Alumni Focus

The best way to know what alumni are thinking and feeling about William & Mary … is to ask them. So we did — and you responded in a big way. More than 6,600 alumni submitted the 2025 W&M Alumni Survey, which was sent to all emailable alumni last fall. That response rate, which dwarfs that of similar universities, shows just how engaged our alumni are. A big thank you to everyone who filled out the survey! And we were positively stunned by your participation and ideas. 

Some highlights from the results: 

• 92% of respondents highly value their W&M education. 
• 82% of respondents rated W&M's trustworthiness as positive (vs. 75% who rated higher education as trustworthy overall). 
• 74% of undergraduate alumni felt very or somewhat informed about W&M’s strategic direction. 
• 75% listed W&M as a philanthropic priority with 28% saying it is their Top 1 or Top 3. Top areas of interest included student success, internships & applied learning, civic leadership and conservation & sustainability. 
• 79% said email is their preferred method of receiving information, followed by this magazine at 62% — with 39% of young alumni ranking this magazine as their preferred method. 
• 68% of respondents say they reconnect with William & Mary because of memories they made here or with W&M friends, with 44% saying they feel they live too far away to engage. 

These results, plus the many written responses we received, show us that we are moving in the right direction as a university and an alumni association. The percentage of alumni who say they do not feel connected has decreased significantly since 2017, from 21% to 9%, showing have made significant progress in reaching and engaging with our community of more than 119,000. We are proud of your trust in us and strive to keep you informed through this magazine, alumni engagement events, the Hark enewsletter, our social media channels and more.

You also let us know where we can continue to serve you better. 60% said W&M engages alumni well, vs. a national benchmark of 49%. We will continue to strive for 100%! Many alumni are looking for ways to give time and talent, not just treasure. We heard a desire for micro-opportunities to volunteer, especially around sharing career insights and career opportunities with students and fellow alumni. You also told us we can do more to connect alumni who live far from campus. This important feedback is top of mind as we plan future opportunities to bring our community together and participate in the university’s strategic planning process. 

Our purpose at the W&M Alumni Association is to serve you by connecting you to fellow alumni and alma mater in ways that are meaningful to you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us — the response was overwhelming and we are listening to and learning from you. My door is always open — if you have additional feedback, please email me anytime at alumniceo@wm.edu.