Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Relations association recently launched its first international alumni chapter, the Middle East chapter, inviting alumni throughout the region to the university in Qatar to connect and meet their fellow former students and staff.Director of alumni affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQ), Sana al-Buainan opened the programme by introducing guests from the university’s Richmond campus, including VCU president, Michael Rao, and the honourable Anne Rhodes, rector of the VCU board of visitors.VCU international alumni relations liaison, Monica Rao spoke to the chapter about how the initiative came about, mentioning a conversation she had with VCUQ alumni.She explained that the graduates were “honest, insightful and took great pride in their education, but wanted to take it to the next level.”The former students wished to have more interaction with the US campus, and Rao said that VCUQ alumni’s recent trip to Richmond to take part in VCU’s ‘Passport to the World’ event was a result of that conversation and the sentiments shared by local alumni.She also spoke about the ‘VCUQ Day’ event which was held in Richmond on March 1 of this year, aimed at giving students and visitors a chance to learn about Qatari culture.Rao said that the success of these events has led the alumni relations office to organise similar events in the future, as well as to promote the ‘study abroad’ experience.Speaking of the 150,000 alumni worldwide, Rao said: “Our goal is to connect them to the university and each other even after they venture out to the rest of the world because you never know where a conversation might take you.”VCUQ dean, Allyson Vanstone congratulated the alumni on the launch of the chapter, and invited attendees to “meet someone new within the VCU community.”