Many alumni remember their university experience as a formative part of their life. Whether in the halls, in class or at the library, many students and professors at the university have forged fruitful learning relationships and taken the first steps towards their future careers. The UPF Alumni programme's value lies precisely in its ability to conserve these synergies, prolonging the institution’s relationship with all those people who one day formed a part of it.

How did it come about?

According to Anaís Tarragó, director of the UPF Foundation, which manages the UPF Alumni programme, ‘There weren’t, and still aren’t, any clear precedents in the country outside of business schools.’ The programme was launched in 2009, based on the work of student associations such as Antics UPF and for the purpose of promoting the university amongst its alumni, members of the local and international academic community, and the institutional and business world. 

‘Although the programme draws heavily on the Anglo-Saxon tradition’, Tarragó explained, ‘it is not really comparable, as we do not have the same tools.’ Nevertheless, she continued, ‘we do share some of the same philosophy, such as the desire to foster a sense of belonging amongst students, not only when they are at university, but also after they graduate'. ‘Alumni are a vital part of the university and some of our best ambassadors to the world’, stressed Mònica Figueras, vice-rector for Social Responsibility and Promotion. ‘We cannot afford to lose touch with them.’ 

According to Figueras, ‘So far, nearly 13,000 UPF alumni have joined the programme in order to maintain contact with the university.’ 

What does the future hold for the programme?

One of the services UPF Alumni offers, along with its Career Services, is to provide alumni with the necessary tools to boost their careers, whether in the form of orientation courses, mentoring or other continuing education activities. It is a clear commitment that strengthens bonds and bears witness to all that UPF has to offer its students once they move on from university. 

‘Of course, we have 25 years of alumni, and the needs and interests of the earliest graduating classes are clearly quite different from those of the most recent ones’, explained Tarragó. Consequently, one of the programme’s short-term goals is to provide services, activities, forums and meeting points to foster participation and cooperation between the university and its alumni. ‘We need to offer forums and networks for alumni to meet up, not only amongst themselves, but also with the entire university community, to share interests and create value together in order to ensure that UPF remains a university of excellence.’

To offer a more attractive programme for all the university’s graduating classes, ‘we need to proactively seek out alumni who have not kept in touch’, Tarragó added.

Thus, within the context of the university’s 25th anniversary and its strategic plan for the next ten years, alumni have emerged as a key factor in the university’s relationships with industry and society. ‘The university has made an effort to track down the members of the first ten graduating classes, and it has successfully contacted a total of 5,200 alumni from the classes of 1994 to 2004, 52.2% of all graduates from those years’, explained Figueras. One of the first outreach activities was the 1st Alumni Meeting, held in September on the Ciutadella campus and attended by more than 1,200 alumni. The meeting served to establish an initial line of collaboration amongst the entire UPF community and to determine what needs and interests alumni have in relation to the university.

In this respect, the 2016-2025 Strategic Plan is a good example of twoway participation, as ‘it was not designed solely by the university, without any understanding of people’s real needs, but rather was prepared with the collaboration and participation of alumni themselves’, Figueras explained. ‘UPF wants to create a joint programme that really takes into account what alumni think it should be’, she concluded.

Personal experiences

Aurora Sanz (Law, 1995)

 Aurora Sanz recalls her years at UPF as ‘a very enriching experience’. She joined the UPF Alumni programme, first, ‘out of a desire to stay in touch with friends with whom I shared those incredibly important years’. Second, she explained, ‘It allowed me to follow what the new student profiles are like from a prudent distance, to see how the new generations of professionals are coming up through the ranks.’ One of the most gratifying aspects of being a member ‘was participating in the graduation ceremony for law students in the class of 2014’, as it ‘brought back a lot of good memories’.

Pau Agulló (Economics, 1997)

 Ever since he graduated, Pau Agulló has kept up his relationship with the university. ‘Maintaining the link to UPF helped me stay in touch with friends and allowed me to participate actively in training activities and talks’, he explained. This bond led him to be one of the featured speakers at the 1st UPF Alumni Meeting, where he was a panellist in an open discussion amongst various alumni entitled “La universitat, un camí d’anada i tornada” (‘University: a two-way street’). His close relationship with the university and his continued contact with various lecturers have also led him to participate as a teacher in the Data Science programme at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.

Ksenia Klykova (Audiovisual Communication, 2015)

 Although Ksenia Klykova only recently completed her degree in Audiovisual Communication, she knew she wanted to join the programme from the moment she graduated. ‘I discovered it whilst collaborating at the university library; a lot of the patrons had UPF Alumni cards, and it piqued my interest.’ She remembers her time at UPF as a very positive and enriching period, and she wants to maintain her relationship with the school, amongst other things, because ‘the programme offers some very practical services that could help me with my career’. One such service is the Career Guidance Service, launched in the 2014/2015 academic year, which has generated considerable interest amongst alumni.