The start of this year’s 2023 academic year has been particularly busy for Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG. Over the last few months, he has had the privilege of connecting with counterparts at universities worldwide, engaging with international students, and meeting members of the Warwick alumni community.

In October, Professor Robin Clark; and Associate Professor and Director of Overseas Programmes, Mike Newton, travelled to Singapore to attend the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) graduation.

WMG and SIM have a global education partnership allowing students in Singapore to receive a degree from WMG. A total of 45 students graduated, many of whom completed their course during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Dean of WMG, Professor Robin Clark, said, "At the ceremony, we celebrated the students' latest achievement on their path to leadership. Overcoming various challenges, they earned the University of Warwick qualification through their dedicated efforts. Their graduation is a testament to their academic success and a promising sign of their potential to positively influence our shared future. They're poised to make a meaningful impact by fostering connections, promoting sustainability, and contributing to a more productive world around us."

From Singapore, Professor Clark and Mike Newton, then travelled to Beijing to attend the Beijing City University (BCU) graduation. Similar to SIM, BCU and WMG have a global education partnership allowing students in Beijing to receive a degree from WMG.

Professor Clark said, “At BCU, we had an engaging roundtable discussion on project management, followed by insightful speeches, the presentation of awards, the symbolic turning of tassels, and memorable group photos."

After a brief return to the UK, Professor Clark then travelled to the University of Pentecost and University of Ghana where he gave the keynote at the University of Ghana's First Annual Engineering Conference on Sustainable Innovative Technologies for Development.

Professor Clark added, “It was a privilege to be invited to address the audience. I had the honour to meet the Dean of the University of Ghana, Engineering, and several colleagues for an informative discussion about collaboration.”

Catch up on the University of Ghana's First Annual Engineering Conference and Professor Clark’s keynote here: https://www.youtube.com/live/be7yHiADbwg?si=2LYMrrzcTLA_39Br

In November, Professor Clark, Professor Dan Nunan, Associate Dean (Postgraduate) and Dr. Mosh Mujthaba (Academic Director, Hong Kong) travelled to Hong Kong to attend the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) graduation ceremony. Like Warwick, HK PolyU is ranked in the top 100 Universities in the world and has a strong partnership with WMG that has been running for 33 years.

This was the first in-person graduation ceremony attended by WMG faculty members since 2019 and with students graduating all having their studies affected by COVID.

Professor Clark said, "More than 2,000 postgraduate students have now graduated from joint programmes as part of the longstanding WMG – PolyU partnership. With record numbers of applications and strong student numbers, we look forward to this partnership continuing to flourish in the future. At the ceremony, it was wonderful to celebrate students’ success, recognising that many graduating had overcome numerous challenges over the COVID period in order to succeed in their studies."

To wrap up the final leg of Professor Clark’s international travels for 2023, he recently accompanied the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Stuart Croft, on a trip to India to meet with members of the Warwick alumni community at two receptions in New Delhi and Mumbai.

The focal points of the alumni receptions centred around Warwick's upcoming 60th anniversary in 2025, and the transformative potential of WMG in addressing global challenges.

Professor Clark had the opportunity to connect with potential partners and revive relationships. As part of the visit, he met with Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, at CII House in New Delhi to discuss ways to strengthen the relationship between CII and WMG.

Professor Clark also held meetings with senior representatives at Tata Trusts and then Tata Power. He concluded his trip by visiting the CII Naoroji Godrej Centre of Excellence, where he discussed the possibility of developing new education partnerships.

Professor Clark said: “These global experiences underscore my commitment to international engagement and highlight the profound impact of cultivating a worldwide network. Connecting with alumni globally is a cornerstone of the University's dedication to building enduring relationships, contributing to the collective success of a global academic community like no other.”

Follow more updates from Professor Clark here: (19) Professor Robin Clark (@Prof_RobinClark) / X (twitter.com)