On 15 to 19 February a delegation from the University visited Oman and Jordan. Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Internationalisation, visited the region along with colleagues from Development & Alumni Relations and from the University’s International Recruitment team.
The visit was an opportunity to connect with alumni in both countries, and Dr Manning hosted events in Muscat, Oman and in Amman, Jordan. The events were an opportunity to connect alumni with each other, as well as applicants, current students, parents and colleagues from partner organisations and universities. We were pleased to see our visit to Muscat featured in the Times of Oman.
The recent celebration of Kent’s 50th anniversary has led to the formulation of a new University Plan and an associated Internationalisation Strategy. A major aspect of this strategy involves international partnerships and collaborative research with institutions across the world, to ensure that internationalisation crosses the three main themes of the University Plan: research, education and engagement.
Dr Manning said, “increased engagement with the Middle East is a priority for the University’s internationalisation agenda and we were encouraged by the very warm welcome that we received from alumni and also from other colleagues with whom we hope to work more closely. Our visit presented a number of opportunities and we look forward to continuing to work with alumni and friends in the region”.
The University’s visit coincided with the launch by the British Council of new UK alumni networks in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. These networks form part of a new set of programmes that aim to step up engagement with the next generation of students in the Gulf. The British Council will be expanding their education, science, arts and entrepreneurship offering and the Gulf-UK alumni groups will form a key part of these new networks.