Careers Recruitment Day, Thursday 13th November 2008 The Careers Recruitment Day provides an opportunity for you to meet potential graduate employers face-to-face, to find out what opportunities they have and to learn more about your chosen sector of work. The Careers Recruitment Day will be held in Baker Conference Hall, Baker Building, City North Campus from 11.00am to 3.00pm. Former students are welcome to attend the Careers Recruitment Day. The Alumni Association will have a stand in the Hall so do come and say hello!
Internal Alumni Reception, 27th November 2008 In November Birmingham City University will be celebrating the continued contribution and commitment shown by alumni who have chosen to stay on the campus after graduation and become employees of the University. A lunchtime reception will be held on the City North Campus for all alumni currently working for the University. The Vice-Chancellor will be attending and speaking at the event. For further information on this event please email alumni@bcu.ac.uk.
Law Speaker Event, March 2009 A speaker event is currently being organised with the School of Law for all alumni of the LLB (Hons), LPC and LLM courses. The event will provide alumni with an opportunity to network, listen to a well-known speaker and share their experiences with current final year students. Full details of this event will be posted in the near future.
1950s & 1960s Musical Reunion, 1st March 2009 A reunion has been organised by the Alumni Association in partnership with Birmingham Conservatoire Association (BCA) for former students and staff of the Birmingham School of Music from the 1950s and 1960s. If you would like to register your interest in this reunion please email alumni@bcu.ac.uk.
Please remember to register with us - so that you can get all of the benefits of being a Birmingham City University alumnus/alumna.
Previous Reunions and Events
Architecture Centenary Ball
This August the Birmingham School of Architecture celebrated its centenary with a black tie ball at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens. The ball was attended by over 250 alumni, former staff, current staff and friends of the School. The Acting Head of Architecture, Hannah Vowles and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Tidmarsh, provided a welcoming speech to all attendees describing the School’s and the University’s plans for the future. Ruth Reed, who was recently elected as the RIBA President, also spoke thanking those in attendance for their support.
Class of 2007 Graduation Ceremonies Each year graduation provides an opportunity for the University to publicly celebrate the achievements of its recent graduates. Thousands attended the graduation ceremonies and walked across the vast stage at Birmingham’s impressive Symphony Hall to receive their awards. There were nine ceremonies in total held throughout January and February 2008.
An Evening with the Vice-Chancellor The Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Tidmarsh, held two presentations at the beginning of 2008 to communicate the name change and future plans of the University to alumni. Alumni that attended took the opportunity to ask questions directly to the Vice-Chancellor. We hope to hold similar events in the future.
Celebrating 50 Years of Planning Education In November 2007, Birmingham City University’s School of Property, Construction and Planning held its first official reunion for former students and staff of planning.
BSc (Hons) Town Planning Class of 1979/80 Town Planning Reunion
The reunion, organised by the Alumni Association, was held on the City North Campus in Edge Building. The School had been celebrating 50 years of excellence in planning education throughout 2007 and the reunion marked the end of the celebrations.
Over 100 former students and staff from various years registered to attend the reunion that was kicked off with a welcome from the Dean of the Faculty, Professor John Rouse. The Head of Property Construction and Planning, Jean Badman, followed with a presentation on the School as it is today.
School of Property, Construction, and Planning Staff of 1990’s
Former lecturers of the School, John Wright and Alan Green, continued with an entertaining sketch of the history of planning education at the University. A number of guests contributed to the reunion by sharing their memories with other attendees of their time at the School which included humorous tales of field trip antics. The reunion was closed with a buffet in Café Edge and a glass a wine.
Alumni Association Officer, Rachel Whitehouse, said “The feedback we have received has been extremely positive. Everyone seemed to have a great time and managed to reconnect with a number of friends and colleagues. We hope that this is the first alumni reunion of many for the School of Property, Construction and Planning.”
This is a video from the alumni reunion taken by Mike Glover. It shows a comedy sketch depicting the history of Town Planning at the institution.
BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy, Class of 1987 The speech and language class of 1987 reunited for a reunion at the Malmaison Hotel in Birmingham back in September. The reunion was organised by former students Jenny Leyden, Elaine Hirst, and Yvonne Mobley (nee Holland) who managed to track down the majority of the class.
BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy Class of 1987
1970s Decade Alumni Reunion Birmingham City University Conservatoire welcomed back students from the 1970s in March for an afternoon of musical entertainment. Over 160 attended the reunion organised jointly by the Birmingham Conservatoire Association (BCA) and the Alumni Association.
Group Photograph 1970’s Decade Former Students and Staff
This was the first time many had seen each other in over 30 years. A lot if time was spent reminiscing on their time at the Birmingham School of Music, as it was then known. The Paradise Place site, officially opened in 1973 by the Queen Mother, held many happy memories for the former students and staff. Alumnus Tim Pegg, who was unable to attend the reunion, shared his memories via the message board of capers and high jinks such as tales of ghost busting at Dale End.
From right – Richard Silk (former staff) and alumnus Rod Dunk
Current students provided entertainment with performances from the Clare Graves Quintet, the Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Departments and the Jazz Department. The former students performed Divertissement, Jacques Ibert, conducted by alumnus Rod Dunk. Alumna Jean Rigby accompanied by former staff member Joyce Woodhead ended the programme of entertainment with a superb performance of Flanders and Swann’s A Word On My Ear and Saints-Seans’ Softly Awakes My Heart.
