Come visit the Ning site

I've been very quiet indeed on this blog but very busy in other spaces.

Come and visit the new CASE Asia-Pacific Ning site: http://caseasiapacific.ning.com/

Happy Holidays

Hope everyone has a well deserved rest over the holiday season ...

If you are looking for a little holiday reading, my colleague in London, Joanna Motion (CASE’s VP International Operations) has contributed to an expert panel convened by the European Union to investigate increasing philanthropic giving to university research.
http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/policy/philanthropy_en.htm

If you want the direct URL for the report:
http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/pdf/download_en/report_draft.pdf

Not just Li Ka Shing who is giving to education in China ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22217462/#storyContinued


But what I really want to know is ... how to get an invite to the Clinton Philanthropy Summit in HK next year !!

I'll be blogging from the Association of Chinese University Foundations meeting in Xi'an next week (Dec. 18th 2007)

Countdown to the CASE Asia-Pacific Conference

Alumni of Distinction

I've just returned home to Singapore after a looooong flight from Toronto (via Vancouver, Hong Kong) and managed to finish reading my first "Rebus" novel by Ian Rankin - Mortal Causes. I really enjoyed the book, especially as I've recently been in Edinburgh for the CASE Europe Annual Conference. My colleagues in the CASE Europe office very thoughtfully arranged for a guided tour of Edinburgh which was a highlight - and several of the locations in the Rankin book were included in the tour. Thankfully I didn't have images of gruesome ritual killings when I was on the tour, as it was grim enough underground without that in the back of my mind.

What struck me as relevant for our work is that in the author bio section at the beginning of the novel, Rankin mentions that he has been chosen as Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by his alma mater, University of Edinburgh.

Just goes to show that people do pay attention and these awards, when done properly, can be excellent engagement opportunities for universities and colleges.

More on the award from the University of Edinburgh website:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/people/alumni/1999ianrankin.html

New Era Down Under

Kevin Rudd has led the Labor Party to a resounding victory in the Australian federal election on Sat. Nov. 24th. This means he will soon be occupying Kirribilli House - which is the official residence of the Australian prime minister and just across the harbour from the Sydney Opera House.

He has promised an ambitious agenda, including enhanced investment in education at all levels and specific measures to counter the "brain drain".

Although there's been much debate in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand about "brain drain" there is also ample evidence that the skilled migration programs in each of those countries is actually resulting in a "brain gain" - at the expense of many emerging countries such as India, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc.

I'll be watching with great anticipation how Rudd governs Australia, given his progressive world view and "foreign exposure" - he served as a diplomat with the Australian foreign affairs department and speaks fluent Chinese.

Next Big Thing? Staff Alumni Associations

The New York Times carries an article today about LAFF - Life after the Ford Foundation - an "alumni" association for former staff of the foundation.

This cultivation of loyalty beyond academic environments is an interesting trend that I've been following. Elite employers have also been doing this for a while, including the Boston Consulting Group. There seem to be some eminently sensible reasons for doing this, including a wide network "brains trust" and assistance recruiting new staff.

How do you translate the principles of alumni relations practice into a corporate environment, especially around the areas of commercial confidence and rivalry? And of course not everyone is particularly interested in being a loyal alumnus of an ex-employer ... food for thought ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/us/26ford.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1196090241-tA/FJjIVv76zlgkRWoP0ew