Just as everyone was arriving back at College after the Christmas break, I was leaving on an eight-day trip with the Rector to visit alumni in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore – India.
This had to be one of the best working-weeks of the job so far, not only because I was half way round the other side of the world – miles from eActivities, funding discussions and JCR sandwiches – but also because some of the alumni I've now met are truly inspirational and supportive of both the College and Union.
This was my first trip to India – Asia, even – and so, admittedly some things came as a bit of a shock. The phrase 'fuel efficiency' is yet to reach there, as cars, buses, bikes, and cows (literally) all ignore the road markings and make for an 'interesting' road experience as they pelt through city streets; overtaking, swerving and miraculously avoiding crashing. I'd prepared myself for the worst (as someone with a relatively low ability to handle spice) when it came to food, but everything we ate whilst there was surprisingly mild (but, given the venues the Alumni meets were held, unsurprisingly high quality).
At each city, I gave a presentation on the 'student experience' about the wide range of activities, opportunities, events and experiences students benefit from today, alongside an update on the facilities, retained customs and international reputation of College as a whole. This was followed up by a brief video - not-too-dissimilar to the one you'll have all seen on your first day at the College, (however many years ago) that is played by the President each year.
The alumni that attended these events ranged from students back in the 1950's through to postgrads who are about to graduate in May 2013. One gentleman remembered The Union Bar being built in 1957 and I took great pleasure in telling him it had just – a couple of weeks ago – celebrated its 56th birthday, virtually unchanged!
Many of the alumni who attended are part of the Imperial College India Foundation (ICIF), and the Imperial College Association of India (ICAI). Members of these organisations regularly donate funds to both the Foundation (which sponsors scholarships to Indian students) and the College (who provide scholarships to students from all over the World) and give generously after benefiting greatly from their degree and being successful in their careers.
Imperial alumni we met ranged from academics who hold professorships at IISc, to the Chairman of one of the largest conglomerates (Tata Sons) in the world; ex-pats who live in India for work in the drilling industry, to the MD of a number of Indian theme parks.
Alongside these alumni meets, a number of other meetings were held to drum up collaboration between Imperial, Indian universities and industry. The Rector was obviously more involved in that than me, but I had some genuinely interesting conversations (and hopefully left a good enough impression that they won't because of me not link-up with Imperial) with a foundation that provides a wide range of services in India, including healthcare and education.
Some of the current students of the College will be funded by alumni donors. Thanks to the success of past alumni and their subsequent generosity, the College can continue to fund the brightest new students through University, retaining its position at the top of the World rankings in the sector. All of the alumni I met had fond memories of their times at University; many of them missed the place and were jealous of the new opportunities available to students, through both the College and the Union. Notable exceptions of interest in historical customs occurred; the theme park tycoon for instance was relieved to hear that you can still do yards in the bar.
The work of the ICIF and ICAI has so far been focussed on supporting current students (with funding) and graduates (with a support network). They are keen however to increase the awareness of Imperial across India, and to provide advice to students applying to the University. If you're based in or from India and this sounds like something you'd get involved in, I'd urge you to get in touch with them. Similarly for students from around the world, and the UK, we all know that one thing we need to help push is raising the profile of the College, and there are Alumni networks across the globe. In raising the profile, we'll all benefit (and get the credit we deserve...) when we say we 'have a degree from Imperial'!
