Why We Stay Connected
Our Alumni Advisory Board’s First Term Reflections
Every York graduate has a story. Whether you left last year or decades ago, some part of York stays with you – the friends you made, the ways your thinking changed, the city that still feels a little like home.
For many of us, our relationship with a university shifts quickly after graduation. We become observers rather than participants. We celebrate league table rises, ignore seeing slips, and yet, despite our physical distance, we feel connected if someone shares they are also an alum.
As alumni, we wish our alma mater well and benefit from its reputation, but this nostalgia is not a strategy.
For nearly two millennia, York has been a city of significance. From Roman Eboracum, the Shambles, Minster, as a medieval trading hub, and being ranked first again in 2025 in the UK for the best quality of life, York represents continuity, credibility, and cultural importance. Crucially, its influence has never been confined to its walls - its name and identity have travelled far, even reaching across the Atlantic to name a major coastal city.
That idea - the ability to influence and make an impact beyond one’s physical boundaries - offers a useful way to think about universities today.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has repeatedly shown that strong alumni engagement is a defining feature of strong universities. For example, when current students connect with alumni, they report greater long-term satisfaction with their educational experience and stronger connections to their professional endeavours. Alumni don't just give back - they help students translate their study into practice, and imagine futures they may not yet see for themselves. They are donors, advocates, and ambassadors.
Recognising this, the University of York established an Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) and held its first meeting in February 2024. The purpose of the AAB is, in an advisory capacity, to represent the alumni voice and help map our future alumni engagement activities.
Over the past two years, the AAB has worked closely with the University, including discussions on how graduates transition into alumni life, the University's Alumni Engagement Strategy, and mentoring opportunities. We’ve shared ideas and recommendations and had candid discussions about what works and what doesn't - so what have we learned?
Firstly, the University of York cares deeply about alumni. Despite a difficult time in the Higher Education sector, the University has continued to invest in alumni engagement. One of the best recent examples is the launch of the York for Life platform in January 2025, providing an easy and credible front door for alumni to connect with one another and with the University.
Secondly, lots of alumni care deeply about the University of York. When over 1,000 alumni signed up to York for Life within the first few months, it was the clearest sign that alumni - globally based and representing a diverse range of courses - are keen to connect and help. Alumni recognise the importance of networks and want to speak with like-minded peers and remain associated with the University.
Thirdly, the University of York is a sandbox. With over 186,000 alumni, 20,000 current students and 5,000 staff, we are a community with deep and diverse expertise. Our association with the University is a conscious choice and a permanent part of our life story. There is a gap between what the University could be and what it is today. Your connection offers a simple yet powerful opportunity to give back, make an impact, and strengthen an institution that, for many, shaped their formative years and laid the foundations for their professional lives.
Whether you left York last year or decades ago, that sense of belonging never really leaves. The friendships, the moments of discovery, the city itself – they linger, quietly shaping who we are and how we move through the world.
Reconnecting with York can mean many things: catching up with old friends, sharing what you have learned since your time here, or finding inspiration in the stories of others. Even if your degree does not directly link to your current work, the University still has resources, opportunities, and networks that can support your professional growth and lifelong learning.
If you are a University of York alum, your relationship with the University does not end at graduation - ‘it’s only the next step’. Institutions thrive because people choose to invest in them. The future of York will be shaped not only by those on campus today but also by alumni who remain involved, engaged, and accountable to the institution that helped shape them.
The University has always been a place that helps people grow, and has much to offer alumni, and there are also meaningful opportunities to give back - through legacy building, mentorship, or simply staying connected.
If you would like to reconnect – with old friends, new ideas, or the University itself – you can do so through York for Life.
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Liz Habgood
Chair, Alumni Advisory Board (2024-2025)
Faz Kazmi
Chair, Alumni Advisory Board (2026-2027)
Liz Habgood
Liz Habgood
Faz Kazmi
Faz Kazmi
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