UMass Amherst Alumni Association
About Us
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Worcester Crowne Plaza
6:00 p.m.
In attendance: Alemian, Barker, Campbell, Carroll, Chacko, Custard, Giangrande, Govoni, Grasso, Hochberg, Lane, LeBlanc, Mitchell, Richter, Rossen, Rubin, Shaughnessey, Sherman, Symington and Williams
Absent: Aung, Chan, Figueroa, Fiorentino, Hautanen, Lopes, Morse, Mulcahy and Sienkiewicz
Staff: Corbeil, Geso, Masloski, Porter, Robbins and Sicks
Call to Order: The meeting convened at 6:35 p.m.
Welcome and Introductions: Hal Lane welcomed all attendees to the first Board of Directors meeting of fiscal year 2007 and asked all board members to provide a brief overview of their educational and professional background to the board.
Approval of Meeting Minutes:
Motion: by Elaine Barker, seconded by Sean LeBlanc, to approve the minutes of the May 9 meeting of the Board of Directors. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: by Bob Shaughnessey, seconded by Mary Custard, to approve the minutes of the June 10 Annual Assembly. The motion passed unanimously.
President’s Report
Hal Lane reported that he attended the Class of 1955 Garden Dedication ceremony this past weekend.
Hal noted that the son of John McCutcheon, Athletic Director, passed away in August as the result of a car accident. He suggested that the board consider making a gift of $300 to a scholarship fund in memoriam of John’s son, Justin, and in recognition of the great strides John has made in strengthening the relationship between Athletics and the Alumni Association.
Motion: by Bob Shaughnessey, seconded by Ed Rubin, to amend the previous motion and approve the funding of a $500 memorial donation to the Justin McCutcheon Memorial Scholarship Fund. The motion passed with 17 yeas, 1 nay and 2 abstentions.
Andy Hochberg reiterated that accountability related to expenditures of this nature is necessary and he asked that the Finance and Investments Committee be charged with developing clear criteria to address future funding of memorial donations. Cristina Geso and Deb Masloski will work with the committee to develop these criteria.
Governance Task Force
Kathleen Mitchell provided an overview of two documents that she and the other Vice Presidents, Mike Fiorentino and Mary Custard, developed over the past several months. The documents are intended to help clarify the commitments and expectations of all board members and other Alumni Association volunteers, as well as lay the foundation for a governance structure that will help the Board of Directors develop the Alumni Association into the type of organization we want it to be. Kathleen noted that both documents require signatures by the volunteers indicating that they have read the documents.
The Volunteer Code of Conduct, Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest shall apply to all alumni volunteers serving in any capacity within the Alumni Association’s governance structure, as a board member, club leader or representative of the club’s steering committee, or as a member of one of the board’s strategic initiative committees. Board members suggested several amendments to the document including:
- Add language that confidential documents or conversations be labeled or announced respectively as such.
- Clarify the language regarding volunteers representing themselves as an agent of the Alumni Association without board approval
Motion: by Kathleen Mitchell, seconded by Elaine Barker, to approve the Volunteer Code of Conduct, Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest document as amended. The motion passed with 18 yeas, 1 nay and 1 abstention.
The Board Member Commitments and Expectations document applies to all current board members. Andy Hochberg noted that this document overlaps in several areas with the Alumni Association’s current bylaws. Cristina Geso noted that the document is also intended for use as a handout to potential new board members. The new Audit Committee will be reviewing both documents to determine if further refinement is necessary and to consider implementation of an annual review process.
Motion: by Kathleen Mitchell, seconded by Mary Custard, to approve the Board Member Commitments and Expectations document as presented. The motion passed with 18 yeas, 1 nay and 1 abstention.
Bill Carroll suggested that meeting packets be forwarded to board members earlier than has been past practice to allow them sufficient time to review all materials prior to the meeting.
Board Meeting Format, Content and Schedule
Sean LeBlanc reported that the Executive Committee approved a motion at its last meeting to recommend a new Saturday board meeting schedule for full board approval. Committee members anticipate that the proposed change will help engage board members in more strategic discussions at board meetings and allow for increased participation by the board’s growing number of out-of-state directors.
Sean noted that two possible schedule options had been included in the meeting packets for consideration by all board members. Option A maintains the current practice of quarterly board meetings scheduled on a mid-week evening. Option B proposes holding quarterly board meetings on Saturdays. Cristina noted that the meeting dates for Option B were selected so that board meetings could be scheduled around other campus activities, such as athletic or cultural events, to which board members could bring their families. This option would also provide more opportunities for board members to mingle and get to know each other in a social setting.
Motion: by Bob Shaughnessey, seconded by Rick Williams, to accept the Option B meeting schedule for future board meetings. The motion passed with 14 yeas, 5 nays and 1 abstention.
Standing Rules – Board and Committee MeetingsDeb Masloski reported that the Nominating Committee distributed the standing rules document to the Board of Directors in May, and extended a request for comments and suggested revisions to the rules at that time. She incorporated all suggestions received to date into the current document. Bill Carroll suggested amending the document by adding the word “agenda” to the statement regarding meeting notices.
Motion: by Elaine Barker, seconded by Bill Carroll, to approve the Standing Rules for Board and Committee Meetings document as amended. The motion passed with 19 yeas and 1 abstention.
