Dear friends,

In Spring 2003, as we started re-grouping the various associations of alumni of French Grandes Ecoles in the U.S., we were prompted by the resolve to drive, at our level, an improvement in French-American relations that the Iraqi situation had contributed to erode.

Today, as we launch this website, our association, AAGEF, now ‘awakened” with fourteen Grandes Ecoles officially on its board, has already demonstrated that it responds to a real need. Our alumni, indeed, are motivated by the creation of a network of informal relationships within the association of Grandes Ecoles in the US and beyond the mere consideration of French-American relations.

In concert with all representatives from AAGEF, we set the following objectives:

- Create opportunities for informal meetings within our large network of alumni

- Coordinate our actions in the area of young graduate employment

- Create links with the association world and French consular and diplomatic

  representatives

- Relay key messages to American centers of decision in which some of our

  graduates operate

To achieve them, the concrete initiatives we launched were made possible by the creation of new structures:

- Reshaping of AAGEF statutes

- Establishment of a board including fourteen representatives from alumni

  associations regrouped in our structure  

- Election of an office with six “officers”  

- Scheduling of bimonthly meetings when members of our board coordinate their

  actions  

- And launch of our new website, conceptualized and executed by Jeff Tall, our

  Vice President for Communications, representing Ecole Polytechnique on our

  board. I take this opportunity to thank him immensely for the development of

  this extremely useful tool to communicate with our members

Several cocktail parties and conferences during the past year allowed us to meet to strengthen our network of connections, so important for the Association:

 - On October 2003, Jean-David Levitte, the French Ambassador to Washington,

   was invited by the French General Consul in New York, Richard Duque, to start

   our conference cycle with a review of French American relationships. The event

   took place at the cultural services of the French Embassy in New York thanks to

   the hospitality of Jean-Rene Gehan.

-  Jean Cantoni, President of “Invest in France” for North America on February 4,

   2004, described the new image campaign launched by France in the US

   territory.

-  General Vinchon, our Defense Attache in Washington, was our guest on April7,

   2004, at the French Consulate, to talk about French-American military

   cooperation and the recent evolution of French reserve.

- Our first Happy Hours, organized with a cash bar every first Wednesday of the

   month since November 2003 have been very successful.

Our objective, in the coming months, is to become a meeting place where different activities sponsored by AAGEF or one of its Grandes Ecoles members stimulate exchanges around thought provoking themes that are of interest. In addition to our informal Happy Hours, more focused events will support partnerships with figures from the political, economic or social world, French or American.

To help you organize your time with us, we urge you to refer to the calendar of our upcoming meetings, frequently updated on this website. We would be happy to meet you, with your friends, at one of our upcoming Happy Hours when you have the opportunity, every first Wednesday of the month, to have a friendly drink at a cash bar for AAGEF, thus contributing to the development of our “network” and yours.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that our structure is meant to serve your needs as alumni of French Grandes Ecoles, working in the US. I therefore urge you to forward your observations, ideas, suggestions, critique to add to our organization with your participation.

Best regards,