<p>Five years after the first Master's degrees were awarded, alumni and students met for the first alumni reunion.</p>
On June 8, 2018, the first meeting of graduates of the Master's degree course in Management of Social Change took place together with current students in the Blue Box. The occasion was the fifth anniversary of the first graduations after the course was introduced in 2011.
After a brief welcome by the course coordinator, Professor Dr. Raj Kollmorgen, the first step was to see where everyone currently stands. Everyone was able to briefly describe their current professional situation. It became clear that the alumni work in a variety of areas in the education sector, administration and politics. Some are (part-time) researchers or have corresponding intentions, for example by doing a doctorate.
The impulses that graduates and students have taken away from their studies are equally diverse. In particular, the view beyond the boundaries of the subject and into the depths of previously unnoticed contexts were praised. Difficulties were also mentioned that related to the short duration of the course, the scheduling of individual courses and the sometimes large difference in prior knowledge between students with different BA degrees. The ongoing re-accreditation process will examine the extent to which these structural difficulties can be remedied or mitigated.
There was also intensive discussion on the question of how alumni work can be maintained in the future. Various possibilities were discussed through the use of social media, existing mailing lists and regular meetings. For example, the annual matriculation meetings at the end of the degree course could be expanded accordingly. There is a great deal of interest among graduates, students and course directors alike in deepening internal networking and thus providing students with current practical impulses.
The meeting concluded in the early evening with individual discussions in a relaxed atmosphere.