Alumni News from 2007
It is likely that the growing success of Wales lies in its nurturing of alumni relationships and links. 
In 2005 Wales International Consortium launched an on-line survey asking current students and alumni their reasons for opting for Wales. The overwhelmingly positive response showed that international students were exceptionally satisfied with their experience. Alumni return to their own countries to become politicians and business people who influence decisions. They forge links with industry in Wales, they invest in Welsh businesses, they recommend Wales to their staff, families and friends who then also opt for Wales when making their education choices.
A constant response from students was to talk of the friendliness of the people and the unique experience of the culture. One alumni from Nigeria wrote, “I regard it as a huge privilege to be associated with Wales . Wherever I am, I will continuously keep the majestic flag of Wales flying.”
At the launch of the survey Steve Lawrence, the Chair of Wales International Consortium said, “ Alumni from higher education institutions in Wales are our greatest champions. Our former students have gone into business, education, the arts, sport and politics in most countries of the world. .”
In March 2007 Wales International Consortium held its first pan-Wales alumni event in Nigeria, organised with the assistance of the British Council Nigeria.
Virginia West said of the event, “ It was a pleasure to host this event for alumni from all across Wales, the earliest graduate dating back to 1971 and the latest just last year. Our graduates in Nigeria have gone into as wide a range of professions and careers as in any country, including banking and finance, architecture, law and the media and we really appreciated them taking the time on a Friday after work to join our networking event. Our speaker, Mr Musa Bawa, talked about his time at Cardiff University studying International Journalism, summing up the tremendous cultural change study abroad represents for so many people. Our most mature (but young at heart!) graduate Mr Ola Sobande, Swansea University 1967—1970 gave us a picture of a very different lifestyle at Swansea University, or University College of Wales, Swansea as it then was, in the late 1960s. Others chipped in with great anecdotes and fond memories, and all agreed at the end of the evening to set up a network to meet regularly in future”.
Wales institutions hold events throughout the world in order to ensure that its alumni are kept in regular contact with any developments within Wales higher education. One example is the UWIC Brunei Alumni Society. Brunei has a strong UWIC alumni network with a formalized Alumni Society. Students get together for regular events to share news and keep each other updated on recent developments. A successful alumni dinner was held at the Polo Club in Brunei and was attended by UWIC’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Antony Chapman as well as members of UWIC’s International Office staff. Guests were invited to enjoy traditional Malaysian food and, for the more adventurous, to sing karaoke.
Alumni events in Brunei are also very active! An excursion was organised to the Ulu Temburong National Park where Vice Chancellor, Professor Chapman and UWIC delegates joined students for a boat ride before reaching the top of the jungle and a walk across the canopy walkways.
Other very well established alumni associations include the Glamorgan Alumni Association in Bahrain.
The University of Glamorgan has developed a long-standing and successful relationship with students from Bahrain and celebrated this with an event hosted by Steve Harrison, the Deputy British Ambassador, and sponsored by International Business Wales. The Glamorgan Alumni Association is an unusual mix of students, comprising those who have studied on campus and over 300 MBA students who have been taught by Glamorgan full-time faculty members who visit the Kingdom every six weeks. Included within the alumni are members of the Royal Family of Bahrain and it was an especial pleasure to see the Royal Family (pictured) , represented at the alumni event. The photograph, reproduced with kind permission of the Gulf Daily News, shows a small sample of the alumni at the event.
At a meeting in January 2007 of the UWIC Alumni Society in Shanghai, Alumni students got together for an informal dinner to share happy memories about UWIC. Active in helping newly graduated students in finding suitable jobs, the society has an established network and strong links with recruitment firms and suitable employers in China.
Swansea University’s Vice-Chancellor recently visited Hong Kong where he launched a new bursary scheme at a special event attended by alumni and special invited guests.
The University’s Alumni Officer, Sally Thurlow, added: “Swansea has a large community of graduates in Hong Kong, with more than 500 graduates registered with the Alumni Association. We were delighted so many of them were able to join us for this event.”
Whilst in Hong Kong Professor Richard Davies also launched the university’s new research review Breakthrough whichhighlights some of the world-class research activity at Swansea. Hong Kong alumnus Professor YK Cheung was involved in one research success highlighted in Breakthrough”
Professor Richard Davies said, “There is also a special reason why it was appropriate to launch Breakthrough in Hong Kong. A recent report, Eureka UK, describes 100 discoveries and developments in UK Universities that have changed the world. These include the ‘finite element method’ developed at Swansea University in the 1960s. This technique has revolutionalised the design and engineering of manufactured products.”
“One of the researchers in Swansea at the time, who played a major role in the development of finite element methods, was Professor YK Cheung. Professor Cheung has subsequently had a most distinguished career at the University of Hong Kong, achieving awards and honours for his work from across the world.”
Wales International Consortium and the higher education institutions have been working with the Welsh Assembly Government to develop new initiatives for a stronger focus on maintaining contact with its alumni throughout the world. In the last year there has been a marked increase in events taking place throughout the world with more being planned. There are also plans to launch more pan-Wales alumni events in Wales to support the international work of Wales International Consortium.
Virginia West, Director, Wales International Consortium (WIC) said “Wales recognises that it generates exceptionally loyal international alumni who continue to promote and recommend Wales to the benefit of the education, business and tourism sectors amongst others. WIC is always striving to find ways to recognise and support those alumni who act as ambassadors and envoys for Wales.”
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