This is my last blog as President of the Alumni Association. After nearly four years, it's time to say goodbye.

It's actually really hard to let go. I've worked hard to try to make us a family, to make us all feel included in NTU, however long ago we graduated. Read more...

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope 2015 has started off well for you. I always reflect at this time what I've achieved over the last year and what I hope to achieve in the year to come. Of course that includes work things, but also just the ordinary parts of life, like holidays and health. With that in mind, why not check out our latest offers to keep you going in 2015. Read more...

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas in my final blog of 2014. Read more...

Are you aware of the “Giving Tuesday” phenomenon? I have to be honest and say I wasn't, but it's a great idea. After the big sales of "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday", it's a chance to restore some of the balance and give a little back in the spirit of the festive season.

So why not help out your university this Giving Tuesday? We're focusing on two areas which need help - the incredible work done in giving and volunteering for the alumni relations programme, and the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

It's not all about handing over money, though of course that helps a great deal, but about giving time and expertise.

Read more...

Not long now until our final set of graduands for 2014 are celebrating their big day. It's sad to think of them officially leaving NTU but great to know that they're joining our alumni family. If it is YOUR graduation on 29 November then here's a handy tip to keep your day running smoothly. Read more...

Hello everyone,

I'm very pleased to announce that Amerdeep Somal has been named as our Alumna of the Year 2014.

Read more...

It's always interesting at this time of year to think about freshers just beginning their NTU life. So much for them to explore and learn, but they probably don't realise that they're starting a life long journey with their university. Read more...

For our students it's time to start gearing up for returning to university and for some, entering their final year of education before heading to the world of work. There's a great scheme run at NTU which can really help students as they prepare for the real world - the Employability Mentoring Programme. 

Read more...

I think it's fair to say that summer is now fully upon us, and I thought it was a good time to run through some of the benefits available to you this year.  There’s plenty on offer - especially if you're planning a “staycation”. Read more...

Congratulations to ALL of you who graduated this summer.

It was wonderful to meet so many of you on the Alumni Association stand and hand out those goodie bags. Especially pleased when mums and dads wanted a picture! What makes your special day so special to me is seeing the pride on your loved one’s faces. Read more...

A big hello to all of you who are about to graduate this month. After all your hard work this is the week where you can kick back and soak up the glory of your achievement. It's a time you will always remember.

The sad thing is that it marks the end of your studies time at NTU, but as I say every year, graduation is not goodbye. We want to be a part of your life - the ups and downs -  from here on in. Keep in touch with developments at NTU and let us know how you're getting on. We're also a great way to maintain contact with your friends if you lose touch. So here's how you do it...

We would like you to help us help you!

Whether you're graduating this year, or you graduated 20 years ago, we want the NTU Alumni Association to be something you're part of, something you're proud of, and something that can help you and help you to help others. More...

Hello everyone,

I'm tempted to wish you a happy summer, seeing as the UK weather has been nice lately, but I know that's almost inviting the rain to come back! More...

Hello all!

Keep an eye on your letter boxes over the coming weeks as the new issue of Network magazine is about to hit your doormats!  As always it’s crammed full of news from the University and what some of you have been getting up to.

There’s a fantastic feature on smart camera design as an NTU research team creates a camera with artificial intelligence to help keep social spaces safe. NTU alumnus Scott Martin on how he helps us get that vital cup of coffee in a morning. And how the Ministry of Defence is using NTU ideas on boosting smart phone security. It’s great to see how NTU, past and present, is shaping the world we live in. Read more...

Last night it was my privilege to speak at the NTU Student Volunteer awards. It was a fantastic night of wine, dinner and celebration to thank the hundreds of students who give up their time to help others. Read more...

Hello All

I had a quick trip to Nottingham today to have a look at the all new students union building on Shakespeare Street... WOW!  Read more...

I couldn't resist looking back at our youth in this blog, because I've just turned 40. I thought I would escape work on the big day, only to have my face appear in the 120 inch plasma at work and my colleagues telling the world how old I was... so much for keeping it quiet! Read more...

If you’re suffering from post-Christmas and New Year blues it’s the perfect time to get things in the diary to look forward to.

Thankfully the NTU Alumni team have been really busy sorting out masses of events and activities for you to come along to. Read more...

Hello all and a very happy new year.

2014 has got off to a bad start for so many in the UK but I hope that isn't a sign of what lies ahead for us.

I always think a new year gives us a new start, the chance to reconcile issues and the chance to look at life anew. Read more...

Hello all and, dare I say, Happy Christmas!

Somehow it seems that Christmas celebrations start earlier and earlier. I don't know if that's actually true or whether it's a sign of getting older, like doctors and police officers getting younger!

This time of year always makes me think of my first Christmas in Nottingham. The decorations in town, the ornate tree by the shops in the Council House and those winters that always seemed SO cold and crisp in Nottingham. Read more...

You might be pondering the idea of heading back up to Nottingham to visit your old stomping grounds but wondering about a decent excuse to make the journey? How about heading up for a distinguished lecture? Admittedly, going to a lecture at NTU as an alumnus is NOT the same as dragging yourself out of your bed with a hangover and sitting down just as things start!

The series of distinguished lectures are wonderful hour long sessions with superb speakers, all in the luxury of the new lecture theatres. A wonderful way to soak in some free information, keep informed with current events and thinking and MOST importantly, no essays to write afterwards!  Read more...

Really delighted to congratulate Joe Sargison on being named the Alumnus of the Year 2013. His campaign 'Balls to Poverty' has made a real difference to thousands of people, raising more than £275,000 since it began. It's great to once again celebrate the work alumni have been doing to help other people and goes to show the great ethos which is instilled in people during their time at NTU. 

