The University of Melbourne has launched its Melbourne Global Alumni Ambassadors Program in India as part of a week-long series of events to deepen engagement with students and stakeholders there. The University’s Indian alumni cohort is one of the largest global alumni communities outside Australia. The Ambassadors program will provide new opportunities for alumni there to connect, expand their networks and grow community engagement initiatives across several cities in India.
The program was launched during a visit to India this week by a University of Melbourne delegation, led by the Provost, Professor Nicola Phillips. “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’’, Professor Phillips said.
Launching the Ambassadors program, Nick Blinco, Vice President Advancement, Communications and Marketing, said 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”, Mr Blinco said. “The Global Ambassadors program will provide local alumni with new opportunities to connect with each other and for the University to have broader impact”.
During the visit, alumni and academics met prospective students in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as a number of research and higher education institutions. “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”, Mr Blinco said.
The University of Melbourne has established several long-term partnerships with Indian universities, co-designing and piloting programs which ensure a practical and scalable approach to providing as many Indian students as possible with education opportunities. Earlier this year, the University launched a new Bachelor of Science Dual Degree program with Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), University of Madras, GITAM University and Shoolini University. The program enables students to complete their Bachelor of Science and a corresponding masters degree, with the first two years spent at their home institution and then two years on campus in Melbourne.
The University of Melbourne will open a Global Centre in Delhi next year to showcase its full range of courses and research programs, and to host events such as lecture series, cultural performances and exhibitions.
