UMass Amherst Alumni Association
About Us
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Memorial Hall
10:00 am
In attendance: Barker, Campbell, Carroll, Chacko, Chan, Custard, Figueroa, Fiorentino, Govoni, Grasso, Hautanen, Hochberg, Lane, Lopes, Mitchell, Mulcahy, Richter, Rubin, Shaughnessey, Sherman, Sienkiewicz, Symington and Williams
Absent : Alemian, Aung, Giangrande, LeBlanc, Morse and Rossen
Staff: Corbeil, Dunham, Heim, Lamontagne, Masloski and Sicks
Call to Order: The meeting convened at 10:10 am.
Keynote Speaker – John McCutcheon
Hal Lane introduced John McCutcheon, Athletic Director, and Thorr Bjorn, Sr. Associate Director of Athletic Marketing. John expressed his appreciation of the Alumni Association’s financial and programming support of the Athletics department, as well as his desire to continue growing a mutually beneficial relationship between both organizations that will engage more and more alumni.
John noted that he and his staff are working to develop a national presence by focusing on three primary goals: build winning programs, support student athletes, and comply with all NCAA and university regulations.
John and Thorr responded to several questions posed by board members. Dave Richter suggested the possibility of using athlete graduates to serve as a spokesperson for membership in the Alumni Association.
Student Recruitment and Retention
Hal introduced Mike Gargano, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Kathleen Callahan, Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions. Mike spent a few minutes discussing how the Alumni Association might be able to connect with Student Affairs and contribute to their initiatives. While he thinks the current format for new student welcome receptions works well in out-of-state areas, and would like to see this programming continue, Mike is also working with Alumni Association staff members to reconfigure the welcome receptions for in-state families. Mike also suggested that the Alumni Association expand efforts to help identify internships and professional opportunities for students and graduating seniors through their alumni networks. By educating current students on the value of alumni connections through programming, Mike anticipates that more students will join the Alumni Association upon graduation. Mike reported on various efforts underway on campus to increase security and reduce disruptive student behavior, including the addition of more security cameras in residence halls, community policing initiatives, and implementation of disciplinary actions against perpetrators including suspension, expulsion and even possible criminal litigation. Mike finds that most students are taking more pride in the institution and do not condone the disruptive behavior of the minority.
Admissions applications are up 15% over last year, with approximately 26,500 applications received to date. The pool of applicants is diverse with high academic and social qualities. Students of color will represent about 21% of the projected incoming class of 4,200 students. Approximately 4,500 early action applications were received which indicates that the university is becoming the first choice for many students.
Kathleen provided a brief overview of the Alumni Admissions Council (AAC), a volunteer alumni network that supports admissions efforts across the country by staffing college fairs, speaking to prospective students or hosting yield parties. Due to strict national admissions guidelines, all AAC volunteers are required to undergo specific training with Kathleen.
Membership Update
Norma Heim, Director of Membership and Marketing updated the Board on the current state of membership. Membership grew by 56 members last month and we currently have 509 Life Members. Over the past four months, Norma and her staff have worked with the Communications, Marketing and Membership Committee to launch several membership initiatives, including a charter member upgrade to life campaign, personal networking card campaign, a never-member donor campaign, and alumni career services events with free registration for new members.
Norma and staff are also developing a series of magazine ads to help distinguish the difference between donating to the Annual Fund and membership in the Alumni Association. They are also utilizing more web-based technology to help track why people are joining and to survey alumni regarding their life stage preferences, and they are working to integrate the website design with new print and other communication vehicles. Six new membership discounts or benefits have been negotiated and the Alumni Association is sponsoring a new “Fan of the Game” promotion at all men’s basketball and hockey games.
Efforts to reach current students include a new student video that will be aired on the university’s cable channel and electronic bulletin board. In addition, Norma is now working with the Grants Review committee and will utilize all Alumni Association sponsored grants as opportunities to increase Alumni Association visibility across campus.
Future membership and marketing initiatives include a new Alumni Association brochure that will be available to all board members and club leaders, networking cards, redesign of the website home page, new media applications including streaming video, and an event-in-a-bag for all club leaders and grant recipients.
Norma emphasized the need for all board members to support membership and encouraged them to use word-of-mouth marketing to promote the Alumni Association. She provided board members with a sample elevator speech and fax application they could hand out to fellow alumni. Norma also encouraged board members to attend Association sponsored grant programs and to consider upgrading to Life membership.
Ed Rubin inquired about the process for sharing monthly membership reports. Norma responded that staff distributes monthly membership reports to the Membership Committee for review. Deb Masloski added that she is working with the Executive Committee to identify key areas of information that would be included in a “flash report” for monthly distribution to the full board. Areas identified to date include membership statistics, financial statements and event attendance data. This report will be accessible through a secure website available only to board members.
