Alumni Board Meeting Minutes

Semi-Annual Meeting
Friday, April 11, 2003
Harlan Dining Room, The Commons
Mike Conklin '69 - Presiding

Attending:
Michael Conklin '69, President
Lu Ann White '78, President-Elect
Jalel Aossey '97
Shelia Kruse Boyce '85
Bobbi Buckner '01
Joseph Campanelli '69
Jim Coddington '70
Jodi Enger '91
Fred Holtz '86
Michael Mudlaff '88
Lisa Naaktgeboren '90
Allan Ruter '76
Sally Larson Sargent '72
Richard Scott '63

Absent:
Ann Parker Foote '79
John Gilliland '89
Jane Riessen '00
Lisa Fry '02
Nels Lindquist '71
Barbara Schultz '71
Carol Busch Telling '66
Gary Thompson '60
Ann Loewe Turner '94
Mark Van Etten '76
Ruth Brown Ward '82

Staff:
Les Garner - President
Terry Gibson '59, Vice President for Alumni and College Advancement
Debbie Green - Director of College Advancement
Ruth Keefe Miller '66 - Alumni Director
Jennifer Boettger, Assistant Director of Development and Alumni
Dee Ann Rexroat '82 - Director of College Communications
Bev Moser, Hon. '80, Alumni Programs Coordinator
Gilbert X. Drendel '58, Chair elect, Board of Trustees
Jayne Swanson, Director of Career Services

President, Mike Conklin welcomed the members of the board. He introduced Gib Drendel, Chair of the Cornell College Board of Trustees. He thanked them for their time and effort.

He focused on some of the issues the BOT are dealing with: I. Financial Campaign The BOT and college is currently developing a campaign plan to improve our endowment and provide for some needed capital improvements. Public announcement in tentative scheduled for sometime in 2004. II. We have many positive things to focus on including:

· Tier 2 ranking
· Deposits up 30 from last year-with goal of 1040 for total enrollment beginning fall 2004
· More visible and respected in the marketing of the college

Jim Brown, Associate Dean of the College/Associate Professor, Psychology addressed the board.

He informed the board of the different types of off-campus program the college offers to its students. Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) offers programs in Tanzania, Czech Republic, Italy, London, England, Russia, Japan, and Costa Rica, Chicago, and Wilderness Field Station. Coe College has taken over the Wilderness Camp at the Boundry Waters of Minnesota. There will be 3 courses offered there next year. Professors Ben Greenstein took students to the Bahamas , and Professor Jan Boney took a group to Louisiana this year. Students are permitted to take 2 or 3 off-campus terms. If any of the board wants to go, they are welcome to join the off-campus trips.

Following a break, the meeting was reconvened in Hedges. Sesquicentennial updates were presented.

Ruth Miller told the board that there would be a letter sent to each area prior to the official invitation. All events will be first class events. There will be a Sesquicentennial media presentation, calling committees will be formed to call all area alumni, and a save the date card listing the dates for all 7 cities will be mailed to all alumni. Question raised if faculty/trustees would attend galas. Ruth mentioned this will be determined by each of the committees.

RK Scott gave a recap of the progress of the plans for the Denver gala. They are hoping to have 150- 200 at the event. The evening will begin with cocktails and light hors d oeuvres. Some of Sesquicentennial memorabilia will be available for purchase at the event. A program will be help at 7:30 p.m. followed by an 8 p.m. buffet supper. Drawings will be held for Sesquicentennial items.

Lisa Naaktgeboren told of the plans for the Minneapolis/St. Paul gala. They are going to plan for 200 in attendance. Ideas being considered are early reservations will receive a discount on the ticket price, and the purchasing of a whole table. They will have a sit-down dinner affair.

Chicago gala will be an upscale event with black tie optional. Several choices for the event include the Palmer House and Drake Hotel. (Event will be held at the University Club of Chicago.)There will be a web site with running tally of those planning to attend. Possibility of area alumni helping to host alumni living some distance from the Chicago loop.

Greater Cornell event will be held in conjunction with Homecoming, Oct. 17 & 18. The event will be at the Collins Plaza Hotel and there will be a 17-member band with vocalist. Three awards will be given at the Alumni Convocation-Dr. Larry Dorr '63 and Susan Shillinglaw '73 will receive Distinguished Achievement Awards. Lu Ann White '78 will receive the Leadership and Service award as the Class Agent for the Class for 25 years.

Discussion was held on the visibility of the alumni board-appearing in Homecoming parade. There is a "Rams all Around" contest. Anyone that wants can adopt a Ram and decorate it and have it displayed on campus for Homecoming 2003.

There will be Galas in 7 major cities around the country: Denver (Sept. 8), Minneapolis/St. Paul (Nov. 15), St. Louis (Feb. 28), Phoenix (Jan. 24), Des Moines (April 3), Chicago (May 1 or 22) and Greater Cornell area (Homecoming 2003).

Jayne Swanson, career services director gave a report.

