UMass Amherst Alumni Association

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Saturday, September 8, 2007
Memorial Hall
10:00 a.m.

Board Members: Alex Chan, Sara Coady Howe, Andy Hochberg, Andy MacDougal, Bill Carroll, Bob Shaughnessey, Dave Hautanen, Paul Hohenberger, Dave Richter, Ed Godek, Hal Lane, Jackie Govoni, Joel Slovin, Kathleen Mitchell, Mary Custard, Mike Fiorentino, Paul Sienkewicz, Rick Williams, Ron Grasso, Ron Spicer, Sean LeBlanc, Colin Glatzel, Madeline Haynes, and Kevin White

Absent: Craig Brown, Tom Campbell, Shyno Chacko, Anna Symington, Kerry Mulcahy, Christine Lopes, Kim Sherman, Michaella Morzuch, and Suzanne Morse 

Alumni Association Staff:  Deb Masloski, Melanie Corbeil, Elena Lamontagne, Janine Sicks; Norma Heim, Kevin Fleming

Guests: Toivo Tammerk

Call to Order: The meeting convened at 10:02 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions: Members of the Board of Directors each introduced themselves.

Approval of Minutes
Motion:  Andy H. made a motion, seconded by Mary, to approve the minutes from the May 12, 2007 meeting.  The motion passed with 25 ayes and 1 abstention.

Motion:  Ed made a motion, seconded by Dave R., to approve the minutes from the June 13, 2007 meeting.  The motion passed with 24 ayes and 2 abstentions.

President’s Update
Kathleen began the meeting by thanking Hal for his distinguished service as President of the Alumni Association on the Board of Directors.  She then discussed the responsibilities of members of the Board of Directors.  Board members must act ethically and responsibly, and commit to this by signing the Volunteer Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest, and Confidentiality Agreement.  Additionally, Kathleen noted that Board members are expected to be present at Board and Committee meetings, participate in committee assignments and to attend Alumni Association events.   Board members must also endeavor to reconnect previously unengaged alumni with the Alumni Association.  Kathleen also encouraged the members of the Board of Directors to contact her with any ideas or questions they had, and provided her contact information to the group. 

Kathleen also reported on several meetings she had recently had with key University constituents.  She met with President Wilson and Katherine Smith, and discussed various ways to collaborate with President Wilson’s Office and other UMass campuses, while simultaneously championing the Amherst campus and increasing its visibility as the flagship campus of the UMass system.  She had also met with Mike Gargano, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Toivo Tammerk, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement.  For her, this meeting crystallized the importance of communicating how greatly the programming, funding, and initiatives of the Alumni Association impact the campus community.  She also conveyed the importance of the Alumni Association’s role as the marketing arm of the University.

Additionally, Kathleen discussed her inclusion in a 24-member search committee for the new Chancellor of UMass Amherst.  Jennifer Braceras ’89, a member of Board of Trustees, is serving as chair of the committee. 

Executive Director’s Report
Deb relayed that the Alumni Association was in the midst of organizing a number of events in student, career, and athletic programming.  Student programming has generated a “campus to career map,” which includes a number of programs geared towards enhancing students’ life skills and career networking proficiency.  Additionally, there will be a series of breakfasts organized by the Alumni Association to engage students, faculty, and staff.  Deb noted that Alumni Career Services has already organized 8 events in the upcoming months, and that a significant amount of athletic programs had been scheduled.  Deb also informed the Board members that the Alumni Association has a number of complimentary tickets available for various sports, which the Association uses to thank our volunteers or to engage potential volunteers.  She asked Board members to contact her if they were able to use the tickets in those capacities.

Deb also provided several updates on the website.  Currently, the Alumni Association is working with Harris Connect to establish the data transfer and display process, and has made significant process.  She noted that the project may be delayed briefly due to the recent resignation of the leader of the technical team on the UMass Amherst side.  Deb also informed the group that the Board website is currently up and running, and that all Board members have access to it.  Staff has posted a great deal of information on the site, and the staff will continue to use the Board website as the main method of communicating information to Board members. 

