Another meeting in the Direct to Internationalization series, this time held in Gdańsk was devoted to alumni relations.

In October NAWA launched a new programme – International Alumni, the goals of which include support for universities and research units offering education in the area of developing long-term relations with foreign alumni, using their knowledge and experience in educational processes and working together towards building a positive image of Polish higher education institutions abroad.

The conference presented an opportunity to consider why building alumni relations is a worthwhile endeavour, how to do it in the most effective way, and what benefits building and developing these relations can bring to the university, the region and the state. NAWA Director, Łukasz Wojdyga and MUG’s Vice-Rector for Students’ Affairs, Prof. Tomasz Smiatacz, opened the meeting. Invited experts, Edyta Lachowicz-Santos from the University of Economics in Katowice and Serge L. Sych from the Central European University, pointed out the importance of building and developing alumni relations, what benefits this process can bring to a university, how important it is to have a strategy and an action plan for creating programmes of cooperation with alumni.

They also mentioned specific tools and channels through which universities can develop their communication with alumni. During the conference, participants also had the opportunity to learn about the education markets in the Middle East and Vietnam – these markets were selected based on the results of surveys researching the geographical preferences of universities. The Middle East workshop was conducted by Ewa Kiszka from the Medical University of Gdańsk, while AGH UST’s Marta Foryś presented the most important information on the education market in Vietnam. The next meeting in the series, this time entitled Direct to Recognition, will take place on 7 December in Warsaw.