First USA alumni meeting of the University of Stuttgart

The University of Stuttgart's first networking meeting with alumni and alumnae in the USA took place in San Francisco in early October 2022. The goal of the DAAD-funded project was to give alumnae and alumni from the University of Stuttgart the opportunity to network in the USA, at a national and regional level and to ensure that the optimum conditions exist for sustainable cooperation. On behalf of the University of Stuttgart, Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel; Senior Advisor International Affairs Dr. Wolfgang Holtkamp; Vanessa Misirloglou, Head of the Office of Alumni Relations; and Lea Eyassu representing the Alumni Office; together with Sibylle Langer, Program Coordinator for North and Latin America at the International Office all attended the meeting.

With lectures, impulse lectures and group work, the alumni were informed about current projects at the University of Stuttgart, and the concept for promoting cooperation with university graduates. Guest speakers spoke about existing successful networks, not only at alumni level, but also at the university and regional levels. Through information and practical examples of successful alumni management, the participants learned how to ensure continued success in this area. Based on this, they joint proposals were developed to ensure sustainable alumni cooperation with the University of Stuttgart in the USA. Rector Wolfram Ressel emphasized: "The successful development of a North American network relies on the help of volunteers. Our alumnae and alumni are the ambassadors of the university."

The cultural highlight of the alumni meeting was a joint concert delivered by the academic orchestras of the University of Stuttgart and Stanford University.

The intensification of international alumni networking is part of the university's internationalization strategy and of the strategy and development plan. The University of Stuttgart's interdisciplinary Alumni network "alumnius" was founded in 2002 and promotes intercultural exchange and worldwide networking of alumnae and alumni with their alma mater. The alumni network offers a wide range of activities and services that promote mutual contact and the exchange of information between network members, thus maintaining a relationship not only to each other, but also to the alma mater. Among other events, an alumni meeting was held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2018 and an event at Tongji University in Shanghai, China, in 2019. Since 2020, these activities have been complemented by various virtual alumni gatherings, such as the monthly Global Hour.

"It's important to strengthen the connections between alumnae and alumni and the university. Every event, every project that focuses on this connection brings us closer to this goal," said the head of the Alumni Office, Vanessa Misirloglou when asked about the future of the network.