Inaugural Chancellor's Public Lecture

The Inaugural Chancellor's Public Lecture took place on 7th June 2017 at the USIU-Africa auditorium. Mr. Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom Limited, gave the keynote address during the event whose topic was Digital Disruption: Preparing for current and future disruptions.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Zeleza, when giving his opening remarks extended an invitation to Dr. Manu Chandaria and Mr. Bob Collymore to become honorary members of the Alumni Association.

Register on this link https://goo.gl/forms/kO89OoGR7ugm6MX73 to stay updated on future activities of the University and the Alumni Association.

Beyond Campus: Expectations Meet Reality

The Young Alumni Network (YAN), an interest group of the Alumni Association which was established in July 2016, to increase alumni membership by reaching out to young alumni below the age of 30 through engagement in various programs and events tailored specifically to address their needs as young graduates.

In partnership with Beyond Colours Enterprise, the Young Alumni Network organised an event dubbed ‘Beyond Campus: Expectations Meet Reality’ that was held at the USIU-Africa auditorium on 7th April 2017 from 8.30am to 12.30pm. The event brought  together around 150 alumni and  other members of the USIU-Africa community (young professionals and experts) who were keen on understanding how to advance in their careers or entrepreneurial ventures. It also addressed the expectations that graduates have when they are leaving campus versus the reality in the job industry.

Several speakers working across different industries featured on the agenda in a panel discussion. These included: Jerry Shikhule [Enterprise Software Solutions Specialist], Elizabeth Simiyu [Founder of Slim Therapy and Electrical Engineer, BAT] and Kiarie Njoroge [HR Practitioner and Founder of Lafayette Resources].

Alumni Affinity Evening

USIU-Africa Alumni Association on March 10, 2017 held an inaugural dinner between members of the Alumni Association and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Zeleza at the Vice Chancellor’s residence in Runda. The evening dubbed “Affinity Evening” was a platform for the Vice Chancellor to interact with members of the Young Alumni Network and representatives of the Alumni Association Executive Committee in an informal set up. The event was also graced by members of the management board including Jared Raburu (Director-Administration, Human Resource) James Ogolla (Director Advancement, Communications and External Relations), Hellen Ombima (Director Legal Service & Company Secretary) as well as other university representatives including Jane Muriithi (Chief Manager-Marketing and Communications) and Scott Belows (Faculty Member).

The parties present got to interact with each other and learnt about the visions that they have for the different entities that they represent. The Vice Chancellor expressed his delight in seeing alumni come together to work with the university to achieve their common goals. He reiterated the commitment that the university has in supporting activities of the Alumni Association.

The Affinity Evening will be a monthly event held at the Vice Chancellor’s residence between the Vice Chancellor and members of various interest groups within the Association.

 

TechWomen Conference

She Goes Tech, an initiative founded by a Kenyan Tech Women Fellow (2015), Kendi Ntwiga in collaboration with USIU-Africa Alumni Association held a conference dubbed "She believed she could, so she did STEM" on 10th February 2017. The conference brought together high school girls and teachers, university and college girls and faculty, private and public sector employers of STEM resources in Kenya.

Over 600 people who gathered at the conference were honored by the presence of key representatives of the Tech Women Program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, formed to empower, connect and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The conference ignited the interest of the First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta who in her tweet said “Excited to see women take part in this forum. Thank you to all the stakeholders supporting me in women empowerment projects.” The conference was also trending on twitter and made 8.5 million impressions.