Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Worcester Crowne Plaza
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Present: Tom Campbell, Jackie Carlson, Shyno Chacko Pandeya, Sara Coady Howe, Ed Godek, Ron Grasso, Andy Hochberg, Sean LeBlanc, and Joel Slovin
Absent: Ron Spicer
Staff: Deb Goodhind and Anna Symington
Guests: Bob Shaughnessey
The meeting convened at 6:05 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Motion: by Ed Godek, seconded by Ron Grasso, to approve the minutes of the March 9 Executive Committee meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
President’s Update
Sean will be on campus later in the month for the Eleanor Bateman Distinguished Scholar presentation and will represent the Alumni Association at the graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies in May.
The database committee met with campus administrators earlier this month to continue discussions on common interests relative to the alumni/donor database.
Several alumni have been in contact with Sean regarding the recently announced membership restructure to confirm their support of including all alumni as members of the Alumni Association.
Executive Director’s Update
Anna and Kevin Fleming traveled to California last month where they met with four club leaders and attended various alumni volunteer recruitment meetings. They also traveled to Florida to attend One Day UMass events and meet with Amherst alumni club leaders and volunteers. Chancellor Holub attended, and was very pleased, with the Alumni Association’s scholarship and award reception hosted earlier this month, and he will be traveling to D.C. to attend an alumni reception in late April where he will introduce new campus administrators.
Staff members are continuing their work on the membership transition plan, and are making headway with developing new marketing materials and addressing technology and other operational changes necessary to implement the restructured membership program.
In addition to having representation at both the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies, the Alumni Association will conduct a pinning ceremony at each to welcome all graduates as the newest members of the Association. Commencement Ball will be relocated to the Mullins Center to allow for increased student attendance. We have also seen a significant increase in support for this program from campus partners.
Staff has completed the redesign of @UMASS and other email templates, and will monitor various usage statistics going forward to determine what potential tweaks may be needed to increase open and click-through rates.
Mission Statement and Core Values
Anna noted that she is working to draft a proposed mission statement and core values document for the Executive Committee’s consideration, but has not been able to finalize it yet as she has been focusing on the membership transition plan as her first priority. She will share the document with committee members as soon as feasible. Anna – are you comfortable with this section – feel free to revise.
Bylaw Amendments and Standing Rule Revisions
- Deb first provided an overview of the proposed amendments to the Association’s articles of organization, revised to incorporate the new membership restructure and other minor provisions as recommended by counsel. The amended articles will be presented for approval by vote of the current membership at the Annual Meeting in May. All members have been notified of the upcoming meeting and vote.
The bylaw amendments include revisions to the Membership section to reflect the program restructure approved by the Board of Directors in February, and the Finances section includes revisions relative to using the interest earned on the membership reserves fund to offset the annual costs of maintaining Life and Legacy memberships, as recommended by the Finance and Investments Committee.
In addition, the bylaw amendments outline the voting rights of members relative to the new membership restructure. The Nominating Committee recommends that Sustaining members in good standing and Life and Legacy members be entitled to vote on Alumni Association matters and to serve on the Board of Directors. A Sustaining member will be in good standing when he or she has paid all required dues on a current annual basis as approved by the Board of Directors. The Committee’s recommendation for an annual sustaining dues investment, which mirrors that of the Communications, Marketing and Membership Committee’s recommendation, is $50 for Sustaining members, or $25 for new graduates (up to two years after graduation). The annual investment requirement would be waived for alumni who achieve Life or Legacy membership status.
Several Executive Committee members noted that this recommendation is similar to the current bylaws, which require that alumni must be paid members in good standing to be eligible for nomination to the Board, to vote in board elections, and to remain serving on the Board as either an elected or appointed director. They expressed concern that any restriction of alumni voting could be interpreted as less than inclusive, and suggested the possibility of providing all alumni with voting rights.
Other committee members countered that voting for, and serving on the Board, is a privilege and that there should be some requirement of a minimum investment in the Alumni Association to receive this benefit. Moreover, most membership-based organizations and corporations require a paid investment by their members or shareholders to receive the right to vote in matters related to their respective organizations.
After considerable discussion, committee members agreed that this specific matter requires further discussion by the full Board of Directors. Deb will remove the bylaw amendments from the consent agenda and note it as a separate item on the Board meeting agenda. Sean also asked Deb to research potential costs and logistical concerns related to expanding voting rights to all alumni.
May Board Meeting Agenda
Sean indicated that Tom Campbell would facilitate the consent agenda at the Board meeting. Deb will revise the agenda as previously noted and distribute it to all board members.
Memorial Hall
Deb reported that various renovations to Memorial Hall have been completed and others are underway. These renovations include upgrades to the public spaces of the building, including the Memorial Lounge, Memorial Room and outdoor patio, intended to make the building more appealing to students and alumni when attending Alumni Association events and programs. Most of the associated costs have or will be funded through various university accounts, but a small shortfall will remain upon completion of the entire project. Deb noted that the Association has approximately $8,000 in the World War II Memorial Fund, which was established about 50 years ago for the purpose of upgrading Memorial Hall to provide more adequate space for student academic and social activities. However, with the construction of the Student Union Building around the same time, the plans to upgrade Memorial Hall never materialized and these monies have been residing at the UMass Foundation since that time. Committee members agreed that the current renovations to Memorial Hall would reap benefits for the Alumni Association in the long term.
Motion: by Sara Coady Howe, seconded by Ron Grasso, to approve expenditure of the World War II Memorial Fund to offset costs associated with Memorial Hall renovations. The motion passed unanimously.
Committee Reports
In the interest of time, Sean noted that he would table the committee reports this month unless any committee chairs had something specific they would like to report.
Nominating
Ed reported that the Board of Directors will be welcoming three new members next year. The Nominating Committee was impressed with the qualifications of this year’s field of candidates.
Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs
Tom reported that Lt. Governor Tim Murray has confirmed his plans to speak at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon and approximately 20 legislators will attend.
Old Business
None
New Business
Motion: by Ron Grasso, seconded by Shyno Chacko Pandeya, to move into Executive Session with staff present. The motioned passed unanimously.
Motion: by Jackie Carlson, seconded by Ed Godek, to move out of Executive Session. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment
Motion: by Sara Coady Howe, seconded by Shyno Chacko Pandeya, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.