Reunion Activities, Accommodation and Directions

Alumni welcoming each other at their anniversary reunion

You are invited back to campus on 8 June 2013 to celebrate the anniversary of your graduation from the University.  The day will be an opportunity to meet up with your  classmates to explore campus and see what has changed and, indeed what has stayed the same, since your time at Birmingham.

Watch highlights from the 2010 Anniversary Reunions.

Your reunion day

 

In what promises to be a fantastic day, we have a full day of activites planned, with opportunities for you to visit your old department, take a tour of campus, plus plenty of time to catch up and chat to old Birmingham friends.  If we have forgotten anything, please do let us know.  

  • 9.15-10am: Registration with tea and coffee
  • 10am-12.30pm: Visits to departments.  Expand the box below to see what your department has planned.  This section will be updated as details are confirmed.

Visits to departments

Birmingham Business School
The Birmingham Business School has a new dedicated home, University House. Light refreshments will be available along with plenty of opportunities to chat to other alumni and reminisce about your own experiences with current staff and students.There will also be the chance to briefly visit Muirhead Tower. 

Chemical Engineering
Joe Biddlestone, Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering, will be in the department to welcome you, along with another member of staff, Dr Andy Ingram and the current Head of Chemical Engineering, Professor Peter Fryer. There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, current activity and future plans. You will also be given a written history of the 100 years of ‘chemical engineering’ at Birmingham from the early days of oil mining and chemicals through to the present day activities in hydrogen energy, food and pharmaceuticals.

Chemistry
Professor Jon Preece, Head of School. looks forward to welcoming you along with current colleagues and retired members of staff.  They will present some short talks regarding recent developments and achievements of the School, as well as a tour, and an opportunity to chat with them over coffee.

Civil Engineering
Dr Alexander Royal, Birmingham Research Fellow, will be in the department to welcome you, along with Professor Mark Sterling, Head of Civil Engineering. There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, current activity and future plans.

Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Chris Baber, Head of School, will be in the School to welcome you. There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, current activity and future plans.

English, Drama, American & Canadian Studies
Visit the School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies and reunite, and catch up, with your old classmates. Colleagues from the academic staff look forward to welcoming you and talking to you about your memories of the past as well as the exciting work being done in the School at the moment. There will also be opportunity to discover the School's plans for the future.  

Geography and Geology
There will be tours of the School as well as the chance to visit the Lapworth Museum of Geology. You will be able to meet current and former academic staff, including Head of School, Professor Ian Fairchild, Mike Tanner, and John Thornes from Geography to hear about the current research in the School and to have a look at memorabilia from the history of the School. There will be displays about the current degree programmes that we offer, which you may like to compare to your own. 

History
Visit the School of History and Cultures and reunite with your former classmates. Professor Corey Ross, Head of School, looks forward to welcoming you and talking to you about your memories of the past as well as the exciting work being done in the School at the moment. There will also be opportunity to discover plans for the future of the School.  

Languages
Visit the Ashley Building, the new home for the language departments, and meet up with your old classmates. There will be an opportunity to visit a Language Lab with a demonstration in a Modern Language. You will be able to meet current and former members of academic staff and look at photo displays and other School memorabilia including past and current exam papers! Current students will also be there to chat to you about student life in 2013. 

Law
You will be able to visit the Law Building and meet up with former classmates, current students and some members of staff – one or two of whom may have taught you.  There will be a tour of the School, which has been extensively refurbished over the last two years, resulting in a transformation of the learning environment for our students. There will be the opportunity to tour the Harding Law Library, hear news of current developments and the achievements of members of the School, and join a Question and Answer session with students. The visit will be hosted by representatives of the Holdsworth Club and Mr James Lee, the Law School Director of Alumni Relations.

Maths
Head of School, Dr Paul Flavell, will be in the School to welcome you along with current and former members of staff. There will also be an opportunity to walk around the School, see the lecture theatres and to meet some of the Student Ambassadors who are studying maths.  Light refreshments will be available in the Maths Learning Centre, in the Watson building from 11.00am. You will have the opportunity to chat to other alumni and reminisce about your time here.

