The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Shane Pruitt

for the degree of Doctor of Education

June 30, 2017 at 10:00 am in Browning Hall

Major Advisor: Jeff Wilson, PhD

This Importance of Ritual According to Alumni at a Southern Liberal Arts University

ABSTRACT: This study sought to understand how alumni members from a small, private university in the southern region of the United States experienced campus rituals during their college career as well as currently engage with the institution via rituals post-graduation. The following central research question guided the inquiry in an effort to describe the essence of alumni participation at Southern Liberal Arts University (SLAU): in what ways do alumni perceive the importance of campus rituals in both the student and alumni experience? This study utilized a social constructivist lens adopting a phenomenological approach to qualitative analysis including the use of interviews, artifact analysis, and non-participant observations to address the research questions. Themes emerged from this inquiry include three ways in which rituals explain the SLAU community: a) characterization through rituals, b) attachments due to rituals, and c) values shown through rituals. This research lends verification to the idea that rituals are a viable way to more strongly encourage alumni activity.