As more and more students seek education outside of their home countries, it is crucial that institutions promote global alumni engagement initiatives, which not only bolster alumni efforts but also contribute to institutional growth.

"Alumni are our loyal friends. We need to support them when they are on campus and remember that our universities become their home away from home," writes Sandra Rincon, co-founder and president of the Holland Alumni network-Netherlands in the July/August issue of Currents.

Rincon describes two ways HAn-NL engages global alumni:

• Know what they need. When building the alumni network, Rincon first surveyed and interviewed alumni about their needs; job search help, career advice and information about internship opportunities ranked among the top priorities. This led to the first HAn-NL "Career Café" with a business incubator that offered career advice and networking.

"All this career support helps international alumni find jobs and start businesses in the Netherlands, which contributes to the Dutch economy and fuels innovation," writes Rincon.

• Be good neighbors. Finding ways to informally support alumni and international students can make a difference in an international student's well-being. HAn-NL organized volunteer opportunities for alumni, and from those gatherings alumni schedule their own happy hours regularly.

"Essential to HAn-NL's mission is offering a sense of home to international students and alumni whose family and friends are often far away," she writes. "In addition to the pressure of their studies, international students have to figure out many day-to-day practicalities such as grocery shopping, purchasing a train card, buying a bicycle, fixing flat tires, finding a doctor and understanding the health-care system."

Read more in "It's a Small World" in the July/August issue of Currents.

This article is from the July 2018 BriefCASE issue.