University of Nottingham Malaysia organised alumni reunions for graduates of the University from the Nottingham campuses, in Malaysia, China and the United Kingdom. Two reunions were hosted in Accra, Ghana on 2 November and Nigeria on 7 November respectively.
According to University of Nottingham Malaysia Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Andy Chan: “Our alumni are a very dynamic group who have gone on to be leaders in their own fields. It is always great to meet with them and engage with them, especially like the one we had in Africa recently. We are hopeful that this engagement will bear fruit in the future.”
Reunion at Ghana
The session was held at the quaint Buka Restaurant in Osu, Accra. It started with a welcome address by University of Nottingham Malaysia Professor Dr Nashiru Billa, a Ghanaian by descent, and lecturer at the School of Pharmacy. The Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Faculty of Science encouraged alumni to stay connected with the University by going online and registering their contact details with the alumni database available on the Universities’ websites. He also encouraged alumni to return to further their studies. His call was lauded by the alumni community who attended the event.
Associate Professor Dr Yousif Abdalla Abakr from the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Material Engineering of University of Nottingham Malaysia encouraged alumni to volunteer as e-mentors and invited the alumni to revisit the University to experience its growth and for networking opportunities. He also invited the alumni community to deposit their profiles and CVs with the Alumni and Donor Relations Office because the University is constantly searching for alumni laureates and other opportunities for the alumni community.
There were members of the alumni who had travelled from across Africa to participate in the event to meet their fellow alma mater. The fruitful evening ended with handshakes and cheers with members promising to organise individual meetings to further carry out networking activities.
Reunion in Abuja, Nigeria
The reunion was held at the Garden in British Council, Abuja and it was attended by Deputy High Commissioner Harriet Thompson and dignitaries from the National Universities Council, British Nigeria Academy, Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency, Civil Societies, academics and entrepreneurs, among others.
The welcome address was delivered by alumnus Adoki T Isaac who was the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s former President of Student Association at University of Nottingham Malaysia from 2009 to 2010. Isaac had flown from Port Harcourt for the reunion. He called for the alumni to form an informal group to remain connected and volunteer to become administrators of the alumni group.
Professor Andy Chan reiterated the quality of Nottingham’s education and lauded the impressive turn out from Nottingham’s alma mater. He expressed his joy of meeting his former students so far away from home.
Alumnus Professor Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary from the National University Council expressed his delight at having to participate in the prestigious event. He volunteered to fund alumni conference, which will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange and networking in 2019.
The evening concluded in high spirits and with a promise of a meeting again next year.
The alumni reunions in West Africa were organised following a workshop on renewable energy ‘Energy for Life’ at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi, Nigeria, and after a series of meetings with donor agencies and Universities in both Ghana and Nigeria. The University of Nottingham Malaysia also delivered recycled desktop computers to ATBU as a donation.
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For more information please contact Amaravathy Sivalingam, Alumni and Donor Relations Manager and for media enquiries please contact, Josephine Dionisappu, PR & Communications Manager on Josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my.
(Article image caption: (seated in the front row, third from left) Professor Andy Chan and (seated forth from left) Professor Abubakar Rasheed.
(Thumbnail image caption: Professor Nashiru Billa (front row, extreme left) and Dr Yousif Abdalla Abubakr (extreme right, back row) with the alumni at the Ghana reunion).
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
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Posted on 22nd November 2018