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International Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� alumni communities bring together different people who have one important thing in common. Whether it was just an exchange semester or an entire PhD, they all spent a formative time of their lives at UU. Jian Xu and Chloe Lim, active members of the UU Alumni Network Singapore, reflect on the bonds created by this joint experience.

Alumni events really deepen my connection to the Netherlands – and build new ties here in Singapore

“There is a really vibrant alumni community in Singapore, and Chloe is one of the very active members despite the fact that she joined only recently,” explains Jian, a Shanghaiborn professor of Plant Systems Physiology at Radboud ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� in Nijmegen. He just moved back to the Netherlands after working for the National ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of Singapore for over a decade. “We organize our activities depending on the opportunities that come along. For example, when Bert van der Zwaan, former Rector Magnificus of UU, came to Singapore we asked him to give a lecture to alumni and then we all had dinner and drinks together.”

“That’s usually how it works,” Singapore native Chloe chips in. She is an economics graduate who spent an exchange semester in Utrecht, and now works for BMW Asia in Singapore. “We set up events maybe two to three times a year. We try to make them interesting by including a lecture or a museum visit, and we serve nice Dutch food to attract people. Our focus right now is on building the community. We contact people through the university and by word of mouth.”

IT PAYS OFF TO INVEST IN ALUMNI COMMUNITIES

“The alumni community in Singapore has been around for quite some time, but it became really active within the last few years,” Jian explains. “We have some very enthusiastic members and a core group has emerged to drive the organisational side. On top of that, the UU Alumni Office has started supporting more activities, which makes things a lot easier for us. After all, we do need some budget to organise things. Especially if we want to make it interesting and convenient for alumni to attend."

"The investment is worth it, because you meet many good friends and people from different fields. Moreover, as I will be based in Singapore as a visiting professor for two months every year, I really look forward to maintaining these relationships and building new ones. It could even be interesting for future research collaborations.”

Chloe adds: “When I have interns at work I tend to tell them about UU and invite them to the alumni events. If they are looking to do a Master’s degree I convince them to talk to people from my network who have studied at UU. One of them applied to do his Master’s at UU now!”

A PERSONAL CONNECTION

“For a lot of alumni in Singapore, me included, this is one of the few places where we actually speak Dutch. Having lived and studied there, our connection with the Netherlands is very personal. There are a lot of Dutch UU alumni living and working in Singapore, so it’s nice to get together, speak the same language and understand the same culture. We talk about our lives in Utrecht and the things we miss, as well as recent news and what’s happening at UU and in the Netherlands in general,” says Chloe.

“Aside from alumni events, we also inform our group of other Dutch events. We have close ties to the Dutch embassy here, and they sometimes put on fun events like pancake making that alumni can enjoy.”

BEYOND UNIVERSITY BORDERS

“The connection is really not limited to the university,” says Jian. “It has a broader impact. Dutch alumni often have connections to more than one Dutch university and I personally do now, too! Those distinctions are not that important here from the Singaporean perspective. The main thing is the connection to the Netherlands.”

Chloe immediately sees an opportunity: “You know, we could set up a collaboration with other Dutch universities – some of them also have quite an established alumni community in Singapore so it wouldn’t hurt to join forces. If we can create synergies between different Dutch alumni communities here, we can get more activities, speakers, and a wider range of events.”

Jian: “That would be a win-win for all the universities.”