Central Alumni Management: The start of a strong community United for the future with strong ties already during the studies
Since the beginning of the year, the Alumni Management at Technische Universität Braunschweig has been growing with a new team. The team, which is based in the Relationship Management department of the Transfer Service, is putting a lot of energy and commitment into establishing a central network. The existing decentralised alumni associations are an important part of this. The alumni work aims to establish a long-term relationship with former students, but also to support and promote current students and to spread the good reputation and success of TU Braunschweig. Registration for the central alumni network and the LinkedIn alumni group is now possible.
The team of the Alumni & Career Service Centre has started its work: (from left) Maike Stelter, Kseniia Dombrovska, Henning Karsten, Melanie Schaller, Knud Ahlborn and Sarah Potstada. Photo credit: Kristina Rottig/TU Braunschweig
A breath of fresh air for Alumni Management
Diagonally opposite the House of Science on the other side of the Rebenring, the alumni team has moved into its new office in the historic Gründervilla. Maike Stelter and Melanie Schaller share responsibility for communication and marketing, while Kseniia Dombrovska is in charge of building up the database. The team is completed by Knud Ahlborn and Sarah Postada from the Career Service and Henning Karsten, who is responsible for foundation management and fundraising. Three of them are TU Braunschweig alumni themselves. All team members have a personal connection to their alma mater. This should also become the basis for the connection between TU Braunschweig and its alumni, who not only studied and researched during their time at the university, but also helped to shape the development and history of the university.
Alumni associations have a long tradition at TU Braunschweig. Up to now, the associations have been decentralised in the individual faculties or study programmes, where important emotional anchors are set. For this reason, the Alumni Management at TU Braunschweig relies on a combination of centralised and decentralised alumni work, which is mutually beneficial.
Alumni work starts during the studies
The goal of the Alumni & Career Service Centre team at TU Braunschweig is to establish an identity and a “we-feeling” among alumni and to strengthen their loyalty to the university in the long term. A close bond between alumni and the university requires an appreciative attitude towards students from the very first semester. Opportunities for face-to-face meetings, joint projects and other emotional points of contact need to be created during the course.
The Career Service is a key element in creating a strong bond between students and TU Braunschweig. The Career Service is a valuable resource for students by providing targeted support in career planning and job-related qualifications. The opportunity to gain an early insight into the world of work and prepare for the challenges of professional life through intensive counselling and a wide range of orientation services contributes significantly to graduates feeling part of the alumni community at TU Braunschweig, not only during their studies but also beyond, because “it is often these alumni who are happy to return to share their professional experience with current students and give them an insight into their job profiles and career paths,” says Knud Ahlborn.
Emotional connection: The pillar of alumni work
The cooperation between alumni and TU Braunschweig should not be a one-way street and should offer numerous advantages for both sides. “Our alumni are authentic ambassadors for the university and contribute to the positive image of TU Braunschweig,” says Henning Karsten. “With their commitment and achievements, they make a significant contribution not only to the reputation but also to the further development of TU Braunschweig.” Networking among alumni also has many benefits for both the university and the alumni themselves, who share their time and experience. “Alumni are welcome to get actively involved in the alumni network, take part in events and find out about news and developments at the university,” says Maike Stelter.
“We are not an association and we don’t charge membership fees, but we rely on mutual relationships,” says Henning Karsten. Membership of the alumni network is open not only to former students, but also to all former employees and academics.
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The team has big plans for 2024: The 34 alumni portraits are already up and running. “Anyone can take part and tell us what connects them to their alma mater,” says Sarah Potstada. “Maybe you will find someone you know, or maybe you know an alumnus or alumna who should appear here.”
Centralised and decentralised events, networking meetings, a podcast and campus tours await alumni. “Alumni can contact us for group tours and we will then explore the campus with them to reminisce or discover previously undiscovered places,” says Melanie Schaller. There are also plans to launch an online university shop in the second half of the year, which will expand the existing merchandising to include an extensive range of textiles.
The Alumni Management’s LinkedIn channel has already been launched for networking purposes. “We are looking forward to many new followers on our channel and invite everyone to register in our database, which will be launched soon,” says Kseniia Dombrovska. “Whether you studied together or were active in university sports, the database offers many more opportunities to network.”