement strategy. Their research reveals that mentorship
programs offer significant benefits, including career guidance, academic support, and personal
development. By establishing formal structures for mentorship within digital platforms,
universities can facilitate ongoing professional growth and provide students with valuable real-
world insights. The study advocates for digital hubs where mentorship connections can be easily
made and maintained, fostering a sense of community and support across generations.
O'Rourke and Williams (2020) examine the social impact of alumni networks, particularly
focusing on how alumni give back to their alma mater. This includes monetary donations, but
more significantly, the sharing of expertise through mentorship programs and participation in
institutional governance. The study finds that alumni who engage in these activities are more
likely to feel a sense of pride and ownership in their institution's success. Furthermore, alumni
networks provide opportunities for social impact through community engagement and
philanthropic initiatives, strengthening the bond between the university and its graduates.
Harrison and Martin (2021) discuss the future of alumni networks in the context of digital
transformation. They predict that alumni networks will increasingly rely on virtual platforms to
maintain engagement. The study highlights successful examples of institutions that have created
robust virtual communities where alumni can easily access career resources, attend webinars, and
network through digital events. The authors emphasize the importance of leveraging technology
to foster more inclusive, global, and diverse alumni communities that can collaborate across
borders.
Jenkins and Hopkins (2017) provide a comprehensive analysis of the evolving role of alumni
relations in institutional advancement. The research highlights how modern alumni networks
extend beyond fundraising to focus on relationship-building and lifelong engagement. It
underscores the need for digital platforms that facilitate these relationships, making it easier for
alumni to stay connected with their institution and each other, thus ensuring that alumni
engagement remains strong even after graduation.
Sanchez and Ramirez (2016) investigate the importance of virtual communities for alumni
relations. They note that digital platforms offer an effective way for alumni to participate in
institutional life, even when geographically dispersed. Virtual communities provide a means for
alumni to stay updated on institutional events, access professional resources, and participate in
alumni-driven initiatives. The study emphasizes the necessity of user-centered design in creating
platforms that encourage active and meaningful participation.
Lynch and Luton (2018) offer a forward-looking view on alumni engagement. They explore how
universities are adapting to changing technological and social landscapes by integrating new
digital tools into their alumni relations strategies. The study emphasizes the increasing role of
alumni networks in fostering a sense of community and identity that lasts well beyond graduation.
The authors predict that as digital tools become more sophisticated, alumni platforms will
incorporate advanced features like AI-driven networking recommendations and virtual reality
experiences to enhance alumni engagement and collaboration.
Many educational institutions rely on fragmented and outdated methods to maintain connections
with their alumni. These traditional systems often struggle to provide meaningful engagement,
leading to low participation rates and missed opportunities. The key aspects of the existing system
include:
• Institutions primarily use email newsletters, social media pages, and occasional phone calls to
reach out to alumni.
• Lack of a centralized platform results in alumni losing touch with their alma mater after
graduation.
• Social media groups (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook) exist but are often informal and unstructured,
making professional networking difficult.
• Alumni are not effectively connected with each other, resulting in missed career and
mentorship opportunities.
• Institutions rarely provide structured mentorship programs, leaving students and younger
alumni without access to guidance from experienced professionals.
• Job opportunities within the alumni network are not systematically shared, making it difficult
for graduates to leverage their network for career growth.
• Alumni records are often stored across multiple databases, spreadsheets, or legacy systems,
leading to outdated or incomplete information.
• Institutions struggle to track alumni achievements, career progress, and contributions,
limiting engagement opportunities.
• Managing alumni events, invitations, and fundraising efforts becomes inefficient due to lack of
data integration.
• While many alumni are willing to donate, volunteer, or support their institution, there is no
streamlined processto facilitate their contributions.
• Fundraising campaigns are often conducted through mass email appeals, which may not be
effective in engaging alumni donors.
• Volunteering opportunities, such as guest lectures or mentorship, are not systematically
organized, leading to low participation rates.