Ed also inquired about the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) standards used to develop the membership reports. Deb indicated that the CAAE is an informal group of approximately 90 alumni associations that have no regulatory authority over reporting standards. However, the CAAE does distribute reporting guidelines to member institutions based on generally accepted reporting standards that provide a uniform framework for data benchmarking.
Hal noted his enthusiasm that membership is headed in the right direction and reiterated that all board and staff members are part of the membership sales force.
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Motion:Motion: by Elaine Barker, seconded by Mary Custard, to approve the minutes of the November 18 meeting of the Board of Directors. The motion passed unanimously.
President’s Report
Hal Lane reported that he and Deb attended a meeting with Peter Alemian and Glenn Mangurian in early January to discuss possible partnership opportunities.
The Alumni Association sponsored a charter flight to the football championship game in Chattanooga in December. Unfortunately, there was little time to market the charter package and the Alumni Association’s net loss on the flight was approximately $40,000. Nevertheless, Hal believes that the program was a good investment from a marketing standpoint, and should help to raise future alumni expectations related to these types of programs. Mary Custard suggested researching other charter options that might engage more alumni at a lesser cost. Ed suggested investigating a special lines insurance carrier that might be able to provide a “stop-loss” policy that would protect the Alumni Association from these types of large losses with a minimal premium payment.
Hal asked Deb to distribute a memo from Michael Morris, Sr., the Alumni Association’s legal counsel. The memo related to Mike’s review of various communications between two board members of a personal nature, which escalated to a Board matter when both parties chose to share certain portions of these communications with the Board officers, Executive Committee and university administration. Upon completion of his review, Mike formulated a proposed bylaw amendment that would officially incorporate the Volunteer Code of Conduct, Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest policy into the Alumni Association’s bylaws and would help to deter future situations of this nature. Hal noted that a significant amount of staff time and financial resources were committed to address this issue and he hopes that all board members will continue to represent the Alumni Association in a positive and professional manner.
Executive Director’s Report
Deb reported that the university hired an executive search firm to begin recruiting candidates for the vacant Vice Chancellor position.
Deb reported that Alex Chan plans to speak at an upcoming Campus to Career program about minorities in the workforce. She also noted that staff is working to plan various alumni events around the upcoming women’s and men’s basketball A-10 Tournaments, and the Alumni Association will be co-sponsoring the football banquet. Planning for pre-game receptions prior to the UMass v. Boston College football game on September 29 and the UMass v. Kentucky men’s basketball game in late November is underway.
The Alumni Association is partnering with UMass Extension on a survey of baby boomers and their volunteer preferences.
Bylaw and Standing Rule Amendments
Kathleen Mitchell provided a brief overview of the proposed bylaw amendments.
Ed inquired whether legal counsel reviews the bylaw amendments prior to implementation. Deb responded that Mike Morris has reviewed these proposed bylaw amendments. Ed also noted that he identified some inconsistencies in his recent review of the bylaws and suggested that the Alumni Association commit between $5,000 to $10,000 to have legal counsel review and revise the bylaws as appropriate.
Ed noted his concern that that Board of Directors, rather than the general membership, now approves the bylaw amendments and elects Board officer. Christine Lopes responded that the proposal put forward to change these processes originated after completing significant research on how other institutions operate on similar issues and its purpose was to move the Board forward. Moreover, she noted that attendees of the Annual Assembly, during which time bylaw amendments were previously approved and officer elections were conducted, does not represent the general membership of the Alumni Association.
Motion: by Andy Hochberg, seconded by Kathleen Mitchell, to approve the proposed amendment to Article VI, Section 1, Nominations as presented. The motion passed with twenty-two yeas and two abstentions.
Kathleen noted that legal counsel drafted a proposed bylaw amendment to Article VII, Conflict of Interest, to officially incorporate the Volunteer Code of Conduct into the bylaws. The Board would need to vote on this amendment in May if they chose to consider it.
Motion: by Andy Hochberg, seconded by Anna Symington, to table a vote on the proposed amendment to Article VII, Conflict of Interest, until the May Board meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
Anna Symington reported that the Executive Committee charged the Nominating Committee with developing nomination and election standing rules for the Clubs Representative position. In formulating a recommendation, the committee considered that the Clubs Representative position is an elected seat on the Board of Directors, and it seemed reasonable that the selection process for all seats on the Board be equitable and consistent. Based on this consideration, the committee developed rules that are consistent with the general director nomination and election rules.
Motion: by Anna Symington, seconded by Kathleen Mitchell, to approve the nomination and election standing rules for the Clubs Representative position as presented.
Anna provided a synopsis of an open letter that several club leaders distributed to the Board of Directors asking them to vote against approving the proposed standing rules for the clubs representative position. One of the primary points of concern outlined within the letter was the perception that the proposed changes were developed without the knowledge of club volunteers. Anna reported that she participated in a Clubs Committee conference call, which includes five current club leaders or steering committee volunteers, during which time the proposed changes were outlined. Jackie Govoni, a member of the Clubs Committee, indicated that she received notification that the Nominating Committee would be developing new standing rules on at least two additional occasions.
