FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A recent benchmark study conducted by the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) revealed that the University of Arkansas Alumni Association ranked first in the SEC and seventh nationally in the percentage (30.4) of alumni who are members. The national average of the CAAE associations is 18.9%.

The Association ranked fifth in the SEC and 26th in the nation in the number of members (26,038) and first in the SEC and third (tied) in the percentage in its member retention rate (84). The national average for membership retention is 78%.

"For the Arkansas Alumni Association to be included in the same league as some of these other university alumni associations is a great honor," said Mike Macechko, executive director of the Arkansas Alumni Association. "To be ranked as high as we are is a testament to the loyalty of our alumni."

Macechko explained that it is alumni support that makes it possible to offer an Alumni Scholarship Program, the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House, the Student Alumni Board and the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.

"Since the Association’s entire operating budget is reliant upon membership, this achievement is important as the very lifeblood of the organization," Macechko said.

Arkansas Alumni Association President Jeff Johnson was not surprised at the results.

"We are honored to continue to be among the top alumni associations in the country," Johnson said." Our excellent percentage of membership is reflection of the pride of our alumni throughout the country and the world and the confidence they have in our dedicated staff."

Macechko said that the rankings indicate a strong interest in the alumni association despite the fact that nationally, the UA Alumni Association’s budget is the lowest in the country at 51% and seventh in the SEC.

"The percentage of all alumni is an indicator of the true loyalty our alumni feel toward the U of A," Macechko said. "At 30.4%, we are a leader in loyalty. It also speaks to the role our volunteers play in encouraging classmates to become members.

"It speaks volumes to the loyalty that has marked Arkansas’s alumni as very special people," Macechko added. "They understand that membership in the Association results in great support for the U of A."

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