The Alumni and Friends Association of Leuphana University Lüneburg (AFL) is a network for alumni, students, faculty, and supporting companies of Leuphana University and its predecessor, the former University of Applied Sciences of Northeast Lower Saxony. The association currently has more than 1,000 members and has existed for over 30 years. Through a range of events, it promotes knowledge transfer between theory and practice and regularly supports projects led by alumni, students, and faculty.
The association took its present form in 2010, when the boards of Förderverein Netzwerk Wirtschaft (FNW) and Lüneburger Alumni e.V. decided to establish a joint, umbrella alumni and friends association incorporating their predecessor organisations. This was intended to streamline the association’s work and strengthen a sustainable alumni programme.
The FNW’s roots go back to 1982, when graduates of the then Department of Business decided to stay in touch after their studies and create a platform connecting academia and practice.
Founding photo of Förderverein Netzwerk Wirtschaft e.V. from 1982:
In 1982, 33 alumni and lecturers of the former Fachhochschule Nordostniedersachsen founded the FNW and laid the foundations for organised alumni work at what would become Leuphana.
Even then, supporting research and teaching so the university could stay competitive in the long term was one of the main goals.
Lüneburger Alumni e.V. was founded in 1994 to connect graduates and students of Leuphana, the University of Lüneburg, the Fachhochschule Nordostniedersachsen and the Lüneburg College of Education. Since then, the association has helped link academia and practice through hands-on engagement, supporting memberships and partner networks.
Since the associations merged in 2010, representatives of the predecessor associations have pooled their efforts in the cross-disciplinary AFL to support knowledge transfer between theory and practice, strengthen contact among alumni and students and with the university, and move forward projects by students, alumni and student groups. The AFL is the institutional home of alumni work at Leuphana and is supported by the university’s Executive Board.
The association’s aims
Building and strengthening networks
The main aim of the Alumni and Friends Association of Leuphana is to build a network across generations and disciplines. To that end, the association wants to strengthen alumni’s contact with former classmates, their lecturers and Leuphana University Lüneburg, and to encourage exchange between students and alumni. Even after you graduate, membership of the AFL should let you stay actively involved in university life, meet former classmates at regular events and keep growing your network.
Supporting research and teaching
The AFL also aims to support research and teaching with events that meet real needs, and to connect them with practice. In this way the association contributes to a competitive university and an attractive place to study.
Linking teaching and practice
To reach these aims, the association depends on your engagement as a member – there are many ways you can get involved at the university and in the AFL. Share your experience with current students, for example by talking about your career path at the practice forum, become a mentor, or get actively involved in the association by helping to organise alumni events or conferences – because a network only comes alive when its members take part.