Ghent university has a global network. Through international research projects, collaboration agreements with other universities, exchange programmes, ... And also through its many alumni, who fly off in all directions after their studies.
Marc Van Montagu, one of the founders of biotechnology, writes a letter to his 17-year-old self. 17. What advice does he have for the young Marc? A lad from a working class district in Ghent who in October 1951 took his first steps in the scientific world.
Catherine De Bolle has earned the right to call herself Ghent University Alumnus of the Year 2023. As the chief of Europol, she sees an important role for universities in the modernisation of the police service.
Four alumni look back on their education and the direction they eventually took. What started on the same road led to other places. Alexander, Nikki, Bart and Eline all studied applied language studies. The passion for languages is still there, but each of them expresses it in a different way in their jobs.
With a new Alumni Chapter in San Francisco, plus the Chapter in New York, Ghent University now has the opportunity to reach even more alumni in the US. After all, there are plenty of them. But what exactly are these two Alumni Chapters up to in the US? A discussion with the proud founding fathers Nicolas Polet and Wim Sohier.
The Ghent company Deliverect has become a ‘unicorn’ less than three years after its foundation. A term denoting exceptional, since this start-up is already worth more than a billion dollars. The secret to their overwhelming success, according to founders Jan Hollez and Zhong Xu? Timing and experience! And that experience all began at Ghent University.
Dirk Frimout wrote a letter to his 17-year-old self. What advice does he have for the young Dirk, as he takes his first step on a path towards unknown heights?
The role of alumni within any university is not to be underestimated. “Our contact with ex-students is immensely important for so many reasons: research, education, reputation, talent management and more besides…. ,” maintains Emeritus Professor Kristiaan Versluys, who is responsible for the Alumni Relations at Ghent University. With the launch of the ‘Ghent University Alumnus of the Year’ award, the university now has a new way to honour its alumni.
He has played an incredibly important role in fighting the corona pandemic and makes regular appearances in the media. And on top of that, Steven Van Gucht can now claim the title of the very first ‘Ghent University alumnus of the year’. Our meeting is held among the skeletons in the Morphology museum in his old faculty.
Four alumni look back at their studies and the direction in which they finally headed. What began along the same path led to many different places. Sarah, Lisa, Michaël and Zahra all studied social work, one of the programmes in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. What drives them is the will to help others and they each do this in their own way.
Two alumni look back on their education and the direction they followed. Even though they started on the same road, it ultimately led to other places. Tom and Marie-Astrid both studied medicine at Ghent University.
Studies do not determine everything. Sometimes your future job is an extension of your studies. But you might just end up somewhere unexpected. In other words: with one education, you can still choose several paths. These 2 people, who both studied history, prove it.
