News

Do universities of today prepare students for the workplace of tomorrow?

With degrees costing more than ever before and ever-evolving technologies changing the world of work, we recently asked our alumni community: do universities prepare students for the workplace?

Christmas in Newcastle 2023

The festive season is in full swing here in Newcastle: Greggs have plenty of festive bakes in stock, the ice-rink is open outside the Life Science Centre for those brave enough, and of course, Fenwick's Christmas window display has been revealed!

Celebrating the difference alumni volunteers make around the world

With International Volunteer Day just round the corner (5 Dec), we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the alumni who volunteer to lead our Alumni Networks around the world. These Networks offer a welcoming community for graduates across generations to connect with, and learn from, each other, and make a difference in their local area.

23 amazing achievements from our alumni community in 2023

As another year ends, we’re looking back at all the amazing things our alumni community have achieved over the past 12 months.

‘A towering figure in higher education’: Remembering Sir Eric Thomas

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Professor Sir Eric Thomas, the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Board for the philanthropic Campaign for Newcastle University.

World Kindness Day: How our alumni community are stepping up for the next generation of Newcastle graduates

This World Kindness Day, we’d like to celebrate the kindness and generosity of spirit shown by our global alumni community in supporting current students at Newcastle University to thrive.

Law alumna and Visiting Professor publishes book on resilient leadership

Professor Funke Abimbola MBE (LLB, 1994), who is now a Professor of Practice at Newcastle Law School, is looking forward to the publication of her first book – Climbing Mountains: My 5-Stage Journey to Resilient Leadership – this December.

Fine Art graduate wins Air Gallery Award 2023, with exhibition coming to Manchester in November

Sculptor and installation artist Peter Hanmer (MFA, 2018) is preparing for an exhibition at the Manchester contemporary Art Fair later this month having been awarded the 2023 Air Gallery Award for his sculpture inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Story idea that began on campus transforms into published YA novel

Creative Writing alumna Sue Reed is celebrating the publication of her first novel, The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn, today (28 October), a story that began life while Sue was still a student at Newcastle University. We spoke to Sue to find out more about Molly, and how she found returning to university at the age of 58.

Alumni make 560-mile journey from Norway to Newcastle to celebrate 50 years since student days

On 18 October, we welcomed 11 Norwegian Newcastle University graduates back to campus to mark 50 years since they first arrived in Newcastle as Engineering and Naval Architecture students.

Modern Languages graduate walking the coast of Great Britain for homelessness charity

In August 2023, Claire Allen (BA Hons French with Spanish, 2001) set off from John O’ Groats on an epic year-long charity challenge that will see her cover the entire 5,000-mile coastline of Great Britain – on foot! - to raise awareness and funds for national homelessness charity, Shelter.

Congratulations to this year's START UP Founderships awardees!

Three ambitious start-ups by recent graduates are to receive up to £20,000 in support to drive their business forwards as winners of Newcastle University’s START UP Founderships.

Nominations for honorary degrees from Newcastle University now open

Did you know? As a member of our alumni community, you can make a nomination for the award of Honorary Degrees at Newcastle University. The call for nominations is currently open and you have until 1 December 2023 to nominate!

193 teaching alumni receive Honorary Bachelor of Education degrees in special ceremony

Newcastle University has this week awarded almost 200 Honorary B.Ed. degrees to recognise the significant contribution made by alumni to teaching in the North East and across the world.

World Mental Health Day: Meet the alumna using her lived experience to challenge stigma and make a difference

To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, we spoke to Class of 1998 graduate and campaigner for Mind, Patricia Higgins, about her experience as an autistic person with mental health issues, starting university in her 40s and how she’s opening the dialogue about mental health in her community.

Class of 1982 graduate receives prestigious award in recognition of lifelong career in the protection of cultural artefacts

Professor David Gill, who studied Classical Studies at Newcastle University from 1979 – 1982, was awarded the Cultural Heritage Protection Initiative Award at the International Arts and Antiquities Security Forum (IAASF) Conference in September 2023. Huge congratulations!

The history of the Great North Run

We take a look back over the history of the world’s largest half marathon, established by honorary graduate Sir Brendan Foster CBE in 1981.

