Volunteers were asked to share their memories and thoughts on Twitter on how their work has had a positive impact on their former university.
Nearly 800 graduates from across the world have given almost 10,000 hours of their time this year, providing mentoring, training and inspiration to current students.
Many people volunteer to sit on committees or advisory boards, which help provide governance or support to the University.
Alumni volunteers can also offer an insight into life after graduation and provide a valuable network for students who may not have friends or family who have attended university or are in their chosen career. Nicola Black, Undergraduate Learning and Teaching Support Officer in the Department of Politics, said: “The chance to talk directly to alumni who have studied the same course and are now out there in the world of work, putting their University experiences into practice, is invaluable for our students.
In a recent thank you message to alumni following a networking event, one of our students wrote ‘thank you so much for making me see that I am employable’ – which really sums up how important alumni engagement can be.
Nicola Black
Undergraduate Learning and Teaching Support Officer
This week, nominations for the annual Alumni Volunteer Awards have opened and students, staff and alumni are invited to nominate a volunteer who has made a positive impact. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in October.
Emma Packham, Alumni Volunteering Manager, said: “National Volunteering Week is a fantastic opportunity for the University to celebrate those who have given their time to support us.
“Our previous students make an outstanding contribution, and are inspirational to all our staff and students at the University of Sheffield.”
Additional information
The University of Sheffield
With almost 27,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world’s leading universities.
A member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.
Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.
Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2016 and was voted number one university in the UK for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education in 2014. In the last decade it has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life.
Sheffield has five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
Contact
Kirsty Bowen
Media Relations Officer
kirsty.bowen@sheffield.ac.uk
0114 222 1034