Following lunch, Mike Conklin presented Carol Drendel Honorary Associate Membership in the Cornell Alumni Association Committee Reports were given.

Communications: The alumni portal has been redesigned on the web site. Dee Ann Rexroat, College Communications Director brought the board up to date on Sesquicentennial plans. There will be a Cornell Report Sesquicentennial issue. Sesquicentennial merchandise will include: Milhauser A-Z book, Heywood/Thomas history book, Doug Hanson mug and bowl, t-shirt, polo shirt, sweatshirt, old-fashioned football jersey, baseball cap, Christmas ornament, afghan with logo, Ram beanie baby, Ceramic dish and coffee mug. "Gold Medallion" items will include a clock, paperweight, and bookmark.

Alumni and College Advancement Class Agents: Lisa Naaktgeboren agreed to "adopt" those classes with no class agent and become their agent. She will complete the letter that RK Scott began for this spring. Jody Enger will write the thank you letter on behalf of the Alumni Board to all class agents, including a personal invitation to attend Homecoming 2003.Homecoming 2003: It was decided that the board would not try to coordinate a Parade of Classes for the convocation.

Fundraising Update: Debbie provided an overview of funding to date, including annual fund dollars raised and percent of alumni participation. She also shared the college's funding priorities for the future.

Student Assistance:

Career Services - Jayne Swanson, Director of Career Services

a. Externships
i. The new Externship program is designed to give students a short-term opportunity to explore, first hand, a vocational experience that mirrors his or her interests. All attempts are made to utilize the current database of alumni to link students with alumni first. Externships take place during Spring Break.
ii. Jayne provided a handout detailing the first 7 externships experienced by students over Spring Break, 2003. 3 of the 7 students were able to link up with a Cornell alum.
iii. Michael agreed to send thank-you notes on behalf of the Alumni Board to the alumni who participated in an Externship.
b. Other programs that took place through the Career Services office include:
i. "Resumes that Rock" (panel)
ii. "So You Want to go to Law School" (panel)
iii. Life After Cornell Series: "Negotiating Job Offers/Understanding Benefits Packages"
iv. "Your First Month on the Job/Finance 101: adjusting to a full-time paycheck.
c. Opportunities for Alumni Board Assistance - Jayne reported that many more alumni could have been used had the office had more and updated information. The Board brainstormed about this and it was concluded that the best opportunities to increase alumni participation is by continuing to: promote the Cornell website, encourage class agents to seek updated information, include postcards with class letters, and provide update forms at alumni events. It was also noted that the upcoming Cornell e-letter will help us keep in more frequent contact with alumni - providing better communication electronically may increase email address updates.II.

Admissions - Sharon Grice, Associate Dean of Admissions

a. Minneapolis Pilot Project - CARE Program
i. Sharon reported that the response and participation from this pilot group has been great! 12 alumni have been involved.
ii. Training took place in Minneapolis in September
1. Sharon visited and provided supper
2. Training manual was provided
iii. Since that time, the Pilot team has:
1. assisted with meeting and greeting families for hotel interviews
2. assisted in interviewing (although not all were comfortable with this on their own)
3. covered college fairs
4. emailed/called/wrote admitted students to encourage enrollment
5. will host and assist with a 'summer send-off' in June
iv. Participants will be asked to evaluate the program and given an opportunity to continue their involvement later this year.
v. Sharon is preparing to launch CARE programs in selected metro-areas later this year.
b. Hotel Interviews
i. Admissions would like to begin training alumni to conduct interviews themselves.
ii. Some alumni seem tentative to conduct these interviews solo.
iii. This would assist the college in interviewing prospective students in remote areas.
c. College Fairs
i. 25 college fairs were attended this Fall and 5 this Spring
ii. Admissions would like to also train alumni to handle college fairs so that Cornell can be represented at fairs where staff cannot. These would include college fairs in Colorado, St. Louis, Chicago (more than the staff can handle currently) as well as in some outside areas such as New Hampshire.
d. Legacy Calls
i. 8 alumni board members contacted or attempted 57 parents of legacy students. 4 have accepted and 2 have deposited so far.
ii. This has been an excellent program - the feedback from alumni board callers has been very helpful.
e. Email Project
i. 21 of 101 admitted students contacted by alumni via email have deposited
ii. This is a great percentage.
iii. Admissions will be seeking to freshen the current list of alumni who assist with this project
f. Yield Events
i. Admissions is considering shutting down this program for financial reasons - it targets students who have already committed and deposited
ii. The committee felt this was a positive program to show our commitment to future Cornellians.
iii. Such events do not have to be funded by the college as willing hosts and other local alumni would be more than happy to cover the costs of food and beverages for such and event.
g. The Student Assistance Committee noted that most of the projects listed above will be incorporated into the CARE program in those selected target cities.

Our fall annual meeting may be a different format due to the many Sesquicentennial Homecoming events. You will receive an agenda in late summer. Please mark your calendars now for Oct. 17-19 and plan to attend.

At the fall meeting we will elect new directors. Please return your nomination form as soon as possible. The names will be used for future board nominations.