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Representatives of Sumy State University took part in the Third Study Visit of the international project ALMEX – “Alumni Management Excellence: Building University Capacity for Sustainable Graduate Engagement” (Project No. 101236357, ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE), held on 6–10 July 2026 at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Poland. The five-day programme focused on one of the key priorities of a modern university: building systematic and sustainable engagement with alumni as an important component of institutional strategy.
The SumDU delegation included Alla Krasulia, Head of the International Relations Office, Associate Professor (PhD in Pedagogy); Alona Yevdokymova, Head of the Practice and Employer Relations Unit, Associate Professor at the Oleg Balatskyi Department of Management (PhD in Engineering); Anna Nenia, Head of the Department of Information Technologies, Associate Professor (PhD in Engineering); and Iryna Slabko, Head of the General Administration and International Protocol Unit of the International Relations Office.
The final study visit of the ALMEX project, following the visits to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands in March and the University of Alicante in Spain in May 2026, was hosted by the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. The event brought together representatives of the ALMEX partner institutions: the Ukrainian Catholic University, Zaporizhzhia National University, the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Sumy State University, and the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance.
Alumni as a Strategic Resource for Universities
Today, leading universities worldwide view alumni not merely as former students who once received a degree, but as long-term partners of their institutions. This philosophy formed the basis of the study visit to SGH, one of Central Europe’s leading universities of economics, which has consistently developed its alumni community and integrated alumni engagement into the university’s strategic development.
On the first day, participants explored SGH’s approaches to the strategic management of alumni relations. Professor Dorota Niedziółka, Vice-Rector for Development, presented the university’s vision of how alumni policy is embedded in its institutional mission, while University Chancellor Marcin Dąbrowski discussed the development and implementation of the SGH Alumni Strategy.
Particular interest was generated by the presentation of ELA, Poland’s national graduate tracking system. The system demonstrates how analytical data on alumni career paths can be used to improve academic programmes, assess their effectiveness, and anticipate labour-market needs.
From Individual Activities to a Comprehensive Engagement Ecosystem
The second day focused on the practical aspects of alumni engagement. The SGH Career and Alumni Centre team presented its operating model, ranging from daily communication and career services to the development of an active alumni community that remains an integral part of university life even decades after graduation.
Participants explored in detail the marketing tools used to support the alumni community, approaches to alumni branding, and mentoring programmes that connect students, graduates, and employers. Particular attention was given to how the university creates an environment in which professional contacts develop into long-term partnerships.
On the same day, the Ukrainian delegation visited the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland, where they met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar. The discussion focused on opportunities for Ukrainian universities to cooperate with alumni currently living in Poland, the development of Ukrainian-Polish academic partnerships, and the role of modern diplomacy in strengthening international university relations.
Special emphasis was placed on the potential of Ukrainian alumni abroad to become important university partners, contribute to international projects, academic mobility, and professional networks, and maintain strong ties with their home institutions regardless of their country of residence.
Digital Technologies and the Evolving Role of Alumni
The third and fourth days of the study visit focused on the digital transformation of alumni engagement and on integrating graduates into all key areas of university development.
Participants explored modern customer relationship management (CRM) systems for alumni engagement, data protection in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the use of artificial intelligence to personalise communication, automate services, and analyse alumni engagement. The programme also showcased SGH’s experience in developing alumni associations and building partnerships with businesses, entrepreneurs, and civil society organisations, creating a comprehensive ecosystem of collaboration between the university and its external stakeholders.
A dedicated session examined the relationship between the student experience, educational quality, and alumni engagement. Participants discussed the role of alumni in international accreditation frameworks, including AACSB, EQUIS, BGA, and BSIS, where alumni engagement is recognised as one of the indicators of institutional quality. Particular interest was also generated by SGH’s experience in engaging its international alumni through the CEMS network, as well as by the SGH Alumni Association, which implements professional, educational, and social initiatives while actively contributing to the university’s continued development.
From Learning to Implementation
The final day focused on the European dimension of alumni engagement and planning the next stages of the ALMEX project. Participants explored European approaches to graduate tracking, discussed opportunities to integrate Ukrainian universities into international professional networks, and participated in a working session on implementing the project's upcoming activities. The delegation also visited Europa Experience, the European Parliament’s interactive educational centre in Warsaw, where participants learned about innovative approaches to public engagement and communication used by the institutions of the European Union.
During the concluding discussions, the ALMEX partners agreed on the next steps for implementing the project’s work packages. By the end of November 2026, each Ukrainian partner university is expected to establish a bilingual Alumni Web Hub integrated into its official university website and to develop the institutional framework for implementing a modern CRM system to support alumni engagement.
The next phase of the project will focus on training university teams in alumni platform administration, data management, digital services, and strategic alumni engagement. Overall, the project will prepare at least 40 specialists from the four Ukrainian partner universities, strengthening their capacity to develop sustainable and effective alumni relations.
From International Experience to Institutional Change at SumDU
For Sumy State University, participation in the study visit marked another important step in its ongoing efforts to modernise university services and adopt international best practices in institutional management.
Today’s universities do not end their relationship with students on graduation day. Rather, graduation marks the beginning of a new stage of partnership. Alumni can serve as mentors, employers, guest lecturers, donors, partners in international projects, members of advisory boards, ambassadors of their alma mater, and an invaluable source of feedback for the continuous improvement of academic programmes.
For SumDU, participation in the ALMEX project represents a transition from learning about European best practices to putting them into practice. In the coming months, the University will focus on developing a modern bilingual Alumni Web Hub, introducing a digital alumni engagement system, training a dedicated team of CRM specialists, and building a new partnership model in which alumni become active contributors to the University's strategic development.
This approach reflects the contemporary European vision of a university as an open and connected community that brings together students, academic staff, alumni, employers, and international partners around a shared mission.
Follow the project updates on the official website and social media channels.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almex_eu/
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FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
