Identity Matters: An Exploratory, Mixed Methods Case Study to Examine the Influence of Athlete and Student Identity Salience on the Giving Patterns of Student-Athletes at a Highly Selective Midwestern Private University

Abstract

This dissertation consists of an interpretive, bounded case study conducted at the University of Chicago, a selective private research institution with a Division III athletics program. At selective institutions, alumni-athletes represent a crucial fundraising source for the athletics department. Research suggests that the level of identity to one’s undergraduate alma mater correlates highly with the likelihood of giving. However, little is known about how the identity make up of these unique student-athletes influences their giving patterns. Using a mixed method, qualitative-dominant approach, the researcher sought to explore how and to what extent identity salience to dual roles as student and athlete influenced University of Chicago alumni-athletes’ philanthropic behavior towards their alma maters’ athletics department. Though no definitive connections were made between identity salience and giving designations, the student-athlete identity formation process remains unique at selective institutions and, in some fashion, influences giving behavior. As the reliance on private philanthropy has increased at selective institutions, particularly in their athletics departments, it is imperative that administrators from the academy, the athletics department, and the development office collaborate to create a campus environment that is most conducive to maximizing alumni-athlete philanthropy. Institutional recommendations and suggested areas of scholarly inquiry are aimed at selective institutions, where the athletics program philosophically operates as any other extracurricular activity yet has unique challenges that merit specific support.