A letter to our alumni: Bruce Mutsvairo reflects on his first 100 days as dean
Dear AUC alumni,
As I edge toward my first 100 days in this role, I feel privileged to be offered an opportunity to directly address members of the AUC alumni body. Stepping into this role, I was well aware of the remarkable contributions the AUC alumni continue to make insofar as helping us shape our institution into the vibrant community that it strives to be.
As the year comes to an end, it’s important to bring to your attention some of the remarkable strides we made this year.
We began in January with alumna Lisa Zuidema sharing her important work with us, which is at the intersection of health sciences, policy and ethics. Fast forward to April when we hosted Failing Forward, where three of our alumni shared stories about what it means to fail, and how sometimes failing inspires the beginning of new pathways and opportunities.
Starting in May, AUC collaborated with several alumni, offering annual community projects and internships to current students. To their credit, ‘Lovingreens,’ ‘Stichting Our Bodies Our Voice’ and ‘Taste Before You Waste’ are examples of organizations founded by AUC alumni. The following month, alumni Gabriella Thompson and Claudia Dictus, co-founders of ‘Our Bodies Our Voice,’ reflected on their journey from grassroots initiatives to a foundation working at national scale. Also in June, we welcomed our alumni-to-be at AUC’s Capstone Forum, where graduating third year students presented their interdisciplinary theses.
During the AUC graduation ceremony for the class of 2025 in July, we felt lucky to welcome back valedictorian Sharwari Khare. We were also fortunate to interview her. The interview along with her speech were published on the AUCAA website in October. The Homecoming city tour and dinner followed up in August in light of 750 years Amsterdam, exploring the city’s 1960s counterculture together with AUC lecturer Jonathan Gill. In October, we hosted the AUC x PPLE event ‘What if you could design the future?’ during the UvA alumni week, focusing on how interdisciplinary thinking brings innovation.
Attending AUC’s lively Open Day on 1 November has been one of the major highlights for me. Amid a pulsating atmosphere, I had an opportunity to interact with potential (future) AUC students.
DUWO caretaker Adel el-Sabagh, who most of you are familiar with, retired in December after 18 years at the dorms. Alumni sent goodbye letters to him, thanking him for his service and wishing him the best with his retirement. Students also collected donations for a goodbye gift.
As AUC graduates and students continue to shine wherever they go, we should remember that it is thanks to the foundation you helped build, which makes it possible for members of our community to continue to get the recognition they truly deserve.
In the year ahead, I look forward to engaging you directly whether it’s digitally or face to face during many of our alumni events. You are of course always welcome to visit AUC to reconnect with faculty, staff and current AUC students. As we collectively embrace opportunities that tomorrow brings, feel free to share any ideas or comments by directly emailing me.
Warm regards,
Bruce Mutsvairo
Interim Dean at AUC