Data Protection of the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services

The protection of your personal data is a particular concern of ours.  At this point we would therefore like to inform you about the processing of personal data by the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services at the WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and about your rights as a data subject. We process your data exclusively in accordance with the relevant data protection regulations (GDPR, Telecommunications Act 2003). Our Data Protection Declaration applies in particular to the processing of personal data of WU graduates, sponsors and visitors of the website wu-alumni.at. The Vienna University of Economics and Business is responsible for processing the data in accordance with data protection laws.

About us

The Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) was established to develop and bundle alumni work at the WU, and use the potential of the university’s graduates as well as to establish structures and framework conditions for successful fundraising. The department seeks to create a network and promote the professional, technical and scientific development of all  persons who have completed a course of study or similar training at the WU (or the former Hochschule für Welthandel) and/or have been active in teaching at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. At the same time, the department looks to strengthen the university’s bonds with its graduates and nurture the exchange of opinions and ideas.

Under the Austrian University Act (UG), universities are specifically required to assist in furthering the professional development of university graduates (Art 3 subpara 5  UG) and support regional and international cooperation in scientific research, teaching and the arts (Art 3 subpara 7 UG), as well as to maintain contact with graduates (Art 3 subpara 10 UG). In order to fulfil these tasks, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services processes the personal data of WU graduates in order to maintain contact with them and inform them about offers and services provided by the WU and, in particular, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services. The data is processed on the basis of Art 6 para 1 lit e GDPR (Public Interest), unless otherwise specified below.

Collection and Use

  • The organisation of advanced professional training, sports and cultural events;
  • The establishment of contacts to scientific and specialised institutions and the use of WU Vienna research activities to deal with issues encountered in practice;
  • The publishing of a regular alumni magazine and other publications;
  • The granting of access to databases; communications media, libraries and research institutions.

As part of these activities, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services processes personal data as described in more detail below.

Administration, support and recruiting of graduates/sponsors and marketing

The processing of data in relation to the administration of graduates and sponsors serves to maintain and update directories of graduates and sponsors, the registration of sponsorship fees as well as communication with graduates and sponsors of the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

The Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services processes alumni and sponsor data  in order to support technical, professional and scientific development, strengthen the university’s ties with its graduates and foster the mutual exchange of opinions and ideas. This pertains in particular to event invitations, advertising materials (newsletter, alumni magazine), congratulatory letters and donation appeals. 

The processing of sponsor data as a part of administrative activities is based on Art 6 para 1 lit b GDPR (Contractual Performance and Precontractual Measures).

The Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services also processes personal data to perform public duties assigned to it by the WU in accordance with Art 6 para 1 lit e GDPR.

Recipients of this data are banks, payment providers for the purpose of payment processing, tax consultants/auditors, authorities and other institutions with official supervision, notification and/or reporting duties, lawyers, legal courts and other law enforcement authorities.

In addition, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services may in some cases make use of third-party data processors in accordance with Art 4 subpara 8 GDPR, including IT service providers for the support and maintenance of IT applications, such as, in particular, DaDi EDV GmbH; printing companies and postal services to send alumni magazines, event invitations, congratulatory letters, invitations to anniversary celebrations and donation appeals.

The processing of the data of event participants is based on Art 6 para 1 lit b GDPR (Contracts) and/or Art 6 para 1 lit f (processing for legitimate interests, as long as this is necessary to organise and run the event and as part of the post-reporting and information process for similar events that could be of interest to participants).

Use of the website: wu-alumni.at

In general, everyone can use our website without having to register as a user.

Log Files 

A log file is stored on our server for every access to a page from our offer and each retrieval of a file.

Each data record consists of:

  • The page from which the file was requested,
  • The name of the file,
  • Data and time of access,
  • File size,
  • Access status (file transferred, file not found, etc.),
  • A description of the type of web browser used,
  • The IP-address assigned by your provider, insofar as this is required for technical operation.