Educational institutions often struggle to maintain a meaningful connection with their alumni
after graduation, despite the vast knowledge, experience, and resources within their alumni
networks. One major challenge is the lack of centralized communication, which causes alumni
to lose touch with their alma mater and fellow graduates, resulting in missed opportunities for
networking, career growth, and participation in institutional initiatives. Additionally, there are
limited opportunities for networking and mentorship, as graduates may be unaware of
professional opportunities or mentorship options, while current students struggle to connect with
experienced professionals in their desired fields. Another significant issue is fragmented alumni
data, with schools managing alumni information across separate systems, making it difficult to
track achievements, organize events, or facilitate donations and collaborations. Furthermore,
while many alumni wish to give back to their institution through career support, donations, or
volunteering, the absence of a streamlined platform makes it challenging for them to contribute
effectively.
The system allows alumni to create professional profiles, stay connected with fellow graduates,
and participate in a searchable directory for easy networking. A mentorship feature enables
alumni to guide students, offering career advice and industry insights.
System workflow:
The flowchart below represents the logical flow of the Alumni Hub system, covering registration,
profile setup, networking, communication, and engagement features.
After login, users set up their Profile, including education, work experience, and interests.
The system provides an Alumni Directory & Search feature to find and connect with specific
alumni based on:
Batch Year
Industry
Expertise
Alumni can send connection requests and expand their professional network.
Event Management:
Alumni and students can create events.
Users can browse upcoming events, RSVP, and participate.
Job Postings: Alumni can post jobs or internships for students and fellow graduates.
Admin Panel: Manages user registrations, event approvals, content moderation, and analytics.
Institutional Support: Colleges and universities can engage alumni for donations, volunteering,
and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
o A unified platform for alumni to stay connected with their alma mater, faculty, and fellow
graduates.
o A dedicated space for alumni to connect with each other based on industry, location, or interests.
o AI-driven matching for mentorship opportunities, linking students and younger alumni with
experienced professionals.
o Virtual and in-person networking events, career fairs, and professional development sessions.
records.
o Internship and job placement programs for current students, facilitated by alumni employers.
o A seamless donation portal for funding scholarships, infrastructure, and research initiatives.
o Volunteering opportunities for alumni to give back through guest lectures, mentoring, or event
participation.
o Automated event planning tools for reunions, networking events, and fundraising campaigns.
o Online forums and discussion groups for alumni to engage in meaningful conversations.
System Architecture:
Frontend:
HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript: For building a responsive and interactive user interface.
Bootstrap: Used for styling and ensuring a mobile-friendly design.
Backend:
Database:
SQLite: Used to store user profiles, alumni records, job postings, events, and communication
history.
The `urlpatterns` list routes URLs to views. For more information please see:
https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.1/topics/http/urls/
Examples:
Function views
1. Add an import: from my_app import views
2. Add a URL to urlpatterns: path('', views.home, name='home')
Class-based views
1. Add an import: from other_app.views import Home
2. Add a URL to urlpatterns: path('', Home.as_view(), name='home')
Including another URLconf
1. Import the include() function: from django.urls import include, path
2. Add a URL to urlpatterns: path('blog/', include('blog.urls'))
"""
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include
from users import views
from django.conf import settings
from django.conf.urls.static import static
# Import views from users app
urlpatterns = [
path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
path('accounts/',include('allauth.urls')),
path('', views.home, name='home'),
path('alumni/', include('alumni.urls')), # Link to the home page
path('users/', include('users.urls')),
path('jobs/', include('jobs.urls')),
path('events/', include('events.urls')),
path('events/', include('events.urls')),
path('chat/',include('chat.urls')),
# User-related routes
]
if settings.DEBUG:
ALLOWED_HOSTS = []
# Application definition
INSTALLED_APPS = [
'django.contrib.sites',
'allauth',
"daphne",
"channels",
'allauth.account',
'django.contrib.admin',
'django.contrib.auth',
'django.contrib.contenttypes',
'django.contrib.sessions',
'django.contrib.messages',
