BTSP ALUMNI SPRINT

A Non-Profit Initiative Supporting Higher Education Institutions in Bringing Alumni Back to the Classroom for Sustainability Learning

The Back to School for the Planet (BTSP) Alumni Sprint supports higher education institutions in bringing their graduates back to the classroom alongside current students to update their knowledge and competencies through newly introduced sustainability courses and other learning activities.

The initiative builds on the often already existing relationship between higher education degree programs and their alumni to facilitate their post-graduation access to the state-of-the-art, updated learning in sustainability now on offer, thus accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices by graduates who are now professionals in their fields and increasing their contribution to societal change towards a more sustainable future.

Key Benefits for Higher Education Institutions

The BTSP Alumni Sprint creates an opportunity for higher education institutions to demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning, develop new bonds with their alumni while updating their sustainability skills, and provide an invaluable experience for their current students, who benefit from classroom interactions and knowledge sharing with alumni of their program.

• Improve your alumni engagement and satisfaction by updating their skills with access to your most recent sustainability courses and activities.

• Upgrade overall classroom involvement through field experience shared by alumni with students and educators.

• Implement an innovative lifelong learning program and increase the attractiveness of your institution for candidates.

• Contribute to accelerating systemic change among professionals and citizens by addressing the sustainability knowledge and skill gaps.

Key Benefits for Students and Alumni

Bringing alumni back to the classroom has the potential to transform education by creating a unique intergenerational learning setting where young students share the classroom with more experienced alumni.

Thanks to the BTSP Alumni Sprint, the student and alumni experience can be enhanced in several ways:

• Integrated into the classroom discussion are first-hand accounts of how the sustainability strategies and concepts being taught may play out – or may have already been executed – in the professional world thanks to the live responses of alumni with experience in the field.

• A strong link is created between current students and participating alumni, leading to potential networking and employment opportunities.

• A new type of collaborative environment emerges that is intergenerational and bridges the academic and professional world in a dynamic way.

• Alumni update their skills with an institution they trust while strengthening their connection with their alma mater.

Participating students and alumni are awarded a certificate from Back to School for the Planet.