University also wins bronze award in 2015 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards

11 Jun 2015

Judges praise alumni Meet the Professionals events as ‘a great way to start cultivation while also stressing to students the value and responsibility of being alumni’

The Division of Development and Alumni Relations has won bronze in the 2015 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, for its Meet the Professionals events.

The University was the only UK winner in the Alumni Relations category.

Meet the Professionals events see groups of between two and six students spent ten minutes with each alumnus, discussing his or her career path, day to day work, and advice before moving to the next alumnus. They are typically attended by between eight and 12 alumni mentors.

On completion of the structured part of the evening, students are given the opportunity to network informally with alumni to follow-up on discussion points raised earlier in the evening.

The CASE Judges liked the ease with which the programme allowed the institution to engage volunteers, particularly in terms of their time commitment. They viewed the program as a great way to start cultivation while also stressing to students the value and responsibility of being alumni. Low budget makes the program replicable, and metrics indicate it provided significant value to students.

The award follows on from the event’s recent runner-up position for the Guardian University Awards and shortlisting for the HEIST awards.