The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is dedicated to building and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with WPI's alumni, parents, and friends. Our aim is to add value to our constituents’ association with the university while also engaging them in efforts to advance WPI’s mission.
The division is composed of eight offices, all working in an integrated approach to carry out the community outreach and meet the philanthropic goals of the university. These offices include:
Working closely with the Alumni Association, a volunteer-led organization whose main goal is to provide benefits and services to WPI graduates, the division spearheads a wide range of alumni events and communications vehicles such as The Hill, our philanthropy newsletter; The Bridge, a monthly e-newsletter for alumni; the Development and Alumni website; and various other multimedia, email, and print communications. In concert with WPI’s Marketing and Communications division, the office also contributes news and information to Transformations, our alumni magazine.
Among the many events and programs coordinated through the Office of Alumni Relations are annual class reunions, homecoming, and many regional activities throughout the country and the world. Other events recognize and celebrate the alumni and friends who make generous contributions to WPI, such as our 1865 Society members, Presidential Founders, scholarship donors, Alden Society members, and President’s Circle donors.
The offices of Annual Giving, Foundation Relations, Planned Giving, and Major Gifts coordinate philanthropy for WPI, assisting alumni, parents, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations, and others realize their philanthropic ambitions through their support of WPI. Development Technology, Development Operations and Research, and Development Communications provide the data and outreach support necessary to achieve WPI’s alumni relations and fundraising goals.
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is headquartered in two locations. The Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Office of Alumni Relations, and Development Communications are housed in the majestic Higgins House. Surrounded by a formal English garden, Higgins House serves as the backdrop for many events for our alumni and friends. It is also the headquarters for the WPI Alumni Association. Built in 1923, Higgins House is a miniature duplicate of the Compton Wyngates castle in Warwickshire, England. The structure was built by WPI alumnus Aldus Chapin Higgins and his wife, May, who bequeathed the house to WPI in 1971.
Annual Giving, Foundation Relations, Development Technology, Development Operations and Research, Planned Giving, and Major Gifts are housed in a refurbished factory facility located at 85 Prescott Street near the WPI campus. The office, which opened in the fall of 2008, harkens back to the heyday of Worcester’s industrial heritage, in which WPI has deep roots.
