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Alumni are the face of the university to the world. An educational institute is known by the progress of its alumni. It is a matter of pride for The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to connect to its alumni through this portal.

While there are several department level alumni associations functioning within the university, it is also important that there is inter-departmental and inter- institute interaction amongst the alumni for a holistic progress of the university in the times of inter-disciplinary professions and research being the need of the hour. Office of Alumni Affairs was formed to provide an umbrella to the existing alumni associations while giving them the complete freedom to carry out their activities and to initiate the formation of alumni associations in the departments/faculties where it does not exist.

The first thought of having such an office was initiated during the first ever grand Reunion / Alumni Meet which happened in January 2013 at the university. During the two days meet several distinguished alumni were felicitated and alumni interactions took place at all departments as well as faculties. There was also an exhibition to showcase the thrust areas of all the departments at the Union Pavilion of the university. This was followed by a gala cultural programme by the students of the Faculty of Performing Arts.

Subsequently, the Office of Alumni Affairs was established in January 2015 in the university vide S.R. number 37 dated 20/12/2014 after confirmation of minutes in the syndicate in January 2015. It was allotted the office premises at Chamelibaug in October 2015 vide letter number No. R/MSU/T76 dated 6th January 2016.

The major activities of the Office of Alumni Affairs are as follows:

• Alumni interaction sessions
• Coordination of Reunions / Alumni Meets
• Heritage walk
• Heritage exhibition
• Coordination for alumni contributions / donations

Alumni Interaction Sessions

An alumnus is the best connecting link between what is taught at an institute and what are the recent developments on the field. Mentoring sessions by alumni can help develop industry required skills amongst the students.

The activity of Alumni Interaction Session was initiated in July 2015 through the heads of the departments of all the faculties under which it was attempted to invite one alumnus of the department preferably every month or as frequently as possible and arrange an interaction session with the students of the department.

The purpose of the activity was as follows:

• To connect the alumni back to the department so as to enable creation / strengthening of the database at departmental / faculty level.
• To use the expertise and experience of the alumni for bridging the gap between industry and academia and make our students industry ready.
• To enable strengthening / modification of syllabus if any.
• To arrange site / industrial visits with the support of alumni.
• To improve placement scenario for students through knowledge gain and alumni connections.

The activity was well received and provided excellent support by most of the departments especially in Faculty of Social Work, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Performing Arts etc. The activity was also carried out at Faculty of Commerce, some departments at Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Arts. Since the activity was targeted for students of final year / master's courses, students of all those departments which carried out the activities have benefitted.

Coordination for Reunions / Alumni Meets

Reunions / Alumni Meets are occasions where the alumni not only bond with each other but also the institute and existing staff and students. Such get-togethers in coordination with the department / faculty are also an occasion to felicitate the distinguished alumni.

The Office of Alumni Affairs has supported several reunions / alumni meets by providing the database of alumni names, arranging press meets, coordinating with the alumni through emails, arranging for logistics during the alumni meets (no expenses on behalf of the office), documenting the meets etc. Major reunions / alumni meet have happened at several departments at Faculty of Technology & Engineering, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Performing Arts, Faculty of Social Work, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences.

Heritage Walk

A heritage walk was initiated through the campus of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to bring awareness about the elements of heritage value amongst the students, staff and alumni members of the university. The idea was taking pride in the rich legacy of heritage buildings, paintings, murals, ancient relics, instruments and elements available within the university. The walk was open for the citizens of Vadodara too.

It is for the first time in the history of the university that a heritage walk was conducted within the university. It was a successful event with the assistance of student interns and volunteers of FOOTPRINTS team. The walk was sponsored by GAIL India Ltd.

Heritage Exhibition

The UNESCO world heritage week is celebrated every year during 18-24 November across the world. The Office of Alumni Affairs participated in the heritage week in collaboration with Vadodara People's Heritage Festival by supporting our alumni for showcasing their personal collections of articles of heritage value in the form of an exhibition in the premises of Chamelibaug. The heritage exhibition was open for all the citizens of Vadodara, students and staff of the university.

Coordination for Alumni Contributions / Donations

The Office of Alumni Affairs has coordinated with alumni for donations for improving the infrastructure of the departments / faculties.