Alumni Association of the University of Zimbabwe

Alumni Office

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: 303211 ext 21300

Activities

There was a lull in the activities of the Association from August 1989 to July 1994 when it was resuscitated with Mr Mkushi still Chairman. The resuscitation was however shortlived. It was not until the year the year 2000 that concerted efforts were made to bring the Alumni Association back on its feet to market the image of the University which had been severely battered by waves of student unrest and a mass exodus of staff to other institutions. This saw the change in name from the Graduate Association of the University of Zimbabwe to the Alumni Association of the University of Zimbabwe (UZAA) in a bid to conform to international standards and practices, and to widen the scope of the Association’s membership. In a show of seriousness to the Alumni project and its potential to contribute to the development of the institution, the Development Office, under a Development Executive who reported directly to the Vice Chancellor for the Association’s activities, was created.

Despite the good intentions, successive Executive Committees of the Association did not post significant achievements. The failure seems to have led to the disbanding of the Development Office. A further attempt to revive the activities of the Association under the Zinyemba executive in about 2009 did not make any difference. With Zinyemba’s resignation from the Chairmanship of the Association in 2010, the Association ceased to exist in terms of activities.

Mission
To be a part of the University of Zimbabwe by engaging and involving alumni in the life, promotion and advancement of the University.

Vision
To enrich the lives of alumni by helping them establish life-long, meaningful and valued relationships with UZ and with each other.

Aspiration
To become known as the gateway to UZ and to meaningfully engage more alumni in membership programmes and service every year.

The UZAA‘s action will be guided by four strategic initiatives that will drive annual operating plans; informed by market feedbacks from its constituents and tracked and measured for success around selected key result areas. The UZAA Executive Committee will review this plan each fiscal year and will prepare and distribute a progress report.

Opportunities

• Large pool of alumni both at home and abroad (Diaspora),
• Increased annual enrolment and steady outflow of graduates (3000 graduates per year coming on stream).
• Long history of the Institution,
• Alumni occupying key positions in society, government and industry,
• Large pool of University strategic partners,
• News ICT landscape/developments,

Challenges

• Effects of socio-economic melt-down on University service delivery.
• Poor records and old data base that requires updating.
• Global dispersal of alumni that makes it difficult to take them in.
• No Alumni culture.

Values

Respect

• Acknowledge and involve alumni and friends as initial stakeholders in UZ.
• Recognize alumni contributions of time, talents and treasure.
• Treat personal information provided by alumni and friends in a professional and confidential manner at all times.

Inform

• Inform alumni and friends about UZ‘s mission, goals, programmes and achievements.
• Provide alumni and friends with financial and programme information concerning the work of the UZAA and its activities.
• Ensure the mission, goals and programmes of UZAA complement those of UZ.

Involve

• Encourage alumni and friends to participate in and support the programmes, service and events of both UZAA and UZ.
• Encourage alumni and friends to serve in the broader community as ambassadors from UZ.
• Encourage alumni and friends to pursue leadership opportunities in UZAA and throughout UZ.

Universities worldwide now rely heavily on the generosity of their alumni, the corporate world, well-wishers, and many friends who team up to help build campuses and endow scholarships for students. There are many more projects that they carry out to support and enhance the overall operations of universities. This is a culture that we in Zimbabwe somehow lack very pronouncedly. In both principle and practice, Alumni Associations exist to support and sustain the objectives and programmes of parent universities.

As a result, alumni support has become such an important factor that greatly enhances the quality of both learning and education. The University of Zimbabwe (UZ), with a history of almost 60 years, is a vibrant institution built on a foundation of strong academic excellence and philanthropy that has spanned generations.Unfortunately many people have not been adequately informed of the coordinated effort being made to bring together all the Alumni to review where they came from and where they are going. To date, at least 65 000 students have graduated from the UZ and all these form the UZ Alumni.

Background

The idea to launch University of Zimbabwe Alumni (UZAA) was first mooted on the 5th of March, 1986 and was followed by the First Annual General Meeting (Inaugural Convention) to elect the first Executive on 28 February 1987. Mr Honour Mkushi became the first Chairman of the Association. Then, it was called the Graduate Association of the University of Zimbabwe. During the period 1987-89, the Association had a paid-up membership of about 100.

The aims of the Graduate Association were:

• To assist in charting positive and progressive direction for the development of the University of Zimbabwe
• To foster interaction between the University and any other institutions in Zimbabwe and globally
• To provide a platform for members to communicate on and assist in academic and socio-economic issues affecting the nation
• To provide a platform for networking among members and with the University.