Baron Paul Buysse Graaf Jacques Rogge Gerard ... - Vlerick Alumni

Vlerick Alumni share a drink on the New Year Reception
Jean-Luc Deleersnyder welcomes Alumni in 2005
On Friday the 21st January, some 700
Vlerick Alumni gathered in the ‘Extensa
Square’ building in Brussels for the annu-
al New Year’s Reception. President of the
Vlerick Alumni, Jean-Luc Deleersnyder,
took the opportunity to wish all alumni
and their family on behalf of the board
‘an inspiring, happy and prosperous
2005’. He added that the Vlerick Alumni
association was preparing to make a
small contribution to the success in 2005
of its alumni by increased efforts and
service vis-à-vis its members.
First of all, Jean-Luc Deleersnyder reminded
the intention of the Vlerick alumni to work
on the four axes he had already mentioned
on the Winter Reunion in Ghent: (1) a better integration
between the School and the Alumni, (2) a
growing international presence of the Alumni,
(3) a better integration between former Gent
and Leuven Alumni and (4) a specific analysis on
ethics. He promised to keep the Alumni updated
of the progress in the months to come. Instead of
reviewing in detail the four axes, Jean-Luc
Deleersnyder opted for highlighting the more
tangible steps that had already been taken. He
began by mentioning the better support that
ought to ensure the Alumni stay connected with
each other. For instance, a life-time email
address had been given to all Alumni as to stay
more easily connected with fellow alumni over
time and across border. Other support that has
been recently added on the Alumni website, are
the online forums ‘to exchange know-how with
like-minded fellows’. A last service the Alumni
had been working on actively was an increased
support for class reunions and section-based
events.
International Chapters
Jean-Luc Deleersnyder also remarked that increased
efforts had been foreseen to specific groups
of alumni who deserve better service. On this
behalf, he insisted on the development of the
international alumni, for whom the launch of
international chapters in at least 3 countries had
been realized. He also pleaded for a further integration
of young alumni through dedicated
actions and activities as well as special integration
efforts for the Leuven Alumni. Finally, the
Jean-Luc Deleersnyder: The ‘Extensa Square’
building was the ideal decor for the Alumni
New Year Reception.
President of the Alumni expressed his wish that
the organization increasingly assumed an active
role with regard to social responsibility and
ethics. A first start could be the increased attention
to social responsibility and projects such as
Managers without Frontiers. Concerning ethics,
Jean-Luc Deleersnyder thought it might be a
good idea to dress up a code of conduct for students
and alumni. In conclusion, he stated that
there was a lot of work to realize in 2005 and
that additionally, a lot of good ideas were still in
the pipeline. He said the Alumni association was
working hard on them as to keep on optimizing
the services vis-à-vis its alumni in the new year.
(DS)