Mechanical Engineering
Professor Freddie Bakhtar will be there to welcome you, along with Head of School, Professor Duc Pham, who has recently returned from Cardiff.  There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, our current activities and future plans.

Medicine
There have been many exciting developments in recent years, including the refurbishment of the Barnes Library and Medical School Foyer,as well as the launch of Birmingham Health Partners with our principal NHS Trust collaborator UHBfT. During the visit, there will be a chance to tour the School and learn more about our current courses, student numbers, examination formats etc. You are very welcome to bring along photographs or memorabilia from your time as a student to share with fellow alumni.

Metallurgy & Materials
Dr Stephen Kukureka, Deputy Head of School, will be there to welcome you, along with a former Head of School, Professor Rex Harris. There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, current activity and future plans. Please feel free to bring along your own photographs of your time at the University. Alumni from each of the five reunion years will join us for this part of the day and there will be plenty of time for you to meet fellow graduates and to share your experiences with one another.

Music
We look forward to welcoming you to the School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music and talking to you about how we have changed over the years. There will be an opportunity to tour the new Bramall Music Building, meet current members of academic staff, and students to chat to you about student life in 2013. 

Physics
The current Head of School, Professor Andy Schofield, will welcome you with a short presentation on the School in 2012 covering its internationally leading research in Particle and Nuclear Physics, Quantum Matter and Nanoscale Science, and Astronomy; and strong undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes. There will be plenty of time for you to chat and reminisce with your fellow alumni, together with current and former staff (including Dr Bob Harris), as well as current undergraduate and graduate students over tea and coffee.There will also be the opportunity to take a tour of some of the state-of-the-art research laboratories, such as the Nanoscale Physics Research Lab and the Astrophysics clean rooms.

Psychology
Head of School, Kim Shapiro will welcome you, along with another member of staff and some current students with whom to chat. There will be opportunity to reminisce, tour the building and learn about the past, current activity and future plans of the School. The field of Psychology is fast paced and no doubt you will find many of the new techniques and approaches quite exciting! At the same time, you can remind us of Psychology’s past and one must always know one’s history.

Social Sciences and Education
Following a major refurbishment project, the College of Social Sciences is once again housed within the Muirhead Tower, which is now a vastly improved facility offering state of the art teaching and office space for students and staff. We are delighted to open up this iconic building to all Social Science graduates on 8 June where we will be showcasing some of the fascinating and important work that is happening across the College including a ‘Survivor Arts’ exhibition, which has been facilitated through generous alumni donations.

  • 12.30-2.30pm: Reunion lunch.  The Class of 1963 and the Golden classes will be joined by the Vice-Chancellor for a 2-course formal lunch, all other years will have a hot buffet lunch.
  • 2.30-3.30pm: University Question Time.  Our panel, including the Vice-Chancellor Professor David Eastwood, key researchers and Guild officers, will answer your questions about student experience, current research taking place at Birmingham and the University's vision for the future.
  • 3.30-4pm: Class photos on the steps of the Great Hall
  • 4-5pm: Optional activities including minibus and walking campus tours led by current students; self-guided tours of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Winterbourne House and Garden; tour of the Guild of Students; tour of Special Collections, the University's archives; or free time to explore campus at your leisure.
  • 5-6pm: Afternoon tea and cakes.  Official end of reunion day.
  • 6-7pm: Performance in the Bramall Music Building
  • 7.30-10pm: Reunion dinner (places must be pre-booked)

Accommodation

Why not make the most of your trip down memory lane and stay for the weekend.  You can return to campus with your family on Sunday 9 June for Community Day: get involved in the University's latest research, learn how students support the local community and enjoy fun activities with our many student societies.  Find out more on the University's Community webpage.

Local accommodation is available, including some offering discounts to alumni.   For more details view our accommodation list (PDF - 52Kb).

Getting here

The reunion day will take place on the University's Edgbaston Campus.  For further information on how to find campus please visit the Maps and Directions webpage.