Barcelona GSE Alumni community
2,577
The Barcelona GSE Alumni community includes 2,577 Master’s program graduates.
118
COUNTRIES
Master’s alumni are currently working and continuing education in 118 countries worldwide.
Data is based on information reported by alumni themselves as of August 2020. For each region, the map indicates the 5 countries with the largest alumni communities.
Community engagement
38 events in 17 cities
Events were organized in the following cities:
Barcelona
Berlin
Brussels
Buenos Aires
Copenhagen
Frankfurt
Geneva
Istanbul
Lima
London
Luxembourg
Madrid
Mexico City
Montevideo
Nairobi
Paris
12 alumni chapters led by 24 alumni ambassadors
Local chapters organize alumni activities in cities around the world. Each chapter has one or more ambassadors who act as liaisons between the chapter and the Barcelona GSE.
115 alumni from 20 countries attended Global Alumni Meeting 2019
This reunion for Master’s graduates of all programs and cohorts took place in September 2019 in Barcelona. Activities included a panel on “Diversity in Economics,” career development workshops, sport and social events.
Keeping alumni connected during COVID
Since it was not feasible to hold group events during most of 2020, the Barcelona GSE organized online hangouts, yoga classes, functional training sessions, and social media challenges for alumni and students.
83 alumni agreed to chat online with candidates and incoming students
A new way for alumni to get involved and give back to the Barcelona GSE this year was through an online chat platform (Unibuddy) that launched in February 2020 (and would become essential when coronavirus lockdown made admissions tours impossible).
In total, 230 prospective students from 74 countries used the service between February and July. There is no doubt that the connections Barcelona GSE Alumni made with these candidates helped to minimize the impact of the coronavirus on Master’s enrollment for next year.
First Alumni & Friends Merit Award reaches 80% of community fundraising goal
The Merit Award is a new community fundraising initiative whose aim is to award a full-tuition waiver for study in the Barcelona GSE Master’s programs.
The fundraising goal for the first edition was 9000€ or half the amount of a full Master’s tuition waiver. The Barcelona GSE committed to match this amount. Donations for the first Merit Award closed in February 2020 with community contributions totaling 7251€ or 80% of the fundraising goal.
“Collaboration is a core value of the Barcelona GSE. We are a relatively young institution with around 2,400 alumni. Not only that, but most students are with us for just one year. The fact that they responded so positively to the Merit Award speaks to the level of engagement they have with us and their willingness to support future generations of Barcelona GSE students.”
– Teresa Garcia-Milà, Director of the Barcelona GSE
Alumni & Friends Merit Award scholarship initiative
Online platform use increases
55% of the entire Barcelona GSE Alumni community has activated their account on the platform, with all class years and programs represented.
Alumni and students share their work on the “Barcelona GSE Voice”
This community-driven blogging initiative, now in its eighth year, provides a space where students and alumni can share their thoughts on economic topics or current events, and their latest projects, cases, or research.
In 2019-20, 40 posts were published by student and alumni writers. The blog receives over 15k visits each year from more than 150 different countries.
Master’s Graduation 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the traditional graduation ceremony for Master’s students could not be held for the Class of 2020.
Instead, the Barcelona GSE produced a pre-recorded “virtual” ceremony. The online format made it possible for members of the Barcelona GSE Scientific Council, professors, alumni, and students to participate, which they did from all over the world.
The community watched the virtual ceremony together via the Barcelona GSE YouTube channel on July 10, 2020. The watch party was well-attended by students, their families, professors, and alumni in 17 countries.
Invited speakers
Esther Duflo
MIT (Nobel Laureate 2019)
Andreu Mas-Colell
Founder of the Barcelona GSE
Student and alumni speakers
Merle Vivian Steffen ‘20 (Economics)
Alumni Regional Ambassadors
In addition to the invited speakers, students, and alumni, the ceremony included remarks by:
Paulina Beato, Chair of the Barcelona GSE Board of Trustees
Teresa García-Milà, Director of the Barcelona GSE
Margarita Arboix, Rector of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Jaume Casals, Rector of Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Directors and faculty of the Barcelona GSE Master’s programs
Members of the Barcelona GSE Scientific Council:
- Hugo Sonnenschein, University of Chicago (Chair of the Scientific Council)
- Richard Blundell, UCL
- Bengt Hölmstrom, MIT (Nobel Laureate 2016)
- Matthew O. Jackson, Stanford University
- Anne Krueger, Johns Hopkins University