Tapping the Potential of Graduate Ties Laura Juhansone-Daugule Alumni visiting Riga Technical University in Latvia in June. The university aims to showcase some university success stories to encourage a sense of pride in their alma mater. PARIS - Anita Straujuma, the director of alumni relations at Riga Technical University, in Latvia, has spent much of the past year on a one-woman crusade. Bouncing back and forth between department leaders and professors, she has been searching for any and every staff member willing to share in public a positive story from his or her time at the school. "We had very good cooperation with the computer sciences and architecture departments," Ms. Straujuma said by phone from her office in Riga. But others were - hesitant. Ms. Straujuma was hired by the university in September 2012 to direct its first graduate association. With just two part-time student helpers, she has been building the operation from scratch. One way to establish alumni relations, Ms. Straujuma decided, would be to showcase some school success stories, to encourage a sense of pride in their alma mater among former students. Yet, while some colleagues were eager to help, she said, others were not. Skeptics saw the project as a waste of money rather than a source of fresh funding, she said. They are concerned about growing administrative fees and they imagine that the alumni association is just an administrative expense. "Alumni relations is a long-term investment," she added. If we started last year, it won't be alumni rushing with their donations this year. You have to "friend-raise" before you can fund-raise." "I think in Europe in general, as universities begin experiencing financial caps, they see these alumni as a hope for future financial support." she said. Some probably expect that to happen too fast. Ms. Straujuma is not alone in trying to start - or strengthen - relationships with graduates. As public funding for European universities steadily tightens - and higher education becomes more international - administrators are dedicating increasing amounts of time and resources to tracing and contacting former students. Still, before they can think about reaping any benefits, they first need to establish the basics. "Before, alumni relations might have been seen as a nice thing to have," said Kate Campbell, the executive director of the European division of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, known as CASE. Now, universities are fundamentally rethinking their relationships with students and alumni. "I think we're just in the early days of that," she added. The uncertainties of state funding are the main motivator behind the growing interest in outreach. A study released in June by the European University Association found that higher education in more than half the countries surveyed had lost some planned funding over the past four years. In two-thirds there was a decline in real terms, after taking inflation into account. With public funding no longer to be counted on, universities are searching for ways to diversify their revenue. That includes introducing or raising tuition, brokering corporate contracts - and soliciting donations. Philanthropic giving, the category under which graduate donations fall, now makes up about 4 percent of university budgets across Europe, according to the university association. Experts expect this number to keep grow. "Many institutions are looking for alternative sources of funding," said Thomas Estermann, the association's head of governance, autonomy and funding. "But of course, these sources are not so big that they can replace the drastic cuts in individual countries," he added. Some schools have had loose ties to their former students for years. Still, as administrators start turning to them as potential donors, they have first to create a graduate culture. Having lifelong ties to a school may seem like second nature in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Britain, but in reality these connections are the result of years of careful cultivation - something that most European universities have not prioritized until now.