Professor Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria (UP), has been making contact with national and international alumni in an effort to get them more involved with the university.

Thus far, Prof Kupe has met with 25 UP alumni now based in New York, and shared with them important and progressive news about the university. While in the city, he also met with executives from Fordham University, including their president. UP is looking to grow student exchange programmes for both institutions, support multi-continent programmes, increase the number of Fulbright scholarships and encourage Fordham post-doctoral students to visit UP.

“Alumni are important stakeholders of the institution,” said Samantha Castle, Senior Manager at UP’s Alumni Relations Office. “Prof Kupe’s visits abroad are important to build UP’s international profile; he is focused on building the university’s reputation and increasing its international ranking. It is also important to make our alumni feel that they are still in touch with the university, irrespective of how far away they are. We aim to build a strong relationship with them and keep them updated about what is happening at UP all the time.”

As part of the visits, Prof Kupe is meeting with corporates as well as individuals that may be potential benefactors. He also aims to forge and strengthen UP’s relationship with international higher education institutions.

The Vice-Chancellor also networked with alumni from Gauteng at the beginning of June and met up with a few in London at the beginning of July. The university is looking at establishing a foundation in the UK – much like the one set up in the USA – through which London-based alumni can connect and receive perks and benefits.