The stored data is evaluated anonymously and only for statistical purposes. It is not passed on to third parties for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

The Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services uses the information to ensure smooth operations and to monitor website performance. Data processing is based on the legitimate interest of the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services, in accordance with Art 6 para 1 lit f GDPR.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies. These are small text files stored locally in the (temporary) cache of your internet browser. Cookies are not malware but simply help us to provide a user-friendly service. The cookies serve exclusively to enable you to use our online service smoothly.  

Should you wish more control over the cookies on your computer, you can change your browser settings so that you will be notified when a website tries to store cookies. You can also block or delete cookies that have already been stored on your computer. Check out the help function of your browser for more information on how to change settings. Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect your online experience and prevent you from using the site to its full extent.

Contact

Our graduates and sponsors can contact us using special online forms. We only gather personal data needed to answer the enquiries. The disclosure of this information is completely voluntary. Your data will be treated confidentially and will not be passed on to third parties. Additionally, the information will not be used beyond processing the enquiry.

Newsletter

You can subscribe to our newsletter via our website. For this purpose we need your email address and your consent to receive the newsletter. As soon as you have subscribed to the newsletter, we will send you an email with a confirmation link, which you have to click to verify your email address and confirm that you wish to receive our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking the “unsubscribe” link which is attached to every newsletter email. We will then immediately delete your data in connection with the newsletter.

The newsletter is sent via the marketing automation solution “ClickDimensions” and the software “Fundraising Studio”.

Links to External Websites

WU Alumni websites may contain links to external websites, i.e. third-party websites. The Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services has no influence over the content and data privacy standards of such websites. Therefore, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services shall not be held liable for any external links.

Will your information be processed in third party countries?

Your data will not be processed in third-party countries in regard to the administration and support of graduates/sponsors and recruitment of sponsors, marketing activities or the publicly-accessible WU Alumni website.

How long will your data be stored?

In general, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services stores data on our graduates until they revoke their consent. The personal data of our sponsors is kept until they cease their sponsorship activities and beyond that until expiry of the applicable statute of limitations and statutory retention periods; furthermore, personal information will be stored until the settling of potential legal disputes in which the data is required as evidence.

What Are Your Rights?

Pursuant to the applicable data protection laws, in particular Articles 15 through 21 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the EU, data subjects at all times have the following rights:

 

  • The right to obtain information about any of their personal data that is being processed.
  • The right to rectification of inaccurate information (e.g. via the form “Update your details” on our website wu-alumni.at) and the completion of incomplete data.
  • The right to the deletion of personal data, which may, however, be limited in certain cases specified by law, especially due to statutory data retention periods to which the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services is subject, the right of freedom of expression, archiving purposes in the public interest, or the purposes of scientific research.
  • The right to the restriction of processing.
  • The right to receive the personal data they have provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (right to data portability).
  • The right to object – on grounds relating to the data subject’s particular situation – to the processing of personal data. This applies if the data is processed for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, in the exercise of official authority vested in the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services, or based on a comparative assessment of interests. If a data subject lodges such an objection, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services will no longer process his or her personal data, unless the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services demonstrates compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights, and freedoms of the data subject or unless the data processing is required for the establishment, exercising, or defence of legal claims.
  • The right to object to the processing of personal data concerning the data subject for purposes of direct marketing. If a data subject lodges such an objection, the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services will no longer process his or her personal data for these purposes.

Requests to exercise any of these rights can be directed to the office indicated in the “Contact” section below. Users can also change their personal data via the web form provided at https://www.wu-alumni.at/de/kontakt/daten-aktualisieren/

In addition, data subjects have the right to file a complaint with the supervisory authority if they feel that their rights may have been violated or that the Department of Corporate Relations & Alumni Services may have violated its obligations under data protection regulations. In Austria, the appropriate supervisory authority is the Austrian Data Protection Authority, Wickenburggasse 8, 1080 Vienna.

Contact

For questions or requests related to data protection, please contact us by email at alumni@wu.ac.at. You can also find the contact details of the WU’s Data Protection Officer at www.wu.ac.at/datenschutz.

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