Alumni reconnect with AUT
In May, the School of Communication Studies and AUT’s alumni department hosted an exclusive event at the Auckland Art Gallery. Over 120 alumni attended, catching up with old friends among students and staff.
As a school famous for producing household names, the guest list included the ‘who’s who’ of the communications industry and included great graduates like Dominic Bowden.
Alumni came to connect with each other and learn about recent developments at AUT from the Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack.
The event also featured a private showing of the Manifesto Exhibition, the New Zealand premiere of Julian Rosefeldt’s immersive 13-channel film installation Manifesto, featuring Cate Blanchett.
Alumni were enthusiastic about the evening.
“It’s fantastic AUT is investing in alumni events. There is so much value created from us graduates being connected and on board with where the university is heading,” said Joanna James, communication studies alumna (2002) and PR Director at FCB.
The event is just one of many alumni events that have taken place around the world over the past year as AUT has ramped up its alumni engagement efforts.
Head of School, Professor Berrin Yanikkaya, shared some of her vision for where the School of Communication Studies is heading during this time of rapid technological change. "The Bachelor of Communication Studies is the flagship qualification of the school, and this is a time of change for the degree. We are moving towards a more flexible curriculum, that focuses on the digital age which, is the context our graduates enter when they leave university.”
Director Alumni Relations Sam Mickell sees a very clear benefit for AUT investing in engaging alumni. “AUT has over 100,000 graduates worldwide and staying in touch means they are more likely to advocate for us.”
See a full video of the event here.