Royal School of Mines Association survey results

An overwhelming 850 alumni responded to the RSMA survey in 2008

After the Royal School of Mines Association AGM in the summer of 2008, John Sharpley, RSMA President 1986-87, handed the current President, Kurt Budge, a copy of his message from the annual journal of that year. Surprisingly very little has changed during the intervening 20 years; John’s call for alumni to join the association and engage with it back then, is the call that is still being made today.

In autumn 2008, the RSMA survey conducted a survey to look at the best way for the association to serve alumni, and an overwhelming 850 RSM alumni (not all members) responded.

Paul Holmes, RSMA Honorary Secretary, said: “The most telling fact was that alumni commented that they didn’t know the purpose of the association, despite the RSM constitution having stood the test of time."

The Royal School of Mines Association constitution is:

• To endeavour to maintain the identity of the RSM and its distinctive diploma
• To foster an enduring link between members of the Association and with the staff and students of the RSM thereby promoting comradeship and a source of mutual help and advice
• To provide members with a forum for assisting, both financially and in other ways, students in particular and the RSM in general
• To present views of RSM men and women

Paul added: "It’s clear that the RSMA committee has fallen short in communicating with alumni how it works towards the constitution’s objectives and how it stays relevant to alumni, and the undergraduates that still join the RSM and graduate ARSM [Associateship of the Royal School of Mines]. This we intend to change with your engagement and financial support, enabling the Committee to harness the resources it needs to serve RSMA members and students, and act upon the findings of our recent survey.”

Further details of the RSMA survey were included in issue nine of Imperial Engineer, the magazine for members of the City and Guilds College Association and the Royal School of Mines Association. Visit www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/about/alumni/imperialengineer for more information.