IN UCD CONNECTIONS, the University’s flagship magazine for the vibrant UCD community, we explore the University and UCD people, from the changes on campus to how students, faculty and our alumni are making their mark globally. We profile and highlight diverse alumni – leaders, writers, policy shapers, risk-takers, entrepreneurs, medical and scientific pioneers, engineering and architecture influencers, innovators and humanitarians. In this issue, we offer alumni an understanding of the ever-changing life of UCD and its place in the world.
By sharing your #UCDStory in our recent survey, and letting us know how your time at UCD shaped the person you are today, we are able to give you richer ways to connect with your alma mater and with each other.
More than 5,500 alumni participated in the survey – we would like to thank each and every one of you. We learned how you made lifelong friendships, found love on campus, joined clubs and societies, and developed learning and skills. We have gleaned insights that are of great value to us, but may also interest you.
Your worldwide UCD network is a powerful one: you are one of 279,000 alumni in 169 countries and 30 per cent of you are overseas, the majority in the US, Singapore and the UK but also all over Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe.
You are seeing the value of keeping in touch and we love that you do. Over the past five years, alumni engagement has truly flourished: since 2014, the number of alumni events has grown from 40 to 161 last year, and attendees from 9,000 to more than 28,000. Our survey also demonstrates that more of you are actively engaged in volunteering for UCD; as Chapter representatives all over the world, as panellists speakers and also career mentors, giving your time and expertise to improve the experience of UCD students.
And, not only are our alumni giving of time and knowledge, but a growing number are directly supporting the student experience on a monthly basis by funding student supports and services like scholarships and mental health services. In 2014, €125k was raised from 125 alumni giving monthly to UCD to directly support the student experience. By the end of this year, more than 5,000 alumni will have contributed €3.3m to directly fund student supports. We are grateful for this generosity and heartened to hear in our survey that alumni want to know more about ways to volunteer and support UCD financially.
Thanks to your survey feedback we can improve our programme of alumni relations activity for you over the next five years. You said you wanted to hear more about what other alumni are up to, campus developments, UCD research and to hear from your School. You would like to go to more reunions, hear more about events related to your professional interests and attend more conferences like the annual Women in Leadership event. You want to hear more about the UCD University Club and would also like a more enhanced digital edition of UCD Connections. You want further opportunities to reconnect with your global alumni community online and at global events.
SURVEY RESULTS
Thank you, your valuable feedback will allow us to continue to improve our alumni programme of activities