License Plate Exit Strategy
Hal Lane reported that the Executive Committee voted in August to recommend approval of the proposed license plate exit strategy by the full board. Staff members will work with the university’s News Office to proactively develop and release an announcement outlining the suspension of the program. All alumni who have submitted applications will receive individual letters explaining the situation and thanking them for their support of the Alumni Association. In addition, staff members will draft a letter to Chancellor Lombardi on behalf of the Board of Directors outlining the board’s expectations that the Alumni Association’s initial investment of $50,000 will be reimbursed if the license plate program is officially re-launched and UMass Amherst plates are put into production.
Motion: by Sean LeBlanc, seconded by Mary Custard, to approve the license plate exit strategy as presented. The motion passed with 18 yeas and 2 nays.
Strategic Discussion - Membership
Hal Lane reported that he has appointed Marc Rossen as chair of the Communications, Marketing and Membership Committee and that all committee chairs plan to place an emphasis on membership acquisition this year as they develop their annual strategic initiatives.
Marc commented that paid membership in the Alumni Association has been steadily declining over the past several years, with our current membership at approximately 6,200 members from a total pool of greater than 200,000 alumni. He noted his optimism that these numbers present great opportunities for membership growth, but it will be necessary for all board members, both as individuals and committee members, to change how we think about gaining memberships and incorporate this initiative across all programs and services this year.
Marc anticipates that several key areas of focus can be used to promote membership, including the expansion of student programming, development of more exclusive member benefits, and enhanced education of alumni on the value of membership. Utilizing data collected through the recent alumni survey, the Communications, Marketing and Membership committee plans to develop a comprehensive marketing and membership plan for consideration by the board, and will then work collaboratively with each committee to identify ways in which they can support membership growth through their primary committee initiatives. Marc noted that he would welcome any ideas from board members as the committee works to develop the plan.
Bill Carroll suggested that the board host a discussion specific to membership at the next board meeting and Hal agreed to incorporate such a discussion into the November agenda. Shyno Chacko asked Marc to provide demographic information and other data pertinent to the alumni survey to the board for review prior to the November board meeting. Marc noted that his committee would share this information after completing their analysis of the results.
Executive Director’s Report
Cristina Geso reported that Ann Thompson recently accepted a position with Stony Brook University as Director of Alumni Relations. With Ann’s departure, Cristina and Deb Masloski have taken this opportunity to create a staff reorganization proposal that will increase efficiencies and collaborative efforts among staff members. Janine Sicks will be promoted to the vacant Director of Alumni Clubs and Programs position and Melanie Corbeil will assume increased responsibilities as the new Sr. Associate Director of Student and Alumni Programs. Melanie will be responsible for managing all student and alumni career services programming and a new assistant director will be hired this fall to further support these efforts.
Andrea Robbins has joined the staff as Assistant Director for Alumni Programs and Arleen Anderson, our new Associate Director for Alumni Career Services, is on board and well on her way to implementing several new alumni career programs.
Norma Heim has accepted an offer of employment as Director of Membership and Marketing and will join the staff on October 16. Norma currently serves as Director of Communications with the National Association for Credit Management and has over twenty years of communications, marketing, advertising and design experience.
Staff members hosted a tent on Massachusetts Day at the Big E to promote awareness of the Alumni Association.
A free pancake breakfast targeted to seniors and scheduled for next Tuesday will launch this year’s Campus to Career program series. A total of 8 – 10 programs are projected for the entire year and will be funded through a $12,500 corporate sponsorship from CFS, the Alumni Association’s student loan consolidation affinity partner.
Staff members have negotiated two new affinity partnerships that include pet insurance and customized lamp sales.
Cristina referenced the year-end statistical documents that were included in the meeting packets and asked board members to contact her if they would like any additional information. A listing of upcoming events was also included in the packets. Cristina suggested that board members check the Alumni Association’s website to view the most up-to-date event information.
Nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Awards are being accepted through October 15.
Elizabeth Dale has accepted a new position as Vice President of Advancement at Drexel University. Chancellor Lombardi is currently developing an interim transition plan and will conduct a national search to find a replacement for Elizabeth. Mary Custard suggested sending a congratulatory gift and card to Elizabeth upon her arrival at Drexel.
New Alumni Association signage has been erected on both sides of Memorial Hall.
The Alumni Association will host the annual Leadership Conference on campus during Homecoming Weekend, October 20 – 22. Cristina asked board members to forward their completed Homecoming registration forms to Deb.
Old Business
None
New Business
Ed Rubin noted that the men’s basketball team is projected to have a good season and he encouraged board members to attend a game whenever possible. Cristina Geso noted that the Alumni Association has season tickets to all home football, hockey, and men’s and women’s basketball games that we use to thank and cultivate alumni volunteers. Board members may contact Deb Masloski if they wish to utilize tickets for these purposes
General Announcements
Sean LeBlanc thanked all of the board members who attended the summer send-off receptions and noted that the club leaders really do appreciate board participation in their programs. Sean also acknowledged the great job that Kevin Fleming and Kathleen Callahan did in planning and executing all of the receptions, and stated his appreciation of Mike Gargano’s ongoing support of the programs.
Deb Masloski announced that parking passes were available for any board members who might need one.
Adjournment
The board meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
