This year marks an important milestone in the development of the University’s alumni affairs. After a comprehensive review of the structure of alumni bodies, the Hong Kong Metropolitan University Alumni Association (HKMUAA) has been set up. It is the only alumni body officially established by the University.
HKMUAA is governed by a Board of Directors, under which is an Executive Committee (ExCom) fully comprised of alumni responsible for strengthening alumni engagement and promoting networking and exchanges. The first session of ExCom has taken office swiftly and Mr Calvin Wong, Curator of Jockey Club Lei Yue Mun Plus, is now President of HKMUAA ExCom. 'I've always wanted to come back and contribute to my alma mater. Since I learnt about the reorganization of alumni affairs more than a year ago, I've been keen to participate. I started inviting alumni from different professions and those who are interested in community service to join, hoping our passion could influence other alumni as well,' he explained. Although ExCom members have graduated many years ago, love for their alma mater has not diminished and they feel strongly that they should do something for it. 'We hope to take advantage of our roles in society and join forces to promote the development of the University. We firmly believe that strengthening HKMU will also make ourselves stronger,' said Mr Mac Kwok Yuk-sing, one of the Vice Presidents of HKMUAA.
HKMUAA is registered as a subsidiary of the University and governed by a Board of Directors with senior management staff of the University serving as members, which indicates clearly its importance to the University. All ExCom members are alumni and its President and two Vice-Presidents are ex-officio members of the Board of Directors. 'We participate in decision-making and project implementation. The University gives us a lot of freedom and governing HKMUAA as a company is more efficient,' said Calvin. ExCom may also appoint one of its members as a representative for nomination by the Board of Directors to the University to serve as a member of the Court, through which alumni can have one more channel to voice their opinions.
After HKMUAA's official establishment in September, its first task is to recruit alumni to join as members. As a platform and bridge to unite alumni here and there, the Association is open to all alumni. Graduates of any credit-bearing programme offered at University proper, or alumni who have obtained at least five credits from the University and have terminated studies for five consecutive semesters, can apply to join. Other self-initiated alumni groups can apply to join HKMUAA as Affiliated Members first and send representatives as candidates to run for seats on the ExCom, so as to gain a deeper understanding of the interests and needs of alumni. Calvin thinks this arrangement will be beneficial to all parties. 'HKMUAA provides a platform to connect various groups, allowing alumni to have a greater degree of participation and individual bodies to continue to operate. There will be more free flow of information, co-operation and mutual supervision,' he said.
HKMUAA's member recruitment is going full steam ahead, including promotion on various channels and social media platforms and welcome activities such as prize quiz to attract alumni across generations to join. A brand new alumni identity proof system in the form of a mobile application 'HKMU Alumni+' has also been launched to offer alumni one-stop services. By simply downloading the mobile app, alumni can activate their membership e-card with just a few steps and apply to join HKMUAA directly on the app conveniently.
In fact, the University already has more than 160,000 alumni, spanning various generations, programmes and learning modes, etc. Mac believes that alumni from various generations have similarities and differences in terms of age, social experiences and professional expertise. But when everyone walks together as 'alumni', they are like brothers and sisters. He hopes to bring together the power of more alumni through the HKMUAA and build a stronger alumni network.
ExCom has plans to organize various educational, cultural, sports and other activities as well as programmes for mentorship and internship for alumni to join. Alumni who have achieved success in professional fields and community services will be invited to serve as 'mentors' and share industry expertise as well as practical experience with students, and to provide internship positions to help students prepare for the workplace.
ExCom members have all experienced the sense of bewilderment and predicament felt by prospective alumni who have yet to finish their studies and join the work force after graduation. Mac, who now works in the education sector, recalled being able to find his first job with the recommendation of Calvin, who had graduated from his programme earlier. 'With the help of Calvin, I got off to a pretty good start. After gaining some success over the years, I'm now ready to contribute what I can, providing HKMU students with guidance and employing them as staff. If this becomes more widespread, it will certainly give graduates and new students more encouragement,' he said.
Beyond the workplace, ExCom also plans to organize a variety of talks regularly to help alumni enhance their knowledge in all sorts of areas, and such activities can take any format. For example, Ms Janet Kung, another Vice President of HKMUAA and 'Queen of the Buns' in 2019, is good at rock climbing and other sports. She loves to share her experience of mountain climbing, swimming, diving and hiking in various places, and can even lead alumni on such excursions to get the fun. According to Calvin, ExCom members came from a wide spectrum of programmes and professions and they are eager to contribute what they can to serve the alumni community. HKMUAA would create a ripple effect in motivating alumni to offer suggestions on the development of the University. They also hope to attract more alumni to participate and pass the torch from generation to generation, helping the University to step forward confidently.
As a bridge between alumni and the University, the collective efforts of HKMUAA will certainly lead to success. 'HKMUAA will move forward together with the University and we hope that our alma mater will continue to scale greater heights. We shall persuade even those alumni who are not much aware of the University's development to come back and look at it from a new perspective, so that they can construct a new understanding of their alma mater,' said Calvin. He hopes that HKMUAA will play a role in enhancing alumni cohesion and develop alongside the University, adhering to the new University motto of 'Transcendence through Erudition and Renewal'. The HKMU spirit will continue to flourish as the University becomes even more proud of its alumni and its alumni become more proud of their alma mater.
In addition, the University has recently established a new Development and Alumni Affairs Office, which is responsible for coordinating alumni affairs and resource development, and will work closely with HKMUAA to move forward together. Calvin looks forward to building a deep connection with Affiliated Members. 'We encourage more participation in activities from Affiliated Members, so that they can take over the work of ExCom in future. As a wider array of alumni from different fields become ExCom members, more benefits and resources will be brought in for organizing a greater variety of activities,' he said.
