TRANSFORMING ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT INTO STRATEGIC VALUE CO-CREATION IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831066Keywords:
Accounting Education, Alumni Ambassador, Social Capital Theory, Sustainable Development GoalsAbstract
Conventionally, alumni engagement in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) often relies on short-term, one-off activities, such as guest lectures, that fail to harness alumni's full potential. Public HEIs in emerging countries like Malaysia have yet to fully leverage alumni engagement and resources for holistic institutional development. To address this challenge, this study utilises Social Capital Theory to examine how the Faculty of Accountancy (FPN) at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) structurally transformed alumni involvement from fragmented interactions into an institutionalised, strategic partnership through its innovative alumni ambassadors initiative. Guided by the strategic action plan of Dynamic Linkages and the philosophy of "Empowered Alumni, Progressive Community, Sustainable Values”, the university appointed 46 alumni ambassadors to co-create value across academic, student affairs, and community empowerment. Employing a qualitative, single-case study with multiple cases, this study triangulates administrative records and institutional performance. Findings show that the programme successfully operationalised structural, relational, and cognitive social capital to sustain alumni engagement. Ultimately, this paper offers a theory-driven framework for HEIs seeking to build impactful university-alumni ecosystems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
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