The Future of Alumni Relations
Fortuitously themed “Alumni Relations in the Age of Disruption”, this year’s NUS Alumni Leaders Forum (ALF) was held on 18 July and saw over 100 alumni leaders come together virtually to discuss and explore how to shape Alumni Relations for the decade ahead.
Traditionally, the biennial ALF brings together alumni leaders and volunteers to share and brainstorm new ideas and best practices in alumni relations and volunteer engagement. This year’s discussions centred around three key areas – Alumni Relations, Disruptions in Technology, and Lifelong Learning. Attendees had breakout discussions on issues such as succession planning practices, the needs of NUS alumni, digital transformation during and beyond COVID-19, and lifelong learning goals.
Alumni leaders at ALF 2020.
The need for alumni to unite anew as a social compact, particularly in this trying time, was also keenly felt by attendees. As NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science ’85) highlighted in his keynote address, “In a time when complexities and the pressures of new demands threaten to tear us apart, it is not enough to be one thread thick — we must deepen to two if not three threads deep. In order to thrive in a complex and uncertain future, we must look at how we can effectively transform ourselves into a social compact.”
Overall, it was a morning of fruitful and meaningful conversations. Just before the closing plenary, NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost Professor Ho Teck Hua (Engineering ’85) launched the new AlumAPP – a mobile application to help the NUS alumni community remain engaged, connected, and informed.