Alumni look to the future

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Tags: Alumni Events, centenary, summer-2010

Tan Sri Dato’Seri Khalid bin Ibrahim participates in the Alumni Summit

Philanthropy will play an increasingly important role in shaping The University of Queensland in the coming decade, according to prominent UQ alumnus and philanthropist Andrew Brice.

“My rough calculation is the University’s going to be about $200 million per annum short of revenue in the next 10 to 15 years, and that equates to about $4 billion in an endowment fund returning 5%,” he said.

Speaking at the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Summit in July, the Wotif.com co-founder was one of 39 graduates who gathered at St Lucia to lend their expertise and express their views on the strategic direction of their alma mater.

The summit was held as part of the Alumni Reunion Weekend, and will help drive the University’s ambitious research, teaching and engagement objectives moving into its second century.

Participants encouraged the University to build strong links with its more than 180,000 alumni, to enlist their support to build the global esteem of the University, to recruit the most able students and staff, and to ensure the best career outcomes for its graduates.

Mr Brice said establishing a sense of belonging was crucial.

“It’s a bit like word-of-mouth and soul. It’s something that evolves. It has to be in the blood,” he said.

“My guess is, if you’re a graduate of Stanford University, you have had, from the day you walked in, this sense of being; this sense of being part of the soul; this sense of belonging.”

Lieutenant Colonel David Freeman, Chief Legal Officer, Department of Defence, referred to alumni as “disciples of the University”.

“Wherever we travel around the world, we trumpet the place, and that’s how alumni can prosper,” he said.

Professor John Cooper, Partner of Allens Arthur Robinson and Honorary Professor at the UQ Business School, said there were many ways alumni could contribute.

“Alumni have a lot to offer in terms of financial contributions, but they also have a lot to offer in terms of the learning, in terms of the discovery and in terms of engagement. We ought not to forget the roles the alumni can play in those other ways,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said UQ was grateful to the participants for sharing their insights and expertise.

“The educational philosophy, the focus on learning, the shifting of commitments to lower socio-economic and Indigenous students to front and centre, and the increased need to address all of UQ’s alumni are some of the key things I took away,” he said.

All alumni are invited to participate in further consultations planned for the near future.

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