Dagmar Möbius

TUD Rector Prof. Ursula Staudinger embraces the value of international alumni work. In an interview with KONTAKT, she explains why TU Dresden is proactively approaching alumni, what the university hopes to gain from its alumni network and what role this play in its overall identity.

And what role does alumni work play in the context of TU Dresden's Excellence Initiative?

Alumni work is a central pillar of our excellence strategy. It is our most important tool to continuously increase the international visibility of our university. We consider our alumni to be ambassadors for our university in their home countries or in countries where they work. They play a pivotal role, and this is precisely why we have earmarked funds within our excellence budget to further promote alumni work. A coordinating position in the Alumni Office provides the much needed backing for international alumni and helps us to bolster the support for our Alumni Ambassadors. We make sure to regularly invite them back to their alma mater during the International Alumni Weeks. Our international alumni in turn provide us with valuable feedback on how they perceive the university and its development.

As TUD’s Rector, you are personally highly committed to international alumni work. What can Germany, and TUD in particular, learn from the alumni culture present in other countries?

I think this alumni culture has been somewhat lost in Germany. But we did used to have it. The term Alma Mater specifically refers to this. But after the Second World War, we failed to keep it up and buttress this system for ourselves. Alumni culture indeed plays a very central role in the USA - but the university funding system in America is different from that in Germany or Europe. Through our national and international university networking efforts, we have rediscovered the significance of alumni work and are now actively working to strengthen it. In addition to the faculties, which also carry out their own alumni work, the whole university is proactively pursuing alumni work too. It is of the utmost importance to us to stay in contact with the institutions and organizations in science, industry, politics and society where our graduates have continued on to employment. Our international alumni are the best way to make TUD visible as an institution.

Are there any specific experiences you have had with people or institutions that have made a lasting impression on you?

Absolutely. There have been two highlights that I’d like to mention from my time in office so far. Every time I’m set to embark on an international trip for the university, we find out which local alumni we can get in touch with there. Then, we meet up for either breakfast or lunch. Recently, we have been almost overwhelmed by the response to our joint invitation via the International Office and the Alumni Office - not only on the East Coast in Boston, but also on the West Coast in San Francisco. Although some of the arrangements and meet ups were at very short notice. From the Silicon Valley area in San Francisco alone, an astounding 60 people came to the event, which we had organized with a local partner at the SAP office.

It was a fascinating experience and incredibly touching to see our alumni’s interest in the development of TUD. We had very specific talking points, such as how we can establish strong contacts with venture capital funds in Silicon Valley for our start-ups. This is something that we want to systematically develop. This coming fall, I will be traveling to Asia with the Minister President of Saxony. In Taipei and Singapore, as well as at the World Expo in Osaka, we are looking to join hands with our alumni ambassadors to organize events and increase our networking prowess in Southeast Asia.

What are your hopes for the future of our TUD alumni?

I think it starts with: "Experience good things and spread the word about them." In other words, to remember at every opportunity, in conversations, at parties or even in a professional context, how much you have benefited from your education at TUD and how excited you are for the development of your Alma Mater as one of only eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany. That our alumni provide information and build bridges for people who are looking to implement something in the respective country in response to inquiries from the Alumni Office. That they open doors and facilitate, that would be wonderful.

We do already have the Saxon Science Liaison Offices, but these do not yet exist in all the countries where we want to be active. The Alumni Ambassadors play an essential role in bringing our efforts to fruition. For example, an ambassador in Japan has already offered her help and support for our visit to Osaka.

Is there anything else you would like to say to all TUD alumni to finish?

I would really like to emphasize the very fundamental importance of alumni work and alumni. In their internationality and diversity, alumni are an important part of our identity as a university and we benefit greatly from their feedback. And we are very keen to implement this feedback in our continued development. Alumni are not only part of our past, but also of our present and the future. It is crucial to me that we are very open and make every effort to listen to and actively benefit from what our alumni have to give us. We will celebrate this unique, 200-year period of history at TUD in 2028, which will be characterized as a journey of continuous transformation. These are the concepts which have always been present at the university since its inception-change, renewal and transformation. And it is from this transformation that we draw our strength as an institution.

Thank you for the interview, Prof. Staudinger!

Contact:
TU Dresden
Directorate 7, Unit 7.3 Marketing and Relationship Management
Alumni Relations Office

to the Alumni Ambassador website