Additional conversation ensued regarding this matter. Some board members expressed concern that club volunteers did not feel that they were part of the decision-making process and wondered whether the Board should extend them an opportunity to provide formal feedback on this matter. This would require tabling the current motion for the time being. Others responded that it appears only a few club volunteers are concerned about the proposed standing rules, and it is the Board’s responsibility to adopt policies and procedures that support the interests of the entire Alumni Association. Tom Campbell suggested that the Nominating Committee could submit a written response to the club leaders and the Board should still vote on the motion.
Motion: by Bill Carroll, seconded by Ed Rubin, to table the main motion until the standing rules can be distributed to club leaders for review and feedback. The motion failed with six yeas, twelve nays and one abstention.
Ed asked the Board to give the club leaders due consideration in this matter. Kim Sherman noted that voting yes to approve the rules does not mean that the Board is disregarding their concerns; rather the Board is simply recommending a policy that they believe serves the best interests of the entire organization
Hal called the main motion to vote. The motion passed with thirteen yeas, four nays and one abstention.
Committee Reports
Audit
Andy Hochberg reported that the Audit Committee convened its inaugural meeting in November. Committee members include two attorneys, one CFO and one CPA. The committee developed and distributed a request for proposal (RFP) to ten firms in Western and Central MA for auditing and tax preparation services. Seven firms expressed an initial interest in responding to the RFP and the Audit Committee will receive and review proposals in March.
Andy noted that the primary purpose of the Audit Committee is oversight of the Alumni Association’s fiscal policies and procedures and he provided a brief overview of the proposed audit committee charter. He also outlined two minor changes proposed as revisions to the document.
Motion: by Andy Hochberg, seconded by Rick Williams, to adopt the Audit Committee charter as amended.
Motion: by Mary Custard, seconded by Dave Hautanen, to amend the main motion to adopt the Audit Committee Charter as amended conditional on its approval by legal counsel. The motion passed with 12 yeas, 4 nays and zero abstentions.
Hal called the main motion as amended to vote. The motion passed unanimously.
Andy suggested that the Board consider developing charters for all of its committees in the future.
Finance and Investment
Ron Grasso reported that the Finance and Investments Committee distributed a request for proposal to approximately ten management consultants, along with the Alumni Association’s investment policy statement and portfolio summary. The committee evaluated initial responses based on several criteria including length of industry service, U-4 status, current assets under management, manager evaluation process and client service models.
The committee invited five consultants to interview with them. At the conclusion of the interviews, the Committee agreed to invite back representatives from two of the firms to join a sub-committee group, comprised of Ron Grasso, Joel Slovin and Paul Sienkiewicz, for further discussion. They also agreed to invite a representative from Linsco Private to interview with the sub-committee. After completing these additional interviews, the sub-committee presented a unanimous hiring recommendation to the Finance and Investments Committee on January 30, which the Committee agreed to forward to the Board of Directors for approval in February.
However, in continuing his due diligence efforts, Ron has since identified an area of concern related to the committee’s original hiring recommendation. Both Ron and Elaine have agreed to table presentation of the hiring recommendation to the Board until the Finance and Investments Committee can be apprised of and evaluate this new information.
Nominating
Anna distributed an official call for officer nominations. Deb will distribute a reminder email to all board members later in the week. Anna reported that any board members interested in nominating themselves or another board member for an officer position should forward an email to Deb that also indicates which officer position they are interested in. At least two members of the Nominating Committee will interview nominees using a standardized set of interview questions.
Programs and Services
Mary reported that the names of the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were published in the Programs and Services committee report. She asked all board members to keep these names confidential at this time.
Old Business
None
New Business
Bill Carroll suggested incorporating a statement regarding membership into the Alumni Association’s mission statement. Hal asked Bill to draft a proposed bylaw amendment and forward it to the Executive Committee for consideration.
Ed tabled his request to discuss the selective use of Robert’s Rules of Order.
General Announcements
Mary reported that the Pioneer Valley Alumni Club hosted a wine-tasting event in Springfield. Most of the 40 or so participants were new attendees.
Christine thanked all of the board members who attended the Volunteer Appreciation event in January, as well as Tom Campbell for speaking to the group on behalf of the Alumni Association.
Hal encouraged all board members to attend the Member Appreciation Night and Student Leader Reception at the Mullins Center prior to tonight’s hockey game.
Bob Shaughnessey noted that the JFK aircraft carrier will be decommissioned in March. If enough board members are interested, he may be able to arrange a VIP tour of the carrier. He asked interested board members to email him with their contact information.
Diego reported that he will be returning to school in the fall and will not be able to continue serving on the board after his current appointment expires. He has enjoyed his time working with the Board.
Adjournment
The board meeting adjourned at 4:05 pm.
