We often hear from our members that they value in-person, face to face events to get the opportunity to connect with peers, discuss important and significant issues and topics within the higher education sector, and to feed into and hear the latest updates on UKCISA’s ongoing works. In planning for 2024, we took our member’s feedback into consideration and launched a series of in-person member events in multiple locations across the UK: UKCISA Connect.
These events, held in London in January, Bristol in February, and Glasgow in March, gave UKCISA members the opportunity to join us in person for a day of specialist talks, panel discussions, and interactive sessions focusing on a variety of topics, including the latest policy analysis, the potential impact of the upcoming general election, ongoing efforts to ensure that international students in the UK have the best possible experience, and sustainability in the higher education sector.
Not only were these events a great opportunity for members to hear and discuss the latest updates in higher education, they also allowed those in attendance to meet new colleagues and establish great working relationships for the future.
Daniel Hooper, UKCISA Membership Manager, and Anne Marie Graham, UKCISA Chief Executive shared their thoughts with us on these new, in-person member events, and reflected on the overall importance and success of UKCISA Connect.
“It was fantastic to witness the discussions amongst delegates and to see that our attendees represented our entire membership and all the nations of the UK but all had the same goal – to improve the experiences of international students in the UK.
Looking forward, I am eager to build on the success of these events at our upcoming conference, where we will strive to further promote the interests of international students and those who support them.
On a personal note, I always find it rewarding to put faces to names. Given that much of our work and interactions occur online these days, the opportunity to be in the same room is incredibly valuable.”
- Daniel Hooper, UKCISA Membership manager
“Engaging directly with our members online or in-person is an invaluable opportunity to hear about the challenges they and their students face. Such opportunities are ever more important in the current, fast-changing, context for student immigration. Our in-person UKCISA Connect events in London, Bristol and Glasgow generated a particular buzz – each event was a mix of those who’d attended many events over the years and those newer to the sector and UKCISA, coming together to reflect on the policy environment and the WeAreInternational Student Charter.
We selected our panelists to give our members a chance to hear from individuals that they may not usually hear from in their day-to-day roles, ranging from leading sector voices to our international student ambassadors.
The events gave us a wealth of insight to support our efforts to challenge the negative political narrative around international students and post-study work routes, and to inform our advocacy for more inclusive and sustainable policies. It also reminded me of the resilience of those who choose to study in a different country, far from friends and family, as members heard from our ambassadors and their experience of navigating a new country and culture, and shared their perspectives on how to better support them.
The event series also reinforced the incredible commitment across the sector to provide a high-quality international student experience. Our member community is something very special.”
- Anne Marie Graham, UKCISA Chief Executive
We’d like to thank all UKCISA members who attended one of our UKCISA Connect events this year, as well as our staff members for their hard work in putting these events together, and our guest speakers, including our #WeAreInternational student ambassadors.
Our next in-person event this year will be our Annual conference, to be held from 25-27 June at the University of Kent. Bookings are now open, and we look forward to welcoming many more of you to our biggest in-person event of the year to spend quality time networking with colleagues, developing professional skills and hearing the latest policy developments.
