Over 30 international alumni club leaders from around the globe met virtually on January 20 to network, brainstorm and celebrate the Buckeye community. Club representatives from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates joined hosts Daniel Rodriguez, regional engagement officer, The Ohio State University Alumni Association, and Angha Childress, executive director, international advancement, Office of Advancement, for the first-of-its-kind meetup.
Instrumental in leveraging Buckeye connections and engagements globally, Ohio State representatives from the Global Gateways in Brazil, China and India shared new methods for interacting and connecting with industry, academia and government agencies.
In addition to thanking the clubs for hosting numerous virtual events during the pandemic, Rodriguez discussed the importance of raising the visibility of noteworthy international alumni and ways to promote alumni stories in the Ohio State Alumni Magazine. He noted that the “Alumni Spotlight” features, published in the Global Gateways newsletters, are good examples of profiles that highlight Buckeye accomplishments in many industries. International Advancement is also launching a quarterly e-newsletter aimed at promoting international expertise of Ohio State alumni, faculty and students.
Building on previous experience hosting alumni reunions, Childress shared her vision for Ohio State’s inaugural international alumni reunion in key markets. She will share best practices and help set the path for an in-person international alumni gathering in 2023.
Childress also explained how alumni can play a critical role in international representation on campus. She noted that the naming of Alice Mong, executive director of Asia Society, to the Board of Directors for the Alumni Association was a strategic effort to increase representation from different countries.
Participants appreciated the initiative to bring together alumni leaders to better understand the role alumni play in making Ohio State a globally engaged university.
Representing the India Alumni Club, Akshay Nair, president, and Ruchit Shah, vice president, were interested in learning about best practices from other alumni clubs. Roberto Abramson and Gustavo Ribeiro, president and vice president respectively of the Alumni Club of Brazil are developing international networking opportunities and organizing mentoring opportunities for Brazilians interested in studying abroad.
The five alumni clubs in the greater China region are hosting career panels to increase awareness of different industries. The Shenzhen and Shanghai Alumni Club will co-host a panel in cross-board e-commerce in March 2022.
Johnwei Muljono, president, Indonesia Alumni Club, discussed potential business partnerships and government relationships between alumni and prospective students.