Alumni reunion celebrates 30 years of success

Solent is proud to boast a global student community, bringing together students with unique experiences, insights and backgrounds that foster a true culture of inclusion at the University’s city-centre campus. This includes students from Norway who, over the last three decades, have come to Southampton to study, with thanks to a meaningful partnership between Solent and Kristiana University College.

At an alumni reunion in Oslo on Wednesday 29 May, representatives of Solent University joined more than 30 graduates from Kristiana University College and Norway’s maritime industry to celebrate the paths to success higher education leads to. Andrew Bird, Chief Marketing Officer at Solent, says:

"It is always a privilege to meet with our alumni and find out how Solent helped shape their future aspirations. In addition, celebrating Solent University's 30-year partnership with Kristiania University College, who kindly hosted the event so well, made for a wonderful evening."

Offering an opportunity for networking, the event connected alumni with prospective students, demonstrating the benefit of studying at Solent. During their time in Southampton, graduates thrived across a variety of subjects, from courses at Warsash Maritime School – with Solent recognised as a go-to destination for students seeking to study International Maritime Business – to sport, art and film. Hans Magnus Karim Solvik, a graduate who studied Marketing at Solent and now works as a Project Manager, says:

“This is such a great initiative to gather internationally minded spirits; a perfect example of culture exchange where the UK brings the best of Southampton to Oslo.”

Graduates have gone on to carve out exciting careers in various industries, supported by a strong foundation of high-quality teaching at Solent. From a Creative Director and Head of Football, Social Media Manager and Shipbroker, the alumni community are thriving in their chosen fields.

Robert Glad, who studied Advertising at Solent and graduated in 2014, says:

"Having the opportunity to study abroad at Solent University has truly meant a lot to me both professionally and personally. I was able to learn from an international environment, solve real problems and regularly connect with industry professionals which later gave me the opportunity to enter the industry. It also opened up my eyes to build a career on an international level and made me work across several highly acclaimed agencies across different European marketing hubs.

“It has been an incredible journey which started from a simple chat with one of the visitors from Solent doing a guest lecture. From there on it was, and still is, a fantastic journey."