Alumni and Lifelong Fellowship
A Commitment to Global Impact
‘Lifelong Fellowship’ is a strategic initiative by the Rhodes Trust that aims to contribute to Scholars’ learning, service, and impact across every stage of their lives and careers, through a portfolio of programmes that foster cross-generational engagement and support.
Throughout your journey as a Rhodes Scholar, you will have access to this vibrant portfolio of programmes tailored to different stages and interests in your life, that presents the opportunity for community building, thematic engagement, learning and development, and volunteering. The initiative aims to enhance the capacity of Rhodes Scholars to lead lives of service and achieve positive and lasting change in the world. We also encourage joint activities across all partner programmes connected to the Rhodes Trust: Atlantic Fellows, Schmidt Science Fellows, Mandela Rhodes Scholars, Rise, and Oxford Next Horizons, delivering our “Fellowship of Fellowships” vision.
Regular events run throughout the year both online, hybrid and in person including Convenings, Scholars’ Library events and much more; you can visit the Event Calendar or Rhodes Connect to find out about upcoming events.
Get Involved!
Welcome Home Weekend
The goal of this three-day residential programme is to introduce soon-to-graduate or recently gone down Scholars to the Rhodes Alumni community and the Lifelong Programmes team and allow them to strengthen their network while leveraging the extended Rhodes community. The weekend also provides Scholars with a platform for reflection on their new life stage, and creates the space for Scholars to exchange insights on future career plans and post-Oxford choices. If you’d like to learn more, please email alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.
Rhodes Connect Mentor
Through the mentoring area on Rhodes Connect, Scholars can offer one another informal mentoring and advice through meetings and email exchange. These can create the opportunity to gain insights into career sectors, develop networks and gain employability skills. To register to be a mentor, please join Rhodes Connect. If you have not already registered or if you need any help logging in, please contact connect@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.
Reunions
Reunions are a fantastic way of re-connecting with Rhodes Classmates and rekindling old friendships. We are very happy to support the organisation of reunions for all years, but in particular would love to help Scholars who are celebrating their 40th, 45th or 50th Reunion. In-person Reunions can now take place in the newly renovated Rhodes House. Are you interested in arranging a Reunion? Find your Class Leader on Rhodes Connect or contact alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk We also host a Scholar dinner at Rhodes House in September around the University's Meeting Minds Reunion programme so look out for the dates of those in the Events Calendar.
Sector Connect
These virtual events create the opportunity for Scholars across the globe working or interested in a specific industry to come together to share ideas, and discuss the trends, challenges and opportunities present in that specific sector. Scholars are invited to host breakout room discussions on a topic of their choice. Topics are rotated but include themes such as Healthcare, Finance and Education. Watch out on Rhodes Connect and in the Alumni update emails for the latest events.
Global Impact Day
This initiative is an opportunity for the Rhodes Trust community and its partners to take part in a one-day social impact hackathon, as well as volunteering, to help support local and global causes. In Oxford, we connect with local charities and ask them to put forward challenges they are currently facing. On the day (usually in January) groups work in teams to generate innovative ideas and potential solutions to share with the charities. Not in Oxford but know of a charity in need of support? We want you to share with us any volunteering opportunities you know of, anywhere across the world. Please do share them on Rhodes Connect, or via email at alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk. We then share opportunities with the Scholar community, but specifically ask for opportunity submissions November - January.
Joint Ventures with Alumni Associations
The Trust builds bridges across the community. One example of this is bringing Alumni Associations together, or partnering with them directly to host events. Previous collaborations include with AARS on The Global Economy in the Coming Decade, and ARSA on a Fireside chat with John Bell. These events will be advertised on the website, Rhodes Connect, and the Alumni Update emails.
Other Virtual and In-person Events
Throughout the year, other virtual events are available for Rhodes Scholars to participate in, such as Town Halls to hear updates from the Trust, or events that are ran by Scholars or alumni associations themselves. The Trust also runs in person events LINK and other Scholar get together events around the world. Watch out in the Alumni Update emails, the Rhodes Connect digest and the website for these.
Class Leader
Class Leaders are vital for contacting their classmates to facilitate engagement opportunities, run reunion events and support fundraising efforts and we aim to have at least one Class Leader for every Class year. To find out if you have a Class Leader, or if you would like to learn more and volunteer yourself, please contact Celia Tezel at alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.
Connect with like-minded Scholars
You can find Scholars with the same interests or experiences as you by using our Scholars Directory in Rhodes Connect.
Rhodes Connect is the online home for the Rhodes community. Open to all Scholars in Residence and alumni Scholars, it a vibrant online space for collaboration, discussion and socialising. Sign up today and use the platform to find out about upcoming events, connect with Scholars in interest-based groups and make new connections.
You can also find Scholars who are in the same geographical area as you by using Rhodes Connect’s Scholar map.
Meet Locally
Alumni Associations are a fantastic way to connect with Rhodes Scholars in your local area. To find out more about existing associations, visit our webpage. If an association does not exist in your area, you may be interested to start one yourself. Email alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk and we would be happy to support you to do so.
Give Back
There are many ways in which you can volunteer for the Rhodes Trust and our partner organisations, find out more on our volunteering webpages.
Let us know your thoughts
To ensure that our programmes and events as impactful and valuable for alumni as possible, we formed the Global Alumni Advisory Board. The aim of the board is to provide the Rhodes Trust with advice, guidance and feedback on how the Trust can further and better its engagement and relationship with Rhodes Scholar Alumni for the benefit of all.
Rhodes Email Forwarding Service
We offer all alumni the opportunity to create a life-long Rhodes Trust forwarding email address, allowing you to stay connected with your Rhodes colleagues wherever life's journey may take you. Once registered, you will be assigned a Rhodes email address in the format: firstname.lastname.year@rhodestrust.com. All emails sent to this address will be forwarded to your personal email address.
How to sign up: Complete the form by entering your name, personal email address and chosen password, then click “Register”. Pending approval, your account will be activated.