Read more about this and some forthcoming events in London.

It's that time of year again - a new start for our new alumni and a new start for our freshers. The turnaround seems extraordinarily fast but maybe that's me getting older!

Starting university is exciting and it seems like you have a lifetime ahead of you before even thinking about jobs, mortgages and pensions. As alumni we know that's not true - painfully aware of how quickly those valuable and influential three years fly by. Read more...

Sometimes it seems like we don't stop giving! There are some great benefits on offer to you as NTU Alumni and as the decent weather is holding (for now) I thought it was worth pointing a few out.

It's a great time to visit Nottingham. Re-live your NTU years and show the kids where your journey began and with your Venture Card you can save a few pounds on the way. Read more...

I hope those of you who are new alumni had a great time enjoying your graduation in the summer sunshine. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with you and to see the joy and pride on so many faces. Read more...

Hard to believe it's THAT time of year again - where the hard work put in by so many undergraduates finally pays off. Summer graduation week is almost upon us - a day of real and deserved celebration.

It also means that our alumni family is growing again and our amazing network of contacts and friends increases.

There's lots on offer from your Alumni Association. Joining is free and automatic but we need to know who you are! If you're graduating this month, remember to call in at the alumni stand in Newton on your graduation day to hand in your details AND get a free goody bag to welcome you - and for those of you who'd like to say hello, I'll be handing those out myself all day Wednesday and Thursday so DO come and chat. Read more...

Hello again - and a big hello if you're reading this for the first time after seeing the link in the new Network magazine.

As you will have noticed, we have a new format. Smaller, more compact but still packed with the latest news about the university and updates you have given us. Read more...

Back from a great day yesterday at Clifton campus to celebrate some of the work done by the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

The whole Centre was set up thanks to the mind blowingly brilliant Professor Bob Rees and the generous donations of the John and Lucille van Geest Foundation. The Foundation itself is being wound up, so at the event the couple's daughter, Gussy Marlowe, presented a final cheque of £7.4 MILLION.

Read more...

Whatever your politics, there can be no doubt that we are marking history with the death of Lady Thatcher.

The arguments over her policies have been making news for more than a week now, but it is undeniable that she made history, as a leader, as a politican and as a woman. Whether you believe that history to be good or bad is of course up to you. Read more...

I've just spent a couple of days in Nottingham reliving some wonderful memories of my time as a student. 

I decided to head up the M1 with my fellow Broadcast Journalism graduate Sue Hines (nee Clark). Here's a photo of us from 1992! She hasn't really been back since graduation and we decided it would be good to see some things together. Read more...

Just a quick blog to point out (if you hadn't already noticed) that the website has had a bit of a make-over.

The new look gves you access to more video content, is easier to navigate and even gives you the chance to post comments on some pieces - like this blog! Read more...

I'm having an intercity day today. In london for lunch to mark the launch of BlackBerry 10 then up to Nottingham for a meeting about the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre (JvGCRC) on Clifton Campus.

They seem wildly different events in a way but it struck me how NTU plays into both fields.  Read more...

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope you had a happy and peaceful Yuletide and that heading back to work is not too much of an ordeal.

I had to work through some of it including Jan 1st, but it was actually quite refreshing to go to bed at 8 pm on New Year's Eve and wake up at 3 am and drive to work down a quiet M1 - if a little bit boring! Read more...

It's true what they say - the older you get, the faster the year seems to go - and here we are at the end of another year, Christmas just a few days away.

There's always plenty of planning and anticipation around this time of year especially when there are young children about, but of course it proves to be very rewarding. Read more...

Just a quick update as I sit in bed after a wonderful meal at NTU to help celebrate the achievements of all those preparing for tomorrow's graduation ceremonies.

It strikes me, every time I come here, just what has been achieved. Under the leadership of our Vice Chancellor, NTU has become a top rated, top class centre of education. It has also transformed its buildings - a meal in the Old Chemistry Theatre is enough to rival any similar occasion at a 'red brick' university. Read more...

A very warm welcome to all of you who are reading this as you prepare for graduation this coming weekend and thought you'd see what this alumni stuff was all about...

We get SO used to being members of NTU that in three short years it becomes part of our DNA. It helps create who we are and is so often a vital part of setting our course for working life on track. How odd it would be then, if after helping you be you for three years we just said "well done and goodbye"?! Read more...

Once again I've been inspired by what's going on at NTU. I went to Clifton Campus this week for, as much as anything, a trip down memory lane. So much has changed since I was a student there, but there's enough left for the last 20 years to dissolve away.

Saying that, it has VASTLY improved, with so many great facilities and new accommodation. Some of the science blocks on site are now out of this world in what they offer. Read more...

I have to say that one thing I love about being Alumni President is hearing from you. More often than not it's new alumni, but it's always good to hear from you.

This year I'm really pleased to hear how so many are walking into employment, either full-time or freelance. Even then, as I know from my own experience, life can be a struggle, but getting that first foot on the ladder is so important and leads to bigger and better things. Read more...

The great part of being an alumni community is that as well as blogs, network magazine and emails, we also like to meet up throughout the year.

It's a great way to catch up with old friends and make new ones, with people you already have a lot in common with. Plus, what better way to 'network' in the traditional sense of the word, establishing great business links and opportunities. Read more...

I am very pleased and proud to announce that Matt Wallace (BA Hons Communication Studies 2002), has been named as NTU Alumnus of the Year 2012.

Matt is an inspirational figure who decided to throw caution to the wind on his 30th birthday and embark upon a mission to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research UK. You can read about him HERE or check him out on twitter @wheres_wallace or his own website www.whereswallace.org. Read more...