New Stephenson Building gets ready to welcome students

Phase 1 of the Stephenson Building redevelopment is set to open to engineering students this month. To celebrate, we caught up with the project's academic lead, and Newcastle alumnus, Professor Barrie Mecrow to find out how the redevelopment will shape the future of engineering education at Newcastle.

A history of Freshers’ Week at Newcastle University

Next week, a new wave of students will arrive on campus from all around the world ready to start their time at Newcastle University. Even before they’ve stepped foot in a lecture theatre, lifelong experiences and connections can be made during Freshers’ Week. And with this year being 60 years since the first Freshers arrived at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, we thought it apt to delve deeper into the history of this student tradition.

The results are in! What you told us in the 2023 Alumni Survey

Your views on how we can best serve our alumni community, and what you want from your university, are very much valued by us. In this blog, you can read a summary of the results from the 2023 Alumni Survey and the changes we will be implementing to improve your experience with Newcastle University.

Meet the father-daughter Marketing graduates who studied at Newcastle 40 years apart!

During this year’s graduation season we met with father and daughter duo, Chris and Ruby Moore, who both graduated from Newcastle University with a marketing related degree, 40 years apart! We caught up with them both to hear how their experience of university differed.

Meet the Newcastle graduate campaigning for Afghan families abandoned by allied forces after the war

Newcastle University graduate Larisa Brown (BA Politics and History, 2010) is celebrating the publication of her first book, The Gardener of Lashkar Gah, which covers the true story of an Afghan family whose lives were put in danger when the US and its allies withdrew from the country in 2021.

Newcastle University community wins multiple awards at 2023 North East Charity Awards

Huge congratulations to the Newcastle University graduates and supporting organisations who were recognised for the difference they make in the local community at the ninth annual North East Charity Awards.

Newcastle University awards 6 honorary degrees in summer congregations

This summer, we welcomed 6,000 students back to campus to celebrate their graduation. These 6,000 graduates, alongside 6 new honorary graduates, are now officially part of our 250,000-strong alumni community!

Business School graduate receives prestigious British Citizen Award for Services to Volunteering and Charitable Giving

Huge congratulations to alumnus Monju Meah (MSc Strategic Planning and Investment, 2011), who is one of 26 remarkable individuals to be recognised with a British Citizen Award at the Palace of Westminster today (29 June 2023).

Newcastle alumni recognised in King’s Birthday Honours

Nine Newcastle University graduates have been named in King Charles III’s inaugural Birthday Honours list, acknowledging their dedication and success in their respective fields. Congratulations all!

World Music Day: Our top artists from the Newcastle alumni community

To celebrate World Music Day 2023, we're sharing the musicians from your alumni community that are featured on our playlists.

Hatton Gallery exhibition to celebrate life’s work of Fine Art alumnus and former lecturer, Matt Rugg

This September, the Hatton Gallery on campus will open a special exhibition celebrating the art of 1961 Fine Art graduate and sculptor Matt Rugg.

Winners announced at Newcastle University’s 2023 Alumni Achievement Awards

We are proud to announce the three Newcastle University graduates who have won at this year’s Alumni Achievement Awards: Andrew Jenkins (PhD, 2019), Dennis Assanis (BSc Marine Engineering, 1980) and Stuart Bailey (BA Hons History, 1985).

Meet the Maths graduate who left investment banking to launch his own social polling app

Tom Cullen, who studied at Newcastle University between 2013 – 2017, has recently launched Zoplo, an app which gives users the power to settle any debate, make any decision, and share any opinion. We caught up with Tom to find out more.

Happy National Volunteers' Week!

This National Volunteering Week we’re celebrating a record year for alumni volunteering, with over 1,000 hours given back to the university by graduates from 40 countries across the world! In this blog, we showcase the impact of your volunteering and highlight some upcoming opportunities for you to get involved in.

A new centre for architecture and cities is officially opened

Newcastle University’s newest hub, the Farrell Centre, officially opened to the public on Saturday 22 April 2023. The centre is the vision of alumnus Sir Terry Farrell and aims to increase public engagement in the future of architecture and planning.

Alumni, colleagues and students from across the globe come together to celebrate the benefits of a multigenerational society

During NCL in Action 2023, our community have united in volunteering opportunities, activities and events to create positive change and challenge preconceptions about ageing, helping to ensure a future where we can all age better together.

