Our mission
Welcome to the Sydney University Graduates Union North America (SUGUNA), the vibrant alumni network connecting graduates, students, and friends of the University of Sydney across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. At SUGUNA, our mission since 1990 has been to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment where alumni can reconnect, share experiences, and contribute to the ongoing success of the University of Sydney.
Come to an event!
We hold in-person social and networking events, focused around where our community lives. We collaborate with the University using their “glocal” event platform to manage in-person event registrations. If you’re a SUGUNA member, reach out to us if there is a cluster of alumni in your region and we can work with you to help you host a SUGUNA event. We’ve also started a series of virtual networking events so that SUGUNA members can gather and form new seeds for future in-person events centered around geographic areas in North America.
Join us and stay connected
Membership in SUGUNA is open to all graduates of the University of Sydney, former students, faculty members, and friends who share our commitment to academic excellence and community engagement. By joining, you become part of a network that values connection, collaboration, and the continued success of our alma mater. You will be added to our mailing list to ensure you receive updates on upcoming events, networking opportunities, and news from our global alumni network. We also encourage you to update your details with the University directly.
Looking ahead
As we continue to grow and evolve, SUGUNA remains dedicated to providing opportunities for alumni to engage, collaborate, and contribute to the University’s legacy. We invite you to join us in shaping the future of our community, ensuring that the spirit of the University of Sydney thrives across North America.
History
SUGUNA was founded in 1990 by William Lew, Warwick Harvey-Smith and Clifford Kwan-Gett who contacted their classmates that they knew to be in North America. In addition they placed an advertisement in the Gazette and obtained a listing of Sydney University graduates in the U.S.A. and Canada. The first meeting was held in 1991 in Sun River, Oregon.
Three-day Annual Conferences were run from 1991-2017, held in different US locations and were a mainstay of the organization for most of the 1990s and into the 2000s and early 2010s. The Conferences comprised lectures on a range of topics in the arts, sciences, business and beyond, as well as sporting events, and social functions.
During this time SUGUNA also developed several awards and a newsletter. The SUGUNA Jim Wolfensohn Award consists of a sterling silver plate donated by the late Jim Wolfensohn, a prominent SUGUNA supporter and former president of the World Bank, awarded annually to a SUGUNA member in recognition of academic or other achievements. The Michael Challis Distinguished Service Award was established in 2012 in recognition of the invaluable service performed by Michael Challis in his role as Secretary and Treasurer of SUGUNA (2000-2014). It recognizes individuals for activities performed in support of SUGUNA, with special emphasis on leadership roles to advance the work of the organization.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic was a period of pause for many SUGUNA activities, as for many organizations. but from 2022 onwards, SUGUNA has re-organized and revitalized its mission and bylaws, with an increasing focus on regional in-person events and virtual national events, leading to our first successful virtual Annual General Meeting in August 2025.
Annual Conferences
Year of conference and location
- 1991 - Sunriver, OR (29)
- 1992 - Whistler, BC, Canada (83)
- 1993 - Penn State University, PA (80)
- 1994 - Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (96)
- 1995 - Whistler, BC, Canada (57)
- 1996 - Western Washington University, Bellingham WA (39)
- 1997 - University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ONT Canada (43)
- 1998 - University of California, Berkeley CA (56)
- 1999 - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (57)
- 2000 - Kansas City, MO (37)
- 2001 - Vancouver, BC Canada (45)
- 2002 - San Diego, CA (67)
- 2003 - Georgetown University Washington, DC (85)
- 2004 - Tampa, FL (56)
- 2005 - Champaign, IL (46)
- 2006 - Berkeley, CA (68)
- 2007 - Kingston, ON (59)
- 2008 - Philadelphia, PA (68)
- 2009 - Los Angeles, CA (84)
- 2010 - Chicago, IL (77)
- 2011 - Vancouver, BC
- 2012 - Boston, MA
- 2013 - Charlotte, NC
- 2014 - Dearborn, MI
- 2015 - New York City, NY
- 2016 - Long Beach, CA
- 2017 - Toronto, ON, Canada
Wolfensohn Award recipients
- 1993 - Dr B.L (Lyn) Behrens (MBBS ‘64)
- 1994 - Dr Ernest A. Baja (BDS ‘57)
- 1995 - Dr June R.P. Ross (BSc ‘53, PhD Science ‘59, DSc ‘74)
- 1996 - Emeritus Prof Ronald N. Bracewell (BSc ‘41, BE Mech & Elec ‘43, ME ‘48)
- 1997 - Dr Clifford Kwan-Gett (BSc ‘55, BE Mech & Elect ‘57, MBBS ‘64)
- 1998 - Prof Enid Gilbert-Barness AO (MBBS ‘50, MD ‘83, MD ‘99)
- 1999 - Dr Bruce A. Bolt (Dip Ed ‘53, Sc ‘55, PhD Science ‘59, DSc ‘72, Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley)
- 2000 - Gillian M Beattie (BSc ‘61)
- 2001 - Dr Thomas Dunn (BSc Hons ‘50, MSc ‘51, PhD)
- 2002 - Peter Farrell (BE ‘64)
- 2003 - Prof Ernest Newbrun (BDS ‘54, DSc ‘97, MSc, DMD, PhD)
- 2004 - Ian Campbell (BA ‘67)
- 2005 - Gerard Bassell (MBBS ‘73)
- 2006 - John McLenaghan AM (BEc ‘59)
- 2007 - Phillip H Smith (BE ‘50 DEng ‘97)
- 2008 - John C Semmler
- 2009 - Philip Minter AM (BSc Hons ’51)
- 2010 - Michael D Challis (BE(Civil) ‘54)
- 2011 - Ronald L Ettinger (BDS ‘66 MDS ‘70)
- 2012 - R. Julian C. Brown
- 2013 - Wanda M. Haschek-Hock
- 2014 - Graeme Goodsir
- 2015 - Ramune Cobb
- 2016 - Virginia L Hood
- 2017 - Derek Raghavan
- 2018 - Timothy Potts
- 2022 - Charles Mackenzie
- 2024 - Geraldine Brooks
Challis Award recipients
- 2012 – Portia Tierney McKenna* (BA ‘52) – Newsletter Editor
- 2013 – Sonia Ettinger – Support of Annual Conference
- 2014 – John McLenaghan, AM* (BEc ‘59) – Representative Officer in Australia
- 2015 – Wolfgang Nadler – Official Photographer
- 2016 – William Evans (BA ‘72, LLB ‘75) – Director, legal advisor, assistant secretary
- 2017 – Miriam Waters – Alumni Relationship Advancement
- 2022 – Barry Catchlove (MBBS ‘66) – Representative Officer in Australia
- 2024 - Alexander Lancaster (BSc ‘91, BE Hons ‘94) - Secretary and Treasurer