Deb also noted that the Board packets distributed at the meeting contained unaudited financial reports.  The audit is currently underway and Deb will distribute the audited financial statements to to the Board upon their completion and approval by the Audit Committee. 

State of the Alumni Association
Deb discussed several of the charts enclosed in the Board packets.  She noted that, since the budget cuts of 2004, the Alumni Association has increased the overall percentage of funding they provide to the total operating budget from about 40% to nearly 70%, which includes programming and staffing.  During that time, the Board created a 3-year strategic plan, which expires at the end of this fiscal year.  This strategic plan will remain the primary focus of the committees over the next year, and the Board will begin working on a new strategic plan.  Deb also provided a list of each committee’s accomplishments over the past year related to the strategic plan. 

Deb provided a table showing the increased engagement of our alumni through Alumni Association programs and services.  She highlighted that, since 2004, the Alumni Association has increased programming by 86%, grown the number of active clubs by 20%, increased volunteer activity by 102%, and experienced a growth of 402% of participation in all non-event services provided by the Alumni Association (such as number of subscribers to @UMass or number of registered members of the online community, etc.).  Deb relayed that the only indicator of alumni engagement that decreased in that timeframe was membership, which declined by 4%.  She also provided an overview of the locations Alumni Association events have been organized, and noted that the majority of events occur in Massachusetts due to the state holding our heaviest alumni population.

Membership Overview
Sean provided an overview of how alumni membership is of critical importance to the success of the Alumni Association.  He noted that the Alumni Association’s primary sources of revenues are investment income, affinity partnership royalties, and membership dues.  He noted that 3% of alumni were members, which meant that there is an enormous opportunity to increase our membership numbers and corresponding revenue for the Alumni Association. 

Sean also provided an overview of the potential reasons that would compel alumni to join the Alumni Association.  One reason to join was the value membership provides to its members.  Sean provided several examples of the value a member might receive, including a discount on car insurance through our affinity partner, reduced costs to Alumni Association events, members-only events, and advanced notice to events.  Using the proposed event with Governor Patrick as an example, he provided several ideas that we may implement to provide value to membership, including:  a subsidized cost for members, advanced notice about the event, priority seating, and a members-only cocktail reception prior to the event. 

The second reason that compels alumni to join the Alumni Association is pride.  Becoming a member allows alumni to both stay connected to campus as well as support the Alumni Association in its mission.  Sean noted several examples of “points of pride,” including the yearly contributions of approximately $90,000 towards student scholarships, $24,000 in student programming, and $13,000 in grants to campus groups.  Sean noted his belief that the Alumni Association needs to become more adept at promoting these “points of pride” and incorporating them as an important component to promoting membership.  He will be sending out monthly membership numbers to Board members, as well as initiatives that the Membership & Marketing Committee is working on to increase membership and various points of interest the Board members can use as speaking points to promote membership when speaking with other alumni.

Sean also emphasized that increasing Alumni Association membership is a shared responsibility of all members of the Board of Directors.  Each Board member can help increase membership in two ways:  as an individual, and in their committees.  He encouraged Board members to attend as many events as possible and to wear their Board of Directors nametag at each.  He also asked Board members to know some of the Alumni Association points of pride and be able to convey them to alumni, and to share any ideas they may have to increase membership with Sean.  He also asked Board members to focus on increasing Alumni Association membership as they approach the initiatives of the committees they sit on.

Sean then divided those in attendance into smaller discussion groups to discuss a proposal for a potential student membership program.  He asked each group to discuss three questions about the potential program: 

1. What are the benefits to students if we offer a student membership program? 
2. Are there any drawbacks you foresee if there was a student alumni membership program?
3. If implemented, how would we support those students who become members?

Discussion ensued, and a summary of those discussions will be passed along to the Communications, Marketing and Membership Committee and the Programs and Services Committee for further consideration.