Four new alumni networks launched in Middle East and Asia

We’re excited to announce the creation of four new alumni networks in Iraq, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan - providing Newcastle graduates in the area an opportunity to reconnect with each other and their university!

Meet the alumni who have made an impact in student media over the past 7 decades

To celebrate 75 years of The Courier student newspaper, we’re looking back at just some of the alumni who have made a name for themselves in the world of broadcasting and student media.

75 years of student media at Newcastle University

This year marks 75 years since the first ever King’s Courier student newspaper was circulated on campus. In this blog, we look back at the history of student media on campus, from its beginnings as an off-shoot of Durham University’s Palatinate to an award-winning publication that incorporates print, radio and TV!

Meet the Newcastle graduate uncovering the Black figures erased from art history

Peter Brathwaite (BA Hons Fine Art and Philosophy, 2006) is publishing a photography book which reworks historical depiction of Black subjects in art that have been marginalised in mainstream culture, inspired by a project that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Newcastle University graduates win at national British Council Study UK Alumni Awards

Huge congratulations to Newcastle alumni Hun-Suk Chung (MSc Drug Chemistry with English, 2003) and Xuan Man Nguyen (BA Architectural Studies, 2013) who have been awarded a Study UK Alumni Award in their home nation.

How Newcastle University helps graduate businesses flourish

Meet some of the alumni businesses that started life at Newcastle, and discover what opportunities are available to recent graduates interested in being their own boss.

Valentine’s Special: A relationship spanning 7 decades - that began in the Arts Common Room on campus!

We *love* love, don’t you? To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we met up with an alumni couple who first met on campus on a snowy night in January 1966 and are celebrating 55 years of marriage later this year!

Valentine’s Special: The perfect proposal – it’s not up for debate!

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we met up with Newcastle graduates Nathan and Kimberly who recently got engaged on campus - in the very room they met at Debating Society!

Student nightlife in Newcastle: The ‘places to be’ throughout the decades

Take a trip down memory lane as we share some of the past ‘places to be’ and update you on what your much-loved clubs have become today.

Newcastle University receives £5 million legacy donation

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the late Dr Oliver Ord for his generous legacy donation to Newcastle University.

An interview with Clare Talbot-Jones, your new Deputy Chair of Convocation

We caught up with modern languages graduate and North East-based business leader Clare Talbot-Jones to find out more about her ambitions for her term as the new Deputy Chair of Convocation.

An interview with Nick Richardson, your new Chair of Convocation

We caught up with Zoology graduate and former Union Society President Nick Richardson to find out more about his ambitions for his term as the new Chair of Convocation.

A look back over the Newcastle Helix development

In this blog, you can explore the newest addition to our city centre campus: Newcastle Helix. The 24-acre site is situated where the former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery once stood.

Newcastle University Halls past and present

Uni Halls are where memories are made. Whether you had the best time and made friends for life or couldn’t wait to move out, you’re sure to have memories that you’ll never forget.

Newcastle through the decades

Our alumni community have witnessed monumental changes to the University and city of Newcastle upon Tyne over the past six decades. Read on to travel through the decades and reminisce on your time at Newcastle (or discover what’s happened since you left!)

Sector Spotlight: My experience in Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)

Zahid's studies have led to a career in Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), tracking how people use websites and making improvements to reduce the frustration we all feel when navigating the internet! We caught up with him to find out what it's like working in this sector.

Sector Spotlight: Three lessons for working in Financial Services

Katie Molyneux (BSc Economics, 2015) shares the lessons she wishes she knew at the start of her career in the Financial Services sector.

Sector Spotlight: What it's like working in Marketing

MA Creative Arts Practice graduate Lewis Brown reflects on his career as a marketer and shares his top tips for getting into the sector.

I didn’t want a “proper job” and I am proof that it’s more than okay if you don’t too

Chloe Hall (BA English Literature, 2012) knew that the graduate scheme route wasn't for her when she finished her studies. Instead, she set up her own digital marketing agency Bumble and Bloom Media, which has grown into a multi-award-winning enterprise working with some of the world's biggest brands.

Celebrating 40 years of life-saving cancer research at Newcastle University this World Cancer Day

Researchers, clinicians, technicians and leaders at Newcastle University have worked quietly and tirelessly over the past 40 years, contributing to the national effort of doubling cancer survival rates and giving people living with cancer hope and options.