We are currently working on setting up an alumni network. As the first graduates only completed their studies in 2013, this will certainly take some time. The plan is to have and maintain a database of interested alumni from 2015. In addition, an alumni newsletter will be published and sent out once a year.
Contact with alumni of the degree program is not only important to us in order to find out what career opportunities our graduates have and in which professional fields they are working. We also want to use the experience of our alumni in order to - through lectures, workshops. teaching assignments, etc. - to bring practical knowledge to the university and the degree program and thus strengthen career preparation for Master's students.
We assume that an alumni network can also benefit graduates themselves in their future careers. Exchanging ideas and 'networking' in appropriate forums or at events should be an important reason to participate in alumni activities.
After all, the university is always interested in gaining sponsors for its educational and research work (which can also be done through the Association of Friends and Sponsors).
If you would like to become an alumnus of the degree program and participate in the (future) alumni network, please send an e-mail to the head of the degree program Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Raj Kollmorgen(r.kollmorgen(at)hszg.de) with an appropriate 'subject' and his or her private e-mail address, at which he/she can (most probably) be reached in the coming years. This will be added to a mailing list which will be used once the network has been established.
First alumni meeting in the Management of Social Change degree program
On June 8, 2018, the first meeting of graduates of the Master's degree course in Management of Social Change took place together with current students in the Blue Box. The occasion was the fifth anniversary of the first graduations after the course was introduced in 2011.
After a brief welcome by the course coordinator, Professor Dr. Raj Kollmorgen, the first step was to see where everyone currently stands. Everyone was able to briefly describe their current professional situation. It became clear that the alumni work in a variety of areas in the education sector, administration and politics. Some are (part-time) researchers or have corresponding intentions, for example by doing a doctorate.
The impulses that graduates and students have taken away from their studies are equally diverse. In particular, the view beyond the boundaries of the subject and into the depths of previously unnoticed contexts were praised. Difficulties were also mentioned that related to the short duration of the course, the scheduling of individual courses and the sometimes large difference in prior knowledge between students with different BA degrees. The ongoing re-accreditation process will examine the extent to which these structural difficulties can be remedied or mitigated.
There was also intensive discussion on the question of how alumni work can be maintained in the future. Various possibilities were discussed through the use of social media, existing mailing lists and regular meetings. For example, the annual matriculation meetings at the end of the degree course could be expanded accordingly. There is a great deal of interest among graduates, students and course directors alike in deepening internal networking and thus providing students with current practical impulses.
The meeting concluded in the early evening with individual discussions in a relaxed atmosphere.
Report: Cornelia Müller, member of staff on the degree program