Strategic Planning & Current Initiatives
Mary conveyed the importance of knowing the Alumni Association mission, and the ability to convey that to other alumni.  She noted the importance of attending UMass Amherst events, to be visible at events as a Board member, and to actively recruit new alumni members.  Additionally, Mary discussed the importance of knowing the strategic initiatives of the Alumni Association, as well as knowing what the Alumni Association has done to accomplish these initiatives.  She expressed pride that the Alumni Association had increased greatly in the number of events, volunteer activity, and engagement.  However, she noted that our success is not only predicated on increasing these areas – it is also vital that we be able to convey our success to our alumni and the campus community.  She encouraged Board members to continually check the Board website for updated information, and to be thinking about strategic initiatives for the future.

UMass Amherst Update – Toivo Tammerk, Vice Chancellor for Advancement
Toivo provided an update on several campus initiatives, as well as the status of several searches to fill vacant leadership positions.  He noted that a ground-breaking for the new recreation facility will be celebrated in late fall.  Fifty new faculty have been hired as part of the Amherst 250 plan (the initiative instituted by Chancellor Lombardi to hire 250 new faculty), and he noted that the Amherst 250 plan is solely funded by the UMass Amherst campus as a commitment to teaching and research. 

Toivo also addressed several vacant leadership positions at UMass Amherst.  He has met with interim Chancellor Cole, and relayed that the Chancellor understands that his role is to organize the campus over the next year to facilitate the successful transition and initiatives of the next Chancellor.  When asked why the hiring process takes such a long time, he responded that involving a number of different constituents is a typical part of the process in higher education.  Moreover, he noted that there is strong competition throughout higher education for premiere Chancellors, and UMass Amherst wants to hire the best possible candidate.  It takes time to obtain the right candidates, and to put things in place on campus that entice these individuals to the position.  Toivo also noted that he is the interim Vice Chancellor of Advancement, and that a search for the permanent Vice Chancellor will not begin until a permanent Chancellor is selected.  He also asserted that UMass Amherst and the Advancement team have good leadership in place, despite being in a transitional period.  He expects that future leadership will continue the initiatives currently underway, and asked that the Board of Directors continue to pursue the current Alumni Association initiatives.    

Toivo then discussed the status of the capital campaign with the group.  He noted that there is an internal goal of $350,000,000 within a seven year period.  The campaign will be in “silent phase” until 60% of that goal has been reached, at which point the campaign will be announced publicly.  It will be approximately 2 more years until the campaign is publicly launched, due to the departure of Chancellor Lombardi. 

Finally, Toivo discussed some of the ways that the Alumni Association and the University could assist one another.  He hoped that the Alumni Association would broadcast its message in three ways: 

1. What is the Alumni Association?
2. What does the Alumni Association do for alumni?
3. What does the Alumni Association do for the University of Massachusetts Amherst?

He also would like the “alumni participation rate” rankings in US News & World report to be very high.  He believes that people use that as a rating of consumer confidence, and noted that this rating is a very important component of how the campus is perceived.  Toivo also expressed his willingness to work with the Annual Fund to tailor its phone call script to further define the distinction between donating to the University and being an Alumni Association member. 

One University Concept – Kathleen Mitchell
Kathleen split the attendees into smaller discussion groups.  She asked the groups to discuss how to collaborate with the President’s Office and the other UMass campuses, while still upholding the mission of the Alumni Association to advance the profile and initiatives of UMass Amherst as the flagship campus of the UMass system.  Small group discussion ensued.  Kathleen noted that she would compose a letter to President Wilson that we are willing to collaborate, but that we must have a strong presence in the discussions of how we move forward together. 

Old Business – None

New Business
Deb asked all Board members to sign the confidentiality agreements, conflict of interest, and code of conduct documents.  She also asked members to fill out the sheet of upcoming events that they plan to attend. 

General Announcements – None

Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 2:18 p.m.