The document proposes an inaugural "Alumni Week" at Plymouth University in April 2016 to raise awareness of alumni engagement and showcase how alumni can support the university. Activities will include launching a digital campaign to reconnect with lost alumni, an alumni portrait exhibition, events in key cities, and initiatives to promote student mentoring and employability. The goal is to increase alumni engagement by updating alumni records, recruiting mentors and volunteers, collecting alumni stories, and growing social media followers. The Alumni Advisory Board is asked to provide feedback on the proposed approach.

1. Enclosure E
Alumni Board
22 January 2016
Page 1
Alumni Week – April 2016
Author(s): Christian Burden, Director of Development
Jean Almond, Alumni Engagement Manager
1. Overview/Summary
Plymouth University's alumni community is made up of over 100,000 graduates in more than 100
countries, all with a special connection to the University.
Like most other UK universities, we are beginning to explore and develop the many ways in which
we can partner with our alumni to support the strategic priorities of the University, including student
recruitment, the student experience, student employability, internationalisation, and financial
sustainability . Over the last 18 months, a renewed connectivity with our alumni and a refocusing of
the work of the Development Office has produced a strong and well defined alignment between
alumni engagement and the strategic priorities of the University. Specifically, the Alumni
Engagement team has been reorganised and has led a number of new projects with measurable
outcomes against core business objectives. Projects such as the alumni portraits, alumni case study
bank, an enhanced database focus, and Plymouth Connect mean that more than ever before
alumni are able to play a key role in the future success of the University.
In order to raise engagement and awareness among students, staff, and the alumni themselves of
this renewed approach to alumni engagement and partnership, it is proposed that the University
launches the inaugural PU “Alumni Week” in 2016. The proposed date for this is the week
commencing 25 April 2016. The Alumni Engagement team will work with the Alumni Advisory Board
to lead on the planning and delivery of Alumni Week.
2. Aims
Alumni Week will provide the University with an annual concentrated focus on outreach and
engagement with our alumni around the world. Broadly speaking, the objectives of Alumni Week are
to:
1. raise awareness and profile of alumni ‘as partners’ to our students, staff, and the alumni
themselves:
o students would have a better understanding of what alumni are and how alumni can
help students – this awareness will then carry through with them after they graduate
and translate into a stronger ongoing relationship with the University. University staff
would better understand the infrastructure, staffing, and projects which are in place to
support their work, and embed alumni engagement as part of routine planning
2. showcase the benefits and outcomes that alumni engagement is providing for the University,
and promote ways in which alumni can support the University
3. Promote ways in which the University can support our alumni community and accelerate
rates of engagement
The purpose of this paper is to provide the Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) with the
intended approach for Alumni Week during April 2016
The Alumni Advisory Board is invited to note the event, and provide any relevant
feedback, advice, and support. It should be noted that the AAB is NOT expected to
run or manage this initiative.

2. Enclosure E
Alumni Board
22 January 2016
Page 2
3. Proposed format
Alumni Week is intended to shine a light on key alumni activities and good practice in alumni
engagement across Plymouth University:
Proposed activities include:
 launch a digital Lost Alumni campaign utilising social media to find and reconnect with lost
alumni worldwide, strengthen our alumni data and increase our followers
 launch of the Alumni Portrait Exhibition in the Cube3
Gallery, Portland Square(4-29th
April
2016) with a keynote speech by one of the alumni featured in the portraits and alumni
networking
 national alumni events in key cities and regions (tbc). London and Plymouth are focal points
for 2016
 Faculty forums for staff to find out about alumni engagement and discuss collaboration and
introduce Faculty Alumni Ambassadors
 mentoring events to promote Plymouth Connect mentoring opportunities to students (TBC -
run in Faculty by Careers and Employability)
 launch and installation of Faculty case studies in locations where there is student foot fall, (5
per Faculty TBC)
 encourage alumni to donate to the Plymouth Fund project
4. Desired Outcomes and key milestones
As a result of this week, we will:
 improve understanding and raise awareness amongst staff and students about alumni
engagement (measured via a perceptions survey)
o 100 new student mentees
o 10 new staff ‘alumni engagement’ ambassadors
 increase alumni awareness about University successes and ambitions
 increase alumni engagement with the University (for example):
o Improve the quality of our alumni database by updating alumni records and finding
‘lost’ alumni – aim to ‘find’ 5% of our selected lost alumni community
o generate 100 new alumni ‘employability ambassadors’ as mentors for students via
Plymouth Connect
o generate 10 new alumni ‘recruitment ambassadors / volunteers’
o generate 50 new alumni case studies to support recruitment and employability
o generate 1,000 new alumni social media followers across all platforms
o consolidate alumni groups / volunteers in key international regions
o secure 100 alumni donors to the Plymouth Fund
 encourage staff to engage and collaborate with the Alumni Engagement Team
 encourage staff to embed alumni engagement and outreach in their annual teaching,
learning and research plans
Budget
No additional budget is required for this activity.