Research On The Cultural Motivations Of Alumni Donations In American Universities

Funds are the key factor in the development of a university. As a country which has finished the modernization of university education earlier than other countries, America has much experience in raising funds that universities need. According to American universities' experience in raising funds, donation income is one of the main sources of funding among which alumni donations occupy a considerable share. Additionally, Alumni donations have become a tradition in most American universities. The tradition of alumni donations in American universities has high relevance to American culture. After a general introduction about alumni donations in American universities this thesis mainly analyzed the profound impact of religious culture, republican culture and individualistic culture on alumni donations in American universities.The main structure of this thesis consists of four parts: The first chapter is the brief introduction of the American University alumni donations. This part mainly presents the tradition of alumni donations in American Universities including the formation, the characteristics of the American University alumni donations and the influence of the alumni donation tradition on the contemporary universities of the United States. Chapter II elaborates on the impact that the religious culture made on the alumni donations in American universities. This part firstly analyses the importance of religion in American society and the influence the religious cultural made on American people's thought and behavior and then explains the influence of the religious culture on the alumni donations in American universities, including the role of the church donations in the birth of the modern American universities and the influence of the religious ethics and the religious nature on the alumni donations in American universities. Chapter III expounds the effect that the republican culture had on the alumni donations in American universities. This part first defines the republican culture and then discovers the relationship between the republican culture and philanthropy. Then a detailed analysis of how the republican culture affected the alumni donations in American universities is made. The fourth chapter reveals the impact of the American individualistic culture on the alumni donations in American universities. This part states precisely the meaning of the American individualistic culture and the impact of individualism on American people's attitude towards life and then details how the American individualistic culture affected the alumni donations in American universities.