AFLSE's History

AFLSE is LSE’s Oldest and Largest Global Alumni Group

The Alumni & Friends of the London School of Economics (AFLSE) is the School’s oldest and largest alumni group outside the United Kingdom. Across more than half a century, AFLSE has supported LSE and its alumni through numerous alumni programs and fundraising campaigns. AFLSE has a dedicated and hard-working group of volunteers nationwide, many of whom have served LSE and our alumni community for decades, and new volunteers join our leadership ranks every year. There are currently 22,000 active LSE alumni in the US supported by 39 local chapters, regional representatives, and global networks hosting more than 200 alumni events every year.

Origins in Fundraising

AFLSE was founded in 1970 as a 501(c)(3) US tax exempt organization to assist the School with its first US fundraising campaign to expand the School’s library. The campaign culminated with the opening of the Lionel Robbins Building on 27 July 1978. Over the years, AFLSE actively participated in other capital campaigns including the development of student housing at Butlers Wharf. AFLSE is an active fundraising vehicle for academic scholarships, awarding full scholarship grants to nearly 150 students over five decades, and continuing to award annual AFLSE Scholarships today. AFLSE’s volunteers have not only led efforts to raise the scholarship funds, but also take on the difficult task of picking scholarship winners from scores of deserving applicants each year. AFLSE continues to encourage alumni to give to the School by meeting a Challenge Grant target for increasing the number of donors to the Annual Fund in 2009.

Alumni Engagement

In the very early days, AFLSE began assisting the School with US alumni affairs by hosting annual dinners, publishing newsletters, etc. with the national organization based in Washington, D.C. AFLSE soon established a nationwide system of local chapters whose activities included arranging for alumni meetings with visiting faculty, supporting prospective students, and professional development opportunities for graduates. AFLSE established an office and eventually launched a website that among other things helped the LSE stay connected with US alumni. AFLSE has continuous communication with the Director and the alumni staff on US alumni affairs. Volunteers from coast to coast undertake these activities for AFLSE and our alumni community. AFLSE used to fund associated costs with membership dues, but the organization shifted to an open participation model in 2020; all LSE alumni and friends in the US are now de facto members of AFLSE.

AFLSE Today & Beyond

AFLSE offers a collection of alumni services and benefits in conjunction with the School. We hostn umerous social, educational, and professional events across the country, and provide connections to LSE alumni networks and activities around the globe. We have enthusiastic chapter leaders and regional representatives along with passionate Board members to guide us. AFLSE partners with the LSE Foundation Office in New York and LSE’s Philanthropy and Global Engagement Division for greater coordination of our common goal: to support LSE, its students, and alumni.

Past AFLSE Leaders

We’d like to recognize the former AFLSE Presidents and thank them for their leadership and dedication.

* Elizabeth Smith Brownstein also served as Executive Vice President during the term of Daniel Patrick Moynihan to assist when he was unavailable on account of his commitments in the United States Senate.