HAInews 2023/02Heidelberg around the world: Activities of international alumnae and alumni

In March, the first Heidelberg alumni event in Egypt took place in Cairo: Prof. Dr Marc-Philippe Weller, Vice-Rector International Affairs at Heidelberg University, traveled to the country as part of an intended cooperation with the German University of Cairo and, for this occasion, invited to an alumni dinner in Cairo. Former graduates of Ruperto Carola who live and work in Cairo were happy to join. “The dinner was a great opportunity to reconnect alumni with our university and to inform them about our current developments and plans,” explains Marc-Philippe Weller. During his visit, the Vice-Rector exchanged ideas with various representatives from Egyptian universities about the potential for a collaboration.

A trip to New York to the board meeting of the Heidelberg University Association by Vice-Rector Weller and Dr Alexander Au, Head of the International Relations Division at Heidelberg University, also provided an occasion for an alumni reunion in April: New York-based alumni met at happy hour with the two Heidelberg guests as well as with members of a delegation from “Heidelberg Law National Model United Nations” – Heidelberg Law NMUN for short – who were also in town at the time. MUN is a simulation of the United Nations in which the participants represent different countries; Heidelberg Law NMUN, an association of law students from Heidelberg, participates in MUN conferences several times a year and was allowed to represent Switzerland at the conference in New York this year. At the evening alumni meeting in a restaurant in Chelsea, the guests from Heidelberg exchanged ideas with the New York alumni – who will meet again next year when the Heidelberg delegation comes to New York for the NMUN conference in 2024.

The Philadelphia Regional Chapter met in person for the first time since the Corona pandemic at a bistro for dinner in April. The Heidelberg Regional Chapter welcomed two guests from the U.S. for a meeting in May: HAUS President Kathleen Lance and Amanda Daquila, the director of the New York Branch Office of Ruperto Carola. They visited Heidelberg and took the opportunity to exchange ideas about studies and careers with ten other current and former students. In July, the regional chapter Washington D.C. met in a famous pastry shop to live the Heidelberg experience with a great selection of breakfast pastries, distinctive breads, deli foods and delicious desserts. Furthermore the alumni joined the tradition of signing a special HAUS T-Shirt, which is traveling to all chapter meetings for the alumni to sign in the light of the upcoming anniversary of the HAUS 15^th National Meeting in autumn.

Finally, there was another meeting for the alumni in Luxembourg – the General Assembly of HALU. Ten HALU members met in March at President Robert Soisson's home in Esch-sur-Alzette to review the activities of the past year, such as the 2022 General Assembly and the “traditional pilgrimage” to Heidelberg in June. And new plans were made: In October, it is intended to visit Heidelberg together again. In Luxembourg a visit to the slate mine museum of Martelange and the copper mines of Stolzenburg is planned. In addition, the Luxembourg alumni already have their sights set on the 20^th HALU anniversary in 2026 – to celebrate this in a fitting manner, the universally praised anniversary book on the 10^th HALU birthday is to be given a worthy successor.