University of Melbourne launches Global Alumni Ambassadors Program

MUMBAI, India, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Melbourne, Australia's leading university and ranked 14^th globally, has launched its Alumni Network and Melbourne Global Alumni Ambassadors Program in India as part of a week-long series of events to deepen engagement with students and stakeholders across the country.

The University's Indian alumni cohort is one of the largest global alumni communities residing outside of Australia. The India Alumni Network and Ambassadors program will provide new opportunities for local alumni to connect with each other, expand their networks and grow community engagement initiatives across several cities within India. 

The program was launched during the University's senior academic engagement delegation to India in September, led by the University of Melbourne Provost, Professor Nicola Phillips. Professor Phillips, the standing deputy to the Vice-Chancellor and the Chief Academic Officer of the University, scheduled her first institutional visit to India as Provost to coincide with a number of important education partnership meetings and celebrations. 

"The University of Melbourne takes great pride in the strong partnerships developed in India and it has been my privilege to see for myself the mutual benefit, capability build, and impact we are creating together," said Professor Phillips. 

During the launch of the Ambassadors Program and addressing a major cohort of India-based University alumni, Nick Blinco, Vice-President Advancement, Communications and Marketing noted the Australia-India connection is one of the most important international relationships for the University of Melbourne, which is committed to supporting India's education agenda.

"We want to build a highly engaged and supportive Alumni community to share their wealth of knowledge and experience with Indian students and community stakeholders. The Global Ambassadors program will provide local alumni with new opportunities to connect with each other and for the University to have broader impact," Mr Blinco said.

During the delegation, University alumni and academics have been meeting with prospective students at a series of events across Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore to provide opportunities to learn more about research and learning at the University. This senior Faculty cohort from the University has also been meeting with a number of research and higher education institutions to look at opportunities for capacity building and enablement across a number of industry sectors.

"With our multi-city event series, we are looking to showcase the distinctiveness of our unique curriculum and research expertise in collaboration with students, alumni and our higher education partner community in India," said Mr Blinco.

The University of Melbourne has established many long-term partnerships with esteemed Indian varsities. The University's ambition has been to partner across the learning lifecycle, and co-design and pilot programs that enable a scalable approach to provide as many Indian students as possible with education opportunities.

Earlier this year, the University launched a new Bachelor of Science Dual Degree program with four esteemed public and private university partners, SPPU, University of Madras, GITAM University and Shoolini University. The program enables students to complete their Bachelor of Science and a corresponding master's degree, with the first two years spent at their home institution and then two years on campus in Melbourne.

The institution will also expand its presence in India next year, with the establishment of a Global Centre in Delhi to build on existing engagements in-country. The facility will enable the institution to showcase its full range of educational courses, research programs and host events such as lecture series, cultural performances and exhibitions.