Terms of engagement

The following guidelines provide the terms under which both the Open University Business School and members of the Alumni Council will adhere to.

What you can expect from the Open University Business School as an Alumni Council member:

• The School will lead any projects and initiatives and will seek to utilise the Alumni Council’s activities to directly benefit the Alumni community.
• The School will be clear on the input required from Alumni Council members and provide timelines.
• The School will respect any individual’s decision to resign if their individual circumstances prevent them from completing their tenure.
• The School will reimburse out of pocket expenses within 6 weeks of submission.
• The External Affairs team will seek to promote and raise the profile of the Alumni Council both internally within the Open University Business School and the wider Open University and also externally, within the Alumni community and other external facing communities.

Duties and activities of an Alumni Council member:

• The Alumni Council meets four times a year; once face-to-face at The Open University, Milton Keynes, (involving one overnight stay) and three times virtually in an online environment.
• Attendance at all meetings is expected.
• It is expected that in the event of extenuating circumstances arising that temporarily prevent an individual participating in Alumni Council activities, that the individual be responsible for contacting the OUBS Senior Manager for External Affairs and/or Chair of the Board and advising of the likely impact on the Alumni Council.
• Alumni Council members will be invited to attend a range of events (both face to face and online) to represent the Alumni Council and the Alumni community, attendance at some events is expected (this may be determined by location, schedule and area of expertise of individual members, and therefore not all Council members will be invited to all events).
• In addition to attendance at meetings there will be additional project work, that will require input or feedback from the Alumni Council member. This might include providing expertise, representing the School, or seeking feedback from the wider Alumni community.
• Alumni Council members should expect direct contact from members of the Alumni community through social media, or via the OUBS website and External Affairs team, it is expected that Council members engage with community members directly.
• Alumni Council members are expected to interact with Alumni members through the variety of existing OUBS channels including LinkedIn, X (formly Twitter), eNewsletters, events and mentoring programme.

Expenses:

• The positions of Alumni Council Member and Chair are voluntary, and therefore unremunerated.
• Reasonable expenses incurred for Alumni Council activities, including travel, accommodation, subsistence and telephone charges will be reimbursed. To avoid confusion regarding what constitutes a reasonable expense for Alumni Council activities, any expense queries should be referred to the OUBS Senior Manager, External Affairs in advance of incurring the expense.
• It is expected that individuals will book the most cost effective form of travel in advance, when dates for meetings are confirmed.
• Expenses should be submitted within one month of the meeting date in the format required by The Open University.

Communication:

• All members are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
• Outside of the meetings, communication will primarily be via email and/or LinkedIn groups.
• If a response is required to a communication within a set date, no response will be taken as acceptance/no opinion.
• If a member of OU staff outside of the External Affairs team contacts you to ask for assistance with project work in your capacity as an Alumni Council member, it is requested that the copy the Senior Manager, External Affairs and the Chair of the Board into your communication so that Alumni Council time can be managed appropriately.

Tenure:

• The post of Alumni Council member is for a three year term, with the option to take a second term.
• If individual circumstances change during that term, the individual is not obliged to complete their term, but can resign their position by informing the Senior Manager, External Affairs and/or Chair of the Board.
• An individual’s position can be extended with mutual consent to ensure continuity for Alumni Council activities within the School.

The Open University Business School encourages individual participation by requiring that members:

• Adhere to the principles of the non-disclosure agreement.
• Have authority for any work undertaken on behalf of the School.
• Enshrines the school’s core values by being inclusive, responsible and accessible.
• Attending meetings regularly, participating in project work and responding to requests for input by email and other means.