Welcome to Abu Dhabi. Join us for introductions from CASE, to meet our host MBZUAI and conference chairs. Learn more about MBZUAI and learn how best to navigate its state-of-the-art campus and how. We will discuss how to get the most out of your time at the #CASEMEAC 2024 conference.

The 2024 CASE Middle East Advancement Conference (MEAC) is back in-person to equip delegates with the vital information and skills to succeed in the areas of alumni relations, community engagement, fundraising, marketing, communications, advancement services, and related functions. Hear from a panel of university leaders as we explore insights they have gained through their leadership experiences and the opportunities and challenges that they anticipate lie ahead for the educational sector.

Looking at the social media landscape in 2024 might go something like this: “Has Elon Musk really taken over Twitter? Wait it’s called ‘X’ now? Wait, do we have to pay to use it now? Is Mark Zuckerberg still pushing the metaverse? What is a metaverse? Do I need to learn about AR and VR anymore or is it all about AI? Does anyone use Facebook anymore? Do I really need to learn about TikTok?”. You would be right to feel confused, possibly overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with so many changes, however social media is also a tool that has power, reach and relevance across all aspects of advancement and no longer be ignored. Tony has sifted through 400 pages of global social media data so that you don’t have to, identifying the worldwide trends and drilling down into what is different about how it is used in the Middle East. This session will help cut through the social media noise, give an overview of the most important things we all need to know about the landscape in 2024 and ultimately bring it all back to basic principles of storytelling and strategy. You will leave with new knowledge, but also empowered with an understanding that your existing knowledge is far from outdated, it just needs to be reframed.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is known for its humanitarian initiatives. These have been followed by corporates in the UAE in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Several studies have been conducted to understand the impact of CSR on corporate performance and reputation. In this research, the focus is narrowed down to CSR specifically towards education. Accordingly, this is a pioneering study in the field of CSR toward education in the UAE. It provides crucial insights into what motivates UAE-based corporations to engage in CSR toward education and how it impacts their reputation and performance. The research examines the perceptions of CSR practice in education among the top 595 corporation representatives in the UAE, their motivation for it, and its impact on corporation reputation and performance. The research adopts a quantitative research method by using a self-administered questionnaire that received responses from 595 respondents, which was followed by a series of regression analyses. The results of the research show reciprocity and involvement to be the most prominent motivators for UAE corporations to engage in CSR toward education, whereas altruism was not found to be a motivator. Additionally, the study found a positive relationship between CSR toward education and corporation performance, with partial mediation by corporation reputation. This is one of the first academic studies that focused on identifying and understanding the factors that motivate government and private corporations to engage in CSR, specifically in education in the context of the UAE and how in turn, this impacts on a corporation’s reputation and performance.

This presentation will provide recommendations and practical strategies to transform an operational alumni engagement program to a value driven business function. Alumni are unique to their institution and carry shared experiences back with them into their families, professional and social networks, industry, community, and further into the world. Relationship building is the overriding factor in nurturing and engaging alumni who have the power of creating and continuing the identify of their alma-mater. For institutions, developing capacity by investing in resources, systems, processes, and human capital is the foundation to cultivate, design and manage a robust alumni relations function that is adaptable and maintains progressive continuum. In real life scenarios, industry practitioners are often challenged by lack of resources and amplified institutional expectations. As an interface function, it is vital for alumni professionals to become a 'voice' both for the institution and its graduates – to become empowered it is vital to ‘know your alumni’ and understand the impact of alumni engagement on corporate objectives. Alumni engagement programs requires a systematic approach that recognises, integrates and aligns diverse alumni interests with institutional goals. Alumni volunteerism has often been overlooked in favour of ad hoc and immediate gains from engagement efforts. The domain of volunteerism deserves due attention as a vital strategic resource with validated competitive advantages. Designing multifarious volunteering opportunities enable dynamic capabilities, elevate student experience, encourage cross-functional collaborations and strengthen the community network. Further, transitioning from a student to an alumnus, it perpetuates a sense of belonging, pride and brand recall even after several years of graduation. At its core is data quality, best practice, innovation, technology and strategic communication to inspire, involve and develop a pipeline of volunteerism. Embedding a purpose driven momentum unlocks the potential and an exponential shift in alumni resourcefulness, support and advocacy for the institution.

The Careers and Alumni Office at RCSI Medical University of Bahrain has successfully engaged with students and maintained a relationship with the graduates since its inception. This was possible by early intervention, constant follow up, one on one meetings and always having an open-door policy. The Careers and Alumni Office is strategically situated in the heart of the university where it is visible and accessible to students, parents and alumni. The relationship we build with students during the duration of their program at the university gives us an added value and a better understanding of what they need after graduation. Combining CAREERS with ALUMNI was successful, and this session will show you how it was done and what we can offer to our students and graduates.