I hope this finds you, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing, in good spirits. I am sure that all of you have been affected, both personally and professionally, by the global pandemic and the restrictions it has brought with it since February-March. It is now a cliché to begin an email with ‘I hope you are doing ok in these strange/weird/extreme times’, but it shows that we are struggling to come to terms with what is going on, and how our lives are being changed, perhaps without us actually realising it. As Bob Dylan once said: “There’s something happening here, but you don’t know what it is….”

I became the new Programme Chair on 1 February, little realising that within six weeks the programme would be turned upside down as we switched rapidly to online education. Nice timing on my part! I’ve been teaching in the programme since its first year, 2012-2013, and I’ve been involved in its development closely since then. It is an honour to now be in the ‘hot seat’ as the director of the programme.

After International Studies 
As our alumni, you are a vital community for us. You may think you have moved on and International Studies is receding into the distant past, but we are very interested in how you are doing and what your next steps are, and we’d love to stay in touch. You can tell us many important things – how does International Studies provide for your next steps in academia? How many of you have aimed for a Masters and then a PhD? How many of you are now making your way in the fields of public administration and management, the commercial sector, or elsewhere? Knowing these kinds of things help us to reflect on what we do, and how we can do it better. In this sense, you alumni are our most important ‘focus group’! 

From our previous surveys we know that over 50% of you go on to take a Masters after graduation, but there are also a substantial number who have taken a year out to explore new options, or take on a job with prospects and set up your life differently after several years of studying. We know that for many of you the multidisciplinary approach, the regional focus, and the multicultural student environment of International Studies have provided a broad-based foundation for what you do next. 

We know from our surveys that International Studies graduates do very well in terms of the type of work found and how soon it can be found. This is a major plus for us as a programme, and for you as graduates. We are gathering the latest input on this point and intend to come with facts and figures to demonstrate this soon.

Contribute to Alumni Dreams
We have interesting stories from you, involving positions gained at multinational corporations and NGOs, at the UN and in diplomacy, politics, media, and education (and sometimes as a tutor in our own programme!) But we’d appreciate hearing about your recent experiences. You can send us your latest updates via our colleague Sarita Koendjbiharie who will be updating the Alumni Dreams, which you are very welcome to contribute to. 

Using the hashtags #alumnidreaming #internshipsmiling on LinkedIn, we warmly invite past & present students and employers to share stories and advice aimed at supporting each others’ growth in present times (read more). 

Graduation Ceremony 2020 is on
We are thrilled that we can hold our graduation ceremony this year ‘as usual’ – I say ‘as usual’ because we are unable to allow guests this time, and the ceremony will be divided up to accommodate no more than 100 people at one time. We look forward to celebrating the opening up of new possibilities for a new batch of graduates as they leave International Studies.  The alumni network will therefore have over 300 new members by 28 August! 

But what do ‘new possibilities’ mean for you all in Corona-times?  
Universities are changing, the workplace is changing, society is changing – and now we are facing the additional upheavals of a looming economic recession. Technology is increasingly defining our choices, and who we are – if we allow it to. You are being asked to be more flexible, to learn new skills, perhaps to delay your ambitions – and yet still have trust in what will follow. Psychologically, it’s a testing time. I have no doubt you have the capacities to see it through in your own particular ways, and shape your own futures. I look forward to staying in touch, and to hearing your stories. Stay well, stay safe, and stay together (responsibly)!

Prof. Giles Scott-Smith
Programme Chair
BA International Studies