Alumni Day of Action goes online Published on: 3 August 2020 An environmentally-focussed day of events has been announced for Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s first-ever digital Alumni Day of Action and Convocation. Taking place on Saturday, 10 October 2020, Alumni Day of Action and Convocation will be packed with a range of online activities for the University’s 220,000 graduates around the world. Themed ‘One Planet – Climate Change and Environmental Resilience’, the programme includes digital talks, live lectures and a panel Q&A. The focus of this year’s event builds on Â鶹´«Ã½’s commitment to climate change action by joining a number of organisations in the UK and all over the world in 2019 to declare a climate emergency. Lauren Huntington, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations, Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “For 2020 and beyond, we are introducing a new concept for our annual Alumni Reunion Weekend – the Â鶹´«Ã½ Alumni Day of Action. “The aim of the event is to bring our alumni community together in support of vital challenges facing our global community. Over the next five years, the event will focus on other key societal themes including: Ageing and Health, Data, Culture and Creative Arts, and Cities and Place. In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic has shown the positive impact of less travel, and the freedom to accelerate innovation. We would like to continue this positive trajectory and bring together the Â鶹´«Ã½ community to help further this critical global issue.” Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Â鶹´«Ã½, added: “I’d like to welcome our graduates to our Alumni Day of Action and I hope they are excited about the new format and feel that it enables a truly global and inclusive conversation. “Our focus is the climate emergency and I’m really proud of the work that Â鶹´«Ã½ is doing to address climate action, though our research, teaching, student activism and the amazing work of our sustainability team. I am delighted that the Alumni Day of Action will enable our graduates to hear about this work. “Of course there is a lot more to do. Behind Covid-19 sits the huge global challenge of climate action and part of our recovery will be to bring the two together and to make positive change.” Alumni Day of Action welcome with Professor Julie Sanders What is the Alumni Day of Action? - Sophie McDermott, Chair of Convocation A day of positive climate action. Alumni Day of Action starts with The Big Â鶹´«Ã½ Quiz, which will put alumni knowledge of Â鶹´«Ã½ and the University to the test. Also taking place on the day is the NCL Professional Network: Early Careers in Sustainability Brunch, a live panel event with Q&A to reignite the spark of our NCL Professional Network event series. It is followed by “20 Poems for the Planet”, an alumni poetry recital, hosted by Linda France, Climate Writer in Residence at Â鶹´«Ã½ and New Writing North.   Former students can join Chair of Convocation, Sophie McDermott for the 63rd Meeting of Convocation. Convocation is a statutory body that gives graduates the opportunity to input into the University’s challenges and successes. Professor David W Graham will deliver a lecture at 3.30pm, entitled ‘Fighting the next pandemic: Water quality, antimicrobial resistance and global health’. This lecture will discuss links between water quality and resistant infectious disease – which could potentially lead to the next pandemic. Following the lecture, Sophie McDermott will moderate a panel discussion, entitled: Addressing climate change: what’s the way forward? Panellists include: Professor Phil Blythe, Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems, Â鶹´«Ã½, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Transport; Dr Katharine Rietig, Lecturer in International Politics, Â鶹´«Ã½; Madeleine Rawlins, Principal Consultant, Mott MacDonald and Dr Marcus Richards, Executive Advisor, Boston Consulting Group. Graduates will have a chance to warm up for Alumni Day of Action with a programme of pre-event activities, including the four campus challenge, recycle competition, and many others. Find out how you can get involved at: Share: Latest News Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Student leader drives misogyny law change A Â鶹´«Ã½ student leader has helped change the law after creating a petition to make misogyny a hate crime, which gathered over 114,000 signatures, prompting action in Parliament. published on: 12 June 2026 Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ see construction of new Castle Leazes The Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ and other key stakeholders have become an indelible part of new student accommodation at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Castle Leazes. published on: 12 June 2026 Facts and figures
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