May 2, 2014

Hundreds of UOW graduates attend alumni events in major Asian cities

UOW has further strengthened its relationship with alumni living in Asia, following a three-country tour by members of the UOW Office of Advancement and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Joe Chicharo.

Hundreds of alumni and their guests attended receptions in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, where alumni networked among each other to make business and personal connections while further building their lifelong relationship with the University.

According to Director for the Office of Advancement Monique Harper-Richardson, offshore alumni events attract a diverse group of people.

“We met people who had graduated from UOW in the early 1970s and others from within the last 12 months. In Hong Kong, two people arrived wearing a University tie but from different eras, printed with different UOW logos. We also saw alumni reuniting with classmates they hadn’t seen for years.”

Now more than115,000 strong, UOW’s alumni community are one of the University’s largest stakeholder groups.

“It is important to maintain a connection with our alumni community; a strong advancement program is one that has a real presence in offshore locations. Long term relationships cannot be built through social media alone.”

As the University grows as an international institution, more and more alumni are graduates of UOW degrees offered via international partner institutions.

Just last month (April 2014), 232 students graduated from UOW information technology (IT) degrees at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and more than 90 students graduated from commerce and IT degrees from INTI Subang Jaya. Another 61 students graduated from a Bachelor of Commerce degree at INTI Penang, becoming the first group of UOW graduates from this campus.

“We attended graduation ceremonies in Subang Jaya, Penang and Singapore and were able to meet and greet new graduates personally. Some new graduates also attended the alumni event in the evening.”

The advancement team, accompanied by members of various faculties and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Joe Chicharo, greeted new and existing alumni at the two Southeast Asia events. The Alumni Chapter President for Malaysia and Singapore both attended their respective events.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Philip Green OAM, attended the event in Singapore.

The UOW alumni tour will continue through 2014, stopping in major cities in the United States as well as London.