Understanding the Meaning of "Fellow Alumni"

The term "alumni" and its related forms (alumna, alumnus, alumnae) are frequently used when referring to graduates of higher educational institutions. However, the correct usage of these terms, derived from Latin, can often be confusing. This article aims to clarify the meaning of "fellow alumni" and provide a comprehensive understanding of the different forms of the word "alumnus."

The History and Origin of "Alumni"

The word "alumnus" originates from the Latin word "alere," which means "to bring up" or "to nourish." In ancient literature, "alere" described a child raised by someone other than their parents, often referring to abandoned or orphaned children. It also appeared in Roman law to describe a child in fosterage.

The term "alumnus," along with its other Latin forms, has been used in an educational context since 1643, following the first gathering of Harvard alumni.

Decoding the Terms: Alumnus, Alumna, Alumni, and Alumnae

To use these terms correctly, it's essential to understand their specific meanings:

Alumni: This is the masculine plural form. However, it is used to describe a group of male graduates or a group of both male and female graduates from an educational institution. For example: "The Alumni Association at the college provided networking opportunities for all former graduates." It can also refer to a group of all-male graduates: "My husband and his fraternity brother alumni get together on a deep-sea fishing excursion every two years."
Alumna: This is the feminine singular form, used to describe a single female graduate, former student, member, or contributor of an educational institution. For example: "Jennifer Wilson, a fellow alumna of my alma mater, was invited to be the guest speaker at the Women’s Unite Conference in Denver."
Alumnus: This is the masculine singular form, generally reserved for an individual male graduate, former student, member, or contributor of an educational institution. For example: "The BU alumnus, Randy Myron, was the runner-up to the local magazine’s best dressed man of the year."
Alumnae: This is the feminine plural form, used to describe a group of female graduates, former students, contributors, and members of an educational institution. For example: "The All Women’s Annual Soccer Kick-Off was held the second week of June and included all alumnae of the county girls’ schools from the last eight years."

"Fellow Alumni" Defined

People who attended the same school as you, even in different years, are often described as "fellow alumni." This signifies a shared experience and connection through a common educational background.

Alternative Terms: "Alum" and "Alums"

Given the potential confusion with the gendered forms of "alumnus," alternative terms like "alum" (singular) and "alums" (plural) have gained popularity in modern usage. These gender-neutral terms are generally appropriate for informal writing scenarios.

The Significance of Alumni Networks

Graduating with any degree is a major accomplishment. The day you receive your diploma, you become an alum of your educational institution. Those in your graduating class become fellow alums, but it’s also important to remember the years of distinguished graduates who came before you. Most universities and colleges have alumni networks that have proven beneficial for graduates of any age.

Alumni groups provide ample opportunity for networking connections, career insight, professional support, and more. A good alumni association will also share success stories from accomplished alumni that speak to the excellence of the school. Your alma mater knows that a strong alumni community is an integral component of a successful school.

Opportunities for Engagement and Giving Back

When you become a part of your school’s alumni network, there are an abundance of ways you can get involved in giving back to your school. An alumni network will keep you connected to your colleagues and help you develop professional relationships with important people along the way. The professional development you will experience as an alum will make you an advocate for lifelong learning.

Alumni associations are more than just discounts and get-togethers, though those are perks of being a proud alum. As an alum, you can attend and host alumni events of all types. Some alumni events are fundraisers for the school or other nonprofits, while others are just get-togethers with other fellow alumni. Many alumni events are hosted to give back to the school as well. Alumni are often in charge of one or more scholarship funds and host fundraising events in order to offer as much scholarship money as possible to current students.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

Benefits of Alumni Associations

Many alumni associations focus heavily on networking. They will often host career fairs where you can find a job or network with people who may be colleagues you need to call on later in your career. Alumni groups are also a great place to get interview tips. Networking within your alumni association is one of its biggest perks. There is almost always someone within your alumni community who will have advice or guidance wherever you are in your professional career.

Alumni often benefit from things like discounted tickets to football games and other university activities, continued access to campus libraries, and discounts at campus bookstores. Many local businesses near your alma mater may offer discounts for alumni as well. Oftentimes, businesses owned by fellow alumni may give you a discount too. Even more noteworthy, alumni can often get discounted tuition for further education.

Career Services and Professional Development

Whether you’re a seasoned alum or a recent graduate, you can benefit from career services within your alumni network. This is one of the best ways to network within your alumni association. When you become acquainted with experienced pros and listen to their skilled guidance, it can jumpstart your professional career. They can guide you through tough seasons in your career and be the people you go to when you have serious questions that need an educated answer.

Giving Back to the Institution

Giving back to an institution that gave so much to you is rewarding. Alumni associations are often asked by the educational institution to provide volunteers for events and staff committees. Alumni groups often house scholarships for current students and can help ease the financial burden of higher education for those who are currently attending school.

Alumni associations have various strengths depending on the school. These schools have large and active alumni communities that give back to their schools and stay connected with one another. Being an alum is more than just a bumper sticker and a phrase that you say. There are countless ways to give back, help current students, and connect with individuals who will help further your career. Wherever you have chosen to attend school, look into your alumni association and attend the next event that they hold.

Read also: Baylor's Notable Alumni

"Fellow" Defined in Other Contexts

It is important to note that the word "fellow" has different meanings in other contexts.

A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.

Within institutions of higher education, a fellow is a member of a highly ranked group of teachers at a particular college or university or a member of the governing body in some universities. The title of (senior) teaching fellow is used to denote an academic teaching position at a university or similar institution and is roughly equivalent to the title of (senior) lecturer.

In US medical institutions, a fellow (also known as a fellow physician) refers to someone who has completed residency training (e.g. in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, etc.) and is currently in a 1- to 3-year subspecialty training program (e.g. These are often shortened to the name of the programme or organization, e.g. Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow rather than Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, except where this might cause confusion with another fellowship, (e.g.

In the context of graduate school in the United States and Canada, a fellow is a recipient of a postgraduate fellowship. Examples include the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rosenthal Fellowship, the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship, the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship and the Presidential Management Fellowship. Fellowships may involve a short placement for capacity building, e.g., to get more experience in government, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science's fellowships and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellowship programs.

Fellows are often the highest grade of membership of many professional associations or learned societies, for example, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Chartered Governance Institute, Royal College of Surgeons, the Institution of Chemical Engineers, or Royal Society of Chemistry. Lower grades are referred to as members (who typically share voting rights with the fellows), or associates (who may or may not, depending on whether "associate" status is a form of full membership). Fellowships of this type can be awarded as a title of honor in their own right, e.g. Appointment as an honorary fellow in a learned or professional society can be either to honour exceptional achievement or service within the professional domain of the awarding body or to honour contributions related to the domain from someone who is professionally outside it.

The fellows, sometimes referred to as university dons, form the governing body of the college. They may elect a council to handle day-to-day management. At Cambridge, retired academics may remain fellows. At Oxford, however, a governing body fellow would normally be elected a fellow emeritus and would leave the governing body upon his or her retirement. Distinguished old members of the college, or its benefactors and friends, might also be elected 'Honorary Fellow', normally for life; but beyond limited dining rights this is merely an honour.

In industries intensive in science, engineering, medicine, and research & development, companies may appoint a very small number of top senior researchers as corporate, technical or industry fellows, either in Science or in Engineering.

The title fellow can be used for participants in a professional development program run by a nonprofit or governmental organization. This type of fellowship is a short term work opportunity (1-2 years) for professionals who already possess some level of academic or professional expertise that will serve the nonprofit mission.

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