The Técnico Alumni Association (AAAIST) celebrated another anniversary this Sunday, July 17. The AAAIST aims to build bridges between Técnico and alumni worldwide and also to support current students and recent graduates.
On the occasion of this celebration, the President of Técnico, professor Rogério Colaço, and the President of AAAIST, engineer Ana Dias Fonseca, shared with us the role of the AAAIST nowadays and in the near future.
What are the main goals of the AAAIST?
Ana Dias Fonseca (ADF) – The Técnico alumni have always played a key role in Portuguese society, and in the economic and social development of the country. Boosting our alumni network is one of AAAIST’s main goals. We propose to bring these people together to ensure that our School continues to provide excellence in teaching. In addition, the reconnection with former colleagues, the possibility of improving the network of contacts between alumni of different backgrounds, the proximity and support to current students, are opportunities that can be further improved and will be very enriching for all who will be part of Técnico Alumni Network.
What are the AAAIST plans in the near future?
ADF – The purpose of the AAAIST’s Board members – Raúl Galamba, João Henriques, Marta Bento, Adriano Prates and myself – was to work in alignment with Técnico regarding the alumni network, namely in the management strategy, in order to maximize synergies and results. We combined our management knowledge, gained from our experience in large companies, with the effective implementation capacity of Técnico team.
The recent launch of the Técnico Alumni Platform was the first step, and it was fundamental to start creating a network of contacts. Now, all registered alumni are able to disseminate and aggregate as many colleagues as possible, by organising meetings, disseminating the latest news about Técnico, alumni stories, and initiatives that foster connections between alumni and current students, such as: (1) Mentoring current students; (2) Alumni Talks, in breakfast format with students; (3) e-stories, talks between alumni with different professional experiences and current students; (4) Annual Alumni Dinner; and (5) Keep in Touch, an annual event that invites all alumni to return to school, with their family, on the occasion on Técnico’s anniversary.
At the same time, one of the main goals of AAAIST is to ensure that no student is “left out” because they lack the financial resources. We cannot accept that young people with high potential leave Técnico for lack of money to pay tuition or to bear the cost of living. Therefore, boosting the solidarity fund is our top priority, by leveraging the alumni network.
You have been actively involved in the school life – as a member of the School Council and President of AAAIST? What is the greatest added value of participating in the construction of Técnico?
ADF – Attending Técnico was one of the most important experiences of my life. The academic life, the interaction with colleagues – many of whom have become great friends for life – the experience of social and political intervention in the various governing bodies of Técnico, including the intense experience as an associative leader, was as a huge privilege and helped me to develop my academic and career path. Now that I have a stable and comfortable life, I want to contribute to the success of other people, so that they can have the same opportunities I had. I believe that the knowledge I have acquired from my work experience in large companies, namely management skills, can be an asset to Técnico. So, I am very honoured by the challenges that professor Rogério has set me and I hope to be able to contribute to make this great School of Engineering even better and more relevant for the development of our country. I believe that engineering, science and technology can be a driver for growth in Portugal. We can offer the best conditions for the creation and establishment of tech companies – good climate, peaceful country, friendliness and gastronomy… and even more important than this, we have talented students who are high-potential professionals, but many of them are “left behind” because the admission averages to enter university are very high, others give up studying because they can’t afford university … I think that we have the responsibility to provide these young people with the conditions to pursue their studies and thus foster the development of economy and society.
The AAAIST solidarity fund has played a very important role in supporting the Técnico students. Is the AAAIST still supporting Técnico students through this fund?
ADF – This solidarity fund, created by the AAAIST, has been instrumental in helping situations of last resort, when a student does not have the money to pay tuition fees and is prevented from pursuing his studies, using the alumni donations. Unfortunately, these situations happen frequently, and there are also situations of displaced students who cannot afford living in Lisbon (room, meals, transport). The social action services only support extreme low-income situations, so, this is in fact one of the main objectives of the AAAIST. We cannot afford to lose these young people, it is not (just) a matter of charity, it is a matter of social responsibility of all of us. We must give back to others what we had the privilege of receiving. It is also fighting for our future and that of our children, fighting for an economically and socially better country!
Why is alumni engagement important to the School?
Rogério Colaço (RC) – It is a long-standing dream of Técnico and its alumni: to create an effective mode of communication to help improve the relationship between alumni and alma matter: Técnico. The Técnico alumni are emotionally attached to their alma matter. Over the years, they have been telling me that they want to know what is going on in their School, they want to visit Técnico and to make contributions to its further development, as a prestigious school of engineering, science, technology and architecture. In addition, returning to Técnico is also an opportunity for alumni to contact with the young talent (the current students), as well as to participate in Técnico initiatives, in particular the advanced training programmes for engineers offered by Técnico+.
Finally, it should be noted that this is a symbiotic relationship, from which current students can also take advantage, as the alumni network grows. For current students, contact with colleagues from older generations, who are already in the job market, is increasingly a determining factor for their projects and career development plans, particularly in the early stages. The alumni network is a powerful way to enhance this type of activity.
What are the advantages of the new platform for Técnico alumni?
RC – The Técnico Alumni Network is an extraordinary communication platform that is truly worth trying. More than 1500 alumni have registered in the platform since its launch, on 23rd May, on the occasion of Técnico’s 111th anniversary. But we are still very few compared to the number of Técnico alumni: around 50.000. So, we expect to have 10.000 members by the end of the year and to keep growing next year, until we reach 25 – 30 thousand members. It will be the largest national alumni network. At the moment, besides the access to information about Técnico’s initiatives, events, announcements, which everyone can post, we are able to find our course mates searching by course and year (I have just recently talked to colleagues (and students) I hadn’t contacted for more than 25 years). An extraordinary thing that I have just seen is our alumni community dispersed around the world. At this moment, even though we still only have 1500 members, it’s already possible to see that the Técnico alumni are in the five continents, which gives us an idea of the truly global impact of Técnico graduates.
How else can the Técnico alumni interact with their School?
RC – We already have several ongoing initiatives, for example the Alumni Career Mentoring and the Alumni Talks, which involve the support of Técnico alumni who return to Técnico to talk to current students. This is a way of interaction that we intend to expand exponentially in the future. But there is another thing, which has been very important: the support that the alumni have given to Técnico students with greater financial difficulties. The motto shared by all of us, Técnico alumni, is that no talent can be wasted due to financial constraints. The social support scholarships are an essential instrument to achieve this goal, namely in periods of economic crisis. We have been inviting alumni to participate in the school’s governing bodies and in strategic reflection events that are being promoted. And that’s also why it is very important to expand the network. We have approximately 50 000 Técnico alumni and we could only reach a few hundred so far.
