Since the graduation of the first 17 students in 2000, the UCU alumni population has grown to over 1400 alumni in 2009. The University College Alumni Association (UCAA) is the organization that represents those who graduated from UCU.

The combined efforts of UCAA and the UCU Alumni officer are aimed at preserving the connection between alumni and the College, and providing UCU students with a valuable source of information, among others by the creation of UCUniverse, in which we have been actively involved.

The UCAA regularly organizes activities, on occasion in cooperation with the UCSA. Recent events include the Career Conference, Arabian Nights party, stand-up comedy night, beach party in Scheveningen and drinks in the Hague and London. In addition, alumni are updated on the whereabouts of their fellow alumni and interesting events by means of newsletters and the yearly magazine.

In years to come, we are aiming to expand our financial means, to enhance the possibilities of intellectual exchange between students and alumni, and to increase the involvement of alumni outside the Netherlands. As this is quite a challenge, we encourage alumni and third year students to become actively involved in the alumni network!

Contact Alumni

Register at www.ucuniverse.com

Contact UCAA

Who is who

A farewell note from our former Chair Claire Stramrood:

Dear alumni,

After 5 years in UCAA it’s time for me to pass the torch to a new generation of alumni. It’s been my honor and pleasure to have chaired this association for such a long time.

Many challenges have been faced, ranging from creating a good working relationship with UCU staff and establishing UCUniverse, to establishing regional chapters and organizing a big alumni reunion.

I feel very fortunate to have had the experience of working with so many nice fellow board members, as well as all the alumni who have organized drinks, conferences and made the Quaquaversal. Witnessing people having a great night in the bar or hearing about some 20 random alumni from different years showing up in Oxford, The Hague or Brussels for a drink, has made the many UCAA-filled days very rewarding.

I have great confidence that the new generation of alumni now in charge of UCAA will cherish the accomplishments made so far, and use their enthusiasm and creativity in employing new ways to reach and connect the alumni of our college.

It’s been a pleasure!

Yours,

Claire Stramrood

Regional Representatives

The UCAA also has class representatives for every graduating class and regional representatives for areas where a lot of alumni work/study. Click here to find out more about class and regional representatives.

UCAA Alumni Award

THhe UCAA Alumni Award has already become a tradition within the UCU graduation ceremony. Each year the UCAA board hands out the honorary UCAA ALumni Award to one of the recent graduates.

UCAA feels strongly about extending the community feel of UCU beyond your college years, and aims to improve the connection between UCU alumni, UCU students, and UCU staff. Therefore, the UCAA Alumni Award award will go to a recent graduate who during his/her time at UCU has made a significant effort to increase cohesion on campus (whilst maintaining a great academic record) and whom we hope will contribute to the UCU alumni community in the future.

More information about the UCAA Alumni Award and the selection procedure can be found [here].

UCAA vacancies

UCAA has an upcoming vacancies in the Board!

• Treasurer

Availability: As soon as possible. Preferably planning to be around for at least a year.

Task division: Currently, the above mentioned position is vacant. However, functions and tasks are negotiable with the other board members.

Time investment: A few hours a week (partly paid), UCAA meeting every three weeks, attending UCAA/UCU/UU events every now and then.

For more information, check out http://ucuniverse.com/page/ucaavacancies/

UCAA is looking for...

• Class representatives
• Regional representatives
• Event organisers
• Ambassadors at non-Dutch high schools
• Alumni involvement in UCU courses
• Input for UCUniverse
• Input for the Quaquaversal

Contributions

Events such as the Alumni Reunion, the Quaquaversal, parties on the beach in Scheveningen, drinks in London, Oxford, the Hague and the Career Conference cost quite some money, also because we aim at offering events free of charge.

We realise that many of you are not wealthy (yet) but nevertheless it would be greatly appreciated if you could make a modest donation! We prefer automated yearly donations ("automatische incasso"), please dowload the contribution form [here] and mail it to us!

Thank you!

About University college Utrecht - the international honors college of Utrecht University

Mission statement
To offer ambitious students an academic environment aimed at transforming their broad academic and social interests and their international orientation into academic excellence, intellectual independence and world-citizenship within the UCU community. UCU graduates will benefit both professionally and personally from being part of a network of educated women and men. UCU graduates are eagerly accepted both in graduate programs at prestigious universities and by international employers all over the world.

Liberal Arts & Sciences Philosophy in the curriculum
UCU fosters intellectual versatility, encouraging students to approach problems from various academic paradigms, rather than to specialize in one. Students are thus required to take courses in all departments, and UCU majors reflect an interdisciplinary orientation within the Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. Students are required to fulfill general requirements, focusing on academic skills, in writing, presenting, argumentation, methodology and quantitative analysis, as an integral part of their education. Students are stimulated to exploit the cultural diversity in the classroom and explore various perspectives in the field of a course. In addition to the offerings of the curriculum as such, students are encouraged to take part in individual capstone experiences and to define their own plans to venture into the world and explore their ambitions.

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