Alumni from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have thrown their support behind a European campaign which has seen students and staff visit capital cities to remind the world that DMU and the rest of the UK is still open for business - despite the forthcoming Brexit.
The university's #LoveInternational campaign to promote global education, spearheaded by DMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard, has already visited Cyprus and Poland and this week was in Stockholm, Sweden.
Professor Shellard invited DMU alumni to join him during the trip for a meal and to spend some time hearing about their success stories, while reminding them that they are always part of the DMU family.
He also shared the positive messages from the #LoveInternational campaign.
Nigel Titford, who is VP of Business Development at Biogaia, a healthcare company in Stockholm, said he was right behind #LoveInternational.
Nigel, who graduated in Business Studies in 1996 and studied in Montepellier, France, as part of his course, said: "I work with international businesses and it is great to see DMU doing this. It is really positive.
"The referendum result was a shock and the people of Sweden had the same feeling as me. It does not affect our business too much but the general atmosphere and the sense that Britain has closed the door and is moving away from collaboration is the worrying thing. It has created a world of uncertainty.
"So what Dominic is doing is fantastic. DMU is putting effort into helping create stability which is exactly what is needed. This gives the university a great name because it is getting out there and doing something positive. And meeting alumni was fantastic to see."
Aaron Wong, Finance Director for FTSE 100 company Informa, in Stockholm, graduated in Accounting and Finance in 2007.
He said: "I think it is a great idea and it was excellent for the Vice-Chancellor to reach out to alumni and engage with them. He told us we are a part of DMU for life which was really nice to hear."
Other alumni at the dinner and meet included recent graduates from DMU's world-renowned Contour Fashion course who have jobs at high street fashion giant H&M's Swedish HQ.
During the visit to Stockholm the Vice-Chancellor also spoke to Swedish media and met up with DMU student footballers who were on a #DMUglobal trip, which included a visit to the Friends Arena to watch Leicester City take on Catalan giants Barcelona.
Devised in response to the Government's challenge to UK universities to send more students overseas, #DMUglobal is giving all students the opportunity for an international experience while they study, with 11,000 set to take part in the programme by 2020.
#LoveInternational, launched following the outcome of the EU Referendum vote, reaffirms what everyone who works and studies at DMU already knows - that the university is welcoming and supportive of all its students and staff.
As an institution proud of its truly global outlook, DMU welcomes students from more than 130 countries in the world.
Leicester - the city at the heart of which DMU's campus is located - is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with recent research by the London School of Economics naming its Narborough Road as officially the most diverse street in England, with at least 23 different nationalities among the 222 shops along its one-mile length
As part of the #LoveInternational story so far, DMU has created the LoveEU Bundle for EU students which includes, among its assurances, guaranteed home-rate tuition fees up to and including entry in 2018/19.
DMU will also be visiting Lithuania and Germany in August.
In July, DMU teamed up with the British Government’s GREAT Britain campaign to deliver a summer-long series of events in Europe, celebrating EU students and staff, and has already received an impressive response across the continent.
The GREAT Britain campaign, active in more than 140 countries, is the Government’s most ambitious international marketing campaign ever, promoting the UK as a world-class destination for trade, tourism, investment and education.
As the highest level of endorsement for the campaign so far, DMU has this week featured in the GREAT monthly highlights for July.
Posted on Thursday 4 August 2016