Alumni engagement is vital to any institution or university’s long-term success. Strong connections with graduates can lead to numerous benefits for both the alumni and their alma mater. But how do you engage them, and in what activities should alumni be included? In this session we will explore the importance of alumni engagement and discuss strategies for using alumni.

This session will look at the practicalities of fundraising internationally. Do I need a legal entity like a 501(c)(3) is various countries? If I have one how do I maximise the benefit and minimise the work? What other options are there and how do I choose the best for my institution? If you are doing international fundraising or thinking about it (and everyone has international alumni so it’s always an issue), we will solve these practical problems for you.

How will changes in demographics, higher education, societal norms, geo-political frameworks and technology impact the identity of an alumnus, engagement with the alumni network and ultimately the alumni relations function within universities. Join this interactive session for a glance into the future and explore in small groups how a university’s alumni relations strategy could be pivoted today for a better outcome in 2050.

This session will describe how the Stockholm School of Economics has used art to attract financial support from their alumni to transform the facilities of SSE and support other areas of the school.

Corporations collaborate with universities in many ways: through commissioned research, by providing case studies to course work, via participation in career fairs, or by financing promising startups born at campuses – just to mention a few. Companies are employers to students and alumni, and they may also be donors. How do we avoid a fragmentary patchwork of the various ways of cooperation? How can we build sustainable, long-term partnerships beneficial for both the university and the corporation? How do we deal with possible ethical dilemmas in such cooperation in an increasingly volatile world? Traditions vary from country to country and workable solutions look different from university to university – come and hear our examples, share your own experiences, and take home new ideas and energy into your university-corporation partnerships!