Growing and supporting our alumni community across the Pond

It was fantastic to see so many Newcastle alumni come together at our recent events on the East Coast, continuing to strengthen our graduate community Stateside.

With almost 4,000 Newcastle University alumni residing in the United States, a dedicated group of graduates across New York and New England joined together to develop two new Alumni Networks last year, providing opportunities for alumni to connect and support their alma mater.

In September 2025, University colleagues flew out to join these Alumni Networks for a series of events to celebrate our global connections, the first of which brought football (or should that be soccer?) fans in Boston together to cheer on Newcastle United against Arsenal in the Premier League.

There are more than 300 Newcastle graduates living across the New England states, and since launching last year, the Network has hosted several lively gatherings. Class of 1979 graduate Siamac Vaghar is one of the alumni volunteers leading the Network. Following the event in Boston, he told us:

“One thing shines through every time we get together: a shared affection for our days at the University and life in Newcastle. Favourite lecturers, memorable accommodations, culinary classics (the Students’ Union and Greggs are firm topics of conversation!), and, of course, Newcastle’s legendary nightlife and football culture all spark fond recollections.

 

“While the final score wasn’t quite what we hoped for, the camaraderie and Magpie pride were unmistakable - both among our alumni and the wider Newcastle United community in attendance at the pub!

 

“We’re looking forward to bringing our community together again in December for a holiday celebration, and I’d encourage any alumni in this corner of the US to reach out to get involved in our group.”

Next on the US trip itinerary was a stop in New York to officially launch our NCL in Action programme for the current academic year. Alumni gathered to hear from world-renowned historian and Newcastle University alumnus, Professor Paul Kennedy CBE BA Hons History, 1966; Hon DLitt, 1991), in a fireside chat titled 'Rifts and Shifts in World Affairs: Historical Change in the Making'.

North East native Paul Kennedy is internationally renowned for his writings and commentaries on global political, economic, and strategic issues, and currently lectures at Yale University. He has published several books with a particular focus on the history of British foreign policy and great power struggles. Paul also regularly writes for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and many foreign-language newspapers and magazines, with his monthly column on current global issues distributed worldwide by the Tribune Content Agency.

One of our alumni guests in attendance was Dr Robert Overell, who graduated from Newcastle University in 1977. He said:

It was great to meet fellow alums in NYC for the first time and hear about their journeys. I enjoyed the socializing and networking over drinks and food, and there was a nice mix of that and having a Q&A with an invited speaker who was terrific. I’ll be coming back!

The final event of the visit to the East Coast saw Newcastle University alumni descend on Founding Farmers Fishers & Bakers in Washington D.C. for brunch and social networking. Graduates were invited to make new connections within their alumni community, reminisce on their student days, hear the latest updates from their alma mater and – of course – enjoy some delicious food!

Since this inaugural event in Washington D.C., we’ve officially launched a new Alumni Network in the area and the volunteer leads are currently planning their first event for December 2025: A watch party of the Newcastle-Sunderland football derby!