'django.contrib.staticfiles',
'rest_framework',
'corsheaders',
'users',
'home',
'jobs' ,
MIDDLEWARE = [
'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
'allauth.account.middleware.AccountMiddleware',
'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]
ROOT_URLCONF = 'alumni_hub.urls'
TEMPLATES = [
{
'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
'DIRS': [BASE_DIR / 'templates'],
'APP_DIRS': True,
'OPTIONS': {
'context_processors': [
'django.template.context_processors.debug',
'django.template.context_processors.request',
'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
],
},
},
]
WSGI_APPLICATION = 'alumni_hub.wsgi.application'
ASGI_APPLICATION = "alumni_hub.asgi.application"
CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
"default": {
"BACKEND": "channels.layers.InMemoryChannelLayer",
},
}
# Database
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.1/ref/settings/#databases
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',
}
}
SCOE’s Information Technology 2024-25
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AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'users.User'
# Password validation
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.1/ref/settings/#auth-password-validators
AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS = [
{
'NAME':
'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.UserAttributeSimilarityValidator',
},
{
'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.MinimumLengthValidator',
},
{
'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.CommonPasswordValidator',
},
{
'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.NumericPasswordValidator',
},
]
# Internationalization
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.1/topics/i18n/
LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'
TIME_ZONE = 'UTC'
USE_I18N = True
USE_TZ = True
# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.1/howto/static-files/
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = [
BASE_DIR / "static" # Assuming the static folder is at the project root
]
MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')
DEFAULT_AUTO_FIELD = 'django.db.models.BigAutoField'
SITE_ID = 1
ACCOUNT_EMAIL_REQUIRED = True
ACCOUNT_EMAIL_VERIFICATION = 'mandatory' # This forces email verification
ACCOUNT_LOGIN_METHODS = {'username', 'email'}
ACCOUNT_RATE_LIMITS = {'login_failed': '5/m'}
ACCOUNT_EMAIL_CONFIRMATION_EXPIRE_DAYS = 3
ACCOUNT_LOGIN_ATTEMPTS_TIMEOUT = 300
# Admin Email
ADMIN_EMAIL = "[email protected]"
# Replace with actual admin email
User = get_user_model()
class ChatConsumer(AsyncWebsocketConsumer):
async def connect(self):
self.other_user_id = self.scope["url_route"]["kwargs"]["user_id"]
self.user = self.scope["user"]
sender = self.user
receiver = await User.objects.aget(id=self.other_user_id)
Fig II: Register page:- register with a username and email to use alumni hub
Fig VI: Job listings page:- to check the jobs available posted by alumni.
Fig VIII: View events page :- this page shows all the upcoming events posted by alumni’s.
Fig X: Requests page:- invitation sent by users to connect with other users.
The Alumni Hub project successfully established a dynamic platform that fosters meaningful
connections among alumni, current students, and the institution. Through seamless networking
features, mentorship programs, and event management tools, the project has strengthened alumni
engagement and created opportunities for professional growth. The platform has also contributed
to institutional development by encouraging alumni contributions, both in knowledge-sharing
and financial support, ensuring a continuous cycle of support for future generations.
Looking ahead, the Alumni Hub has the potential for further expansion by integrating more
personalized experiences, AI-driven recommendations, and enhanced collaboration features.
Sustained engagement will require periodic updates, feedback-driven improvements, and active
participation from all stakeholders. With a strong foundation in place, the project is well-
positioned to evolve into a long-term asset that nurtures lifelong connections and fosters a
thriving alumni community.
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11. Kramer, M. R., & Dunford, B. (2012). The Role of Alumni Engagement in Institutional
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9. Work effectively as a member and leader in multidisciplinary team for a common goal.
11. Appropriately incorporate principles of Management & Finance to one’s own work.
12. To identity Educational needs & engage in lifelong learning in a changing word oftechnology
1. To acquaint with the process of identifying the needs and converting it into the problem.
3. To acquaint with the process of applying basic engineering fundamentals to attempt solutions
to theproblems.
Lab Outcomes:
Student will be able to:
4. Draw the proper inferences from available results through theoretical/ experimental/simulations.
5. Analyze the impact of solutions in societal and environmental context for sustainable development.