Abstract:

For quite a few years, alumni organizations have become objects of restricted development due to fear of being involved in “Bangquan Culture”, and their functions are mostly limited to personal friendship and raising funds for HETs. Looking at the emergency rescue action case of Wuhan University alumni organization during COVID-19 in 2020, it can be found that the alumni organization could adjust its action demands timely in response to the changes in social demand under the determined role. Alumni organization used the “alumni identity” as the credit basis required of a large-scale alumni call, and could quickly make a response and take coordinate actions driven by some alumni leaders so as to complete the public construction in the process of producing various public products. The public growth of alumni organizations would promote their organization growth simultaneously, that is, the organizational structure from “alumni association of alumni”and “alumni association of university” to “alumni association of society”, the organizational function from “personal friendships” and “mutual indebtedness” to “public welfare”. The case shows that alumni organizations have giant potentials and advantages that other social organizations do not own in providing social public products. Therefore, the role of university alumni associations should be reviewed.

Key words: universities and colleges, alumni organization, emergency rescue, public construction, organization growth