Recently we received the sad news that on January 6, 2022 Ine Kuppen passed away at the age of 77. Ine was considered 'the mother of alumni'.
Her career at UM started as a secretary in 1974 when she joined the committee that laid the foundations for FHML. She worked at many places within the UM, for example at Legal Affairs and Marketing & Communication, after which she became the first alumni coordinator at UM. Her former colleagues call her 'A treasure of a person, a real connector'. How much she was appreciated was also reflected when she was named Employee of the Year.
Ine stood at the basis of UM's alumni policy and she co-initiated the alumni circles that now count more than 30 worldwide circles, from London to Amsterdam to Singapore. She maintained a lot of contact with UM alumni and meant a lot to them. Ine knew first-generation alumni just as well as the recent graduates, because she worked at UM for more than 37 years. She believed that alumni should always feel welcome and had good contact with many alumni. The importance of ambassadorship of the alumni for UM was recognized by her.
In 2011, she said goodbye to UM. During her retirement Ine spent a lot of time with her two grandchildren, participated in spinning classes, was a member of a film club, culture club and French club and started reading more.
Maastricht University, the UM Alumni Office and the UM alumni community wish her loved ones a lot of strength in coping with her loss.
