Introduction

This privacy policy sets out how the University of Bedfordshire Alumni Association obtains, manages and uses your data. This policy relates specifically to information held by the Alumni Association on alumni, supporters and friends of the University and is in addition to the University’s general privacy policy. All data is held securely and in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you have any questions about how we use your data please contact the University’s data controller.

The University's data protection registration number is Z5608378.

Data Controller
University of Bedfordshire

Data Protection Officer
Mo Casillas (she/her)
mojgan.casillas@beds.ac.uk

Address
Legal Office University of Bedfordshire
University Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU

Working with partners

The University is a controller in this instance.

We work with a third party provider for Alumni record management SalesForce Inc. SalesForce Inc. have cloud data storage facilities in the US and are fully compliant with the EU-US Privacy Shield framework.

Where we get your data

If you opt-in to join the Alumni Association a record is created for you on the Alumni database using information provided by you, either at graduation or by the Join Us form on the Alumni website or by filling in an alumni update form on the website.

Types of data we hold

The information stored and processed by the University may include:

• Biographical information (including name, titles, gender, date of birth)
• Contact details (including address, email address, phone numbers, social media profiles)
• Information about your time at University of Bedfordshire (including education details, details of placements, prizes and scholarships)
• Employment details (including positions held, organisations worked for, areas of responsibility, contact details, income)
• Your relationships (including spouse/partner, friends, family, university staff, other alumni and organisations)
• Communications sent to you by the University or received from you
• Donations to the University (including gift aid status and if donating by Direct Debit or standing order your bank details). We do not store credit or debit card numbers.
• Volunteering on behalf of the University (for example mentoring, giving a talk, advisory board membership)
• Events you have attended (including meetings with University staff)

Without this information, we may not be able to provide our Alumni services.

Lawful basis of processing

The lawful basis of processing used by the University is one of consent.

How we use your data

We use your data to communicate with you via post, email and phone, dependent on your preferences, about University of Bedfordshire. This could include invitations to reunions and other events, information on courses, research, news, other updates from University of Bedfordshire and fellow alumni, such as further study opportunities, fundraising materials and information about how you can continue to support us and how the University can support you. Please see the ‘Your rights’ section of this policy for more information about how you can update your communications preferences.

To try and make sure we are sending you communications that are relevant and of interest we may analyse and group data using a range of factors including demographic, geographic, education, employment details and details of past engagements with us.

Other academic departments (for example the school or department you studied in) and professional services (for example the Careers and Employability Service) may also wish to contact you from time to time or to find out more about specific groups of alumni. A typical example would be identifying amongst our alumni how many professionals there are working in a particular sector. Where this is the case we work with departments to provide them with up-to-date data and manage the sending of any associated communications.

We may publish details including your name, subject of study and year of graduation as part of case studies on our alumni website or in printed publications (for example ‘Noteworthy’). We will not publish your contact details.

Who has access to your data

Your data is held in a secure database with controls in place to limit who has access to it.

We may make data available to academic and administrative University departments.

As required by law the University may also provide information to organisations such as Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) or organisations operating on their behalf. If you Gift Aid your donations we are also required to share details with HMRC.

We will not share your contact details with other Alumni unless you give us permission to. Similarly if you want to get in contact with a former classmate we may be able to send a message to them on your behalf but will be unable to share their details with you.

We will never sell your data to other organisations.

How your data is maintained

You can update your data by using our online update form, emailing us at alumni@beds.ac.uk or writing to us at Alumni Office, Room G004, University Square, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3JU.

We believe that the relationship we have with our alumni, donors and friends is a life-long relationship and so we will retain your data until you request its removal.

Your rights

The GDPR provides you with rights about your personal data.

Right to be informed

About the collection and use of your data.

Right of access

Individuals have a right to access their data and to verify the lawful basis of processing. Please contact us using the contact details above.

Right of rectification

You have the right to correct or complete the data we hold about you.

Right to erasure

You have a right to have personal data erased, if the data is no longer necessary or there is no overriding legitimate interest to continue to process your data, in some circumstances.

Right to restrict processing

You can request to have your data processing restricted.

Right to data portability

You have a right to a copy of data that you have provided to us, in a machine-readable format.

Right to object

Individuals have a right to object to the processing of their data for legitimate interests and can state their grounds for their objection to the University. Please contact us using the contact details provided above.

Further information

We will regularly update our Privacy Notice in compliance with the GDPR and will update you if we need to amend our processing activity.

You may update your communication preferences and opt-out of receiving some or all communications from us at any time. To do so please either email alumni@beds.ac.uk write to us at Alumni Office, room G004, University Square, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3JU.

Should you wish to make a complaint please contact the Data Protection Officer using the contact information provided above. If we are unable to comply with your request we will inform you of the reason(s) why.

If you are unsatisfied or have further concerns, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at:

T: 0303 123 1113
W: ico.org.uk/concerns