By Donald Hiscock

Graduation debts are not always the end of university expense

It's not just paying back loans that future graduates will have to get used to.

There will be the demands on their money from universities long after they have left.

Fancy one of those affinity credit cards in the name of your alma mater, or a subscription package that entitles you to cheap workouts at the university sports hall?

These kind of marketing incentives are easy to dismiss when they arrive in the post. Being phoned up and sweet-talked by a persuasive undergraduate is another matter.

Alumni associations are an important part of how universities are marketing themselves.

'Gone but not forgotten'

According to the white paper that has heralded the recent arrival of the controversial bill on higher education in parliament, universities are encouraged to go waving the begging bowl.

"Annual giving" in the form of endowments is the preferred term.

Those involved in running alumni associations play down the money-giving side of their work.

"Fundraising is only one of many priorities," said Katie Williams, alumni officer at the University of Southampton. "My job is to make graduates feel they haven't been forgotten."

Southampton, like most older universities, can draw on several generations of successful graduates.

You can give as much as you like

One way they can remain involved with the university is supporting current students by offering career contacts through networking events.

Students at Southampton are trained and paid to phone up selected graduates to ask if they will contribute towards projects like medical research and the new library extension.

But what about the new universities, who have fewer high-earning graduates to call upon?

At the University of Abertay Dundee this doesn't appear to be a problem. Dee MacLean, corporate affairs administrator, finds that recent graduates are willing to give support.

"We have a diverse student body, with 30% coming from outside the EU. International students in particular are very keen to continue contact," she said.

Status abroad

Developing alumni branches overseas is important for Southampton as well. Graduates abroad are called upon to help out in international recruitment fairs.

Katie Williams sees the involvement of graduates as improving the university's status abroad. This is just as important for recruiting staff as students.

We're not about gouging money out of people Peter Dunn, Warwick University

The popularity of websites like Friends Reunited has undoubtedly helped alumni associations, particularly in organising reunions.

The University of Warwick is gearing up for its 40th anniversary bash next year, but has been running a number of successful reunion weekends for several years.

Peter Dunn, press officer at Warwick, denies that these reunions are a good opportunity to get people to open up their wallets.

"We're not about gouging money out of people," he said.

'Significant source'

"The fundraising we do is focused on helping students from less privileged backgrounds. We are able to offer �2,000 annual Warwick Graduate Association scholarships."

With Education Secretary Charles Clarke citing the American model of alumni endowments as one British universities should emulate, it is no wonder professional fundraisers have offices on our campuses.

"This is a significant source of funding for universities," said Katie Williams.

"Southampton's annual alumni telephone fundraising campaign raised just over �75,000 last year. The campaign lasted for six weeks and involved 25 trained paid student callers, contacting 2,500 graduates."

Mr Clarke talks in terms of giving the universities freedom to fund their own projects.

Some people, however, would just like to see universities free at the point of use. And ever after.