ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Semi-Annual Meeting
Friday, April 22, 2005
Hedges-The Commons
Lu Ann White ’78-Presiding

Attending:

Lu Ann White ’78, President
Joe Campanelli ’69, President-Elect
Sheila Kruse Boyce ’85
John Gilliland ’89
RJ Holmes’99
Fredrick Holtz ’86
Nels Lindquist ’71
Michael Mudlaff ’88
Lisa Naaktgeboren ’90
Lynn Ross Cope ’87
Allan Ruter ’76
Roger Stigers ’65
Carol Busch Telling ’66
Mark Van Etten ’76
John Yeager ’74

Absent:

James Coddington ’70
Jodi Enger ’91
Lisa Fry ’02
Barbara Schultz ’71
Richard Scott ’63
Paige Sindt ’03
Carrie Temm ’04
Gary Thompson ’60
Todd Watson ’93
Kate Schlemmer Watson ’95

Staff:

Debbie Green-Director of College Advancement
Ruth Keefe Miller ’66-Alumni Director
Jennifer Boettger-Assistant Director of Development and Alumni
Jackie Stewart-Alumni Programs Coordinator
Dee Ann Rexroat ’82-Director of College Communications
Jayne Swanson-Director of Career Services
Sharon Grice-Associate Director of Admission

Guests:

Kristi Columbus, Annual Fund Director
Tom Hanschman, Associate Director of Development
Leslie Garner, President
Karla Carne, Dean of Students

I. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS

President Lu Ann White called the meeting to order at approximately 9:10 a.m. She welcomed the members of the Alumni Board and introduced the two new members, Lynn Ross Cope ’87 and John Yeager ’74. Each member present introduced them self. There was a special introduction from John Gilliland of his twins born on April 3 rd. During Ruth’s introduction she extended a thank you to Fred Holtz for his help with the Charlotte, North Carolina, alumni luncheon.

II. ONLINE COMMUNITY DEMONSTRATION

Jennifer Boettger gave an overview of the Online Community and introduced Jason Niosi, our representative from Golden Parachute, the company with whom the college is contracting to provide the updated Online Community. Jason participated via telephone conference, while the Board viewed a demo site via large screen and with Jennifer’s operation of the laptop. Jason showed the Board a demo site and began demonstrating the features of the Online Community.

• It will be accessible off the Cornell Alumni Website. It will compliment the Cornell site but will have its own look.
• The community will be password protected and restricted to Cornell alumni, staff, faculty, and current seniors.
• Alumni will have access to internal e-mail to contact one another called “discreet messaging,” which keeps personal e-mail private if so desired.
• Alumni will have the ability to update their information 24/7 as well as dictate what information is visible to the rest of the alumni community.
• Class Agents will have access to be able to edit their own class page.

Other features:

• Events Calendar
• Online Event Registration
  Online Giving

• Yellow Pages – Business Network
• Mentoring
• Photo Galleries
• Discussions Boards
• Surveys
• Publications

Lu Ann asked if a class agent would be notified when someone went into their class page and made changes to their information. Jason also said this could be done.

RJ was interested in knowing if event information could be downloaded into personal calendars. That will be something that they can look at.

Michael Mudlaff asked if we would still have the Alumni Website. Yes, the

Website would still look like the rest of Cornell’s web pages. It will differ slightly once you enter the Online Community from the Alumni site.

Ruth talked about the importance of getting people registered on the Online Community.

Golden Parachute will provide assistance with marketing the site.

Special note: Allan Ruter recognized and thanked Fred Holtz for his efforts to promote the Online Community.

III. MORNING BREAK

IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes of the October 8, 2004 annual meeting were read with a motion to approve by Fred Holtz and seconded by Sheila Kruse Boyce. The motion passed and the minutes were approved.

V. OLD BUSINESS

A. 2004-2005 Alumni Events Report

1. Homecoming 2005 Update

Ruth Miller gave a brief update of Homecoming 2005.

• Date: October 14-16
• The Homecoming dance at Veterans’ Auditorium will be for both students and alumni.
• There will be a shuttle bus between the Marriott Hotel and Vets’.
• There will not be an advertised dance at the Marriott

2. Golden Alumni Weekend Update

Golden Alumni weekend will be held April 23 and 24. Due to this year’s lower than usual attendance and more classes wishing to reunion at Homecoming, the weekend will be re-evaluated with consideration given to hosting Golden Alumni at Homecoming now that the student dance is held in a separate location.

3. Re-cap of Alumni Events Held or To Be Held 2004-2005

a. C’YA Events

Ruth reported on the following alumni events held this year:

• C ‘YA Events (formerly GOLD Happy Hours):

Cedar Rapids, IA at the Irish Democrat, August 18, 2004
Chicago, IL at Casey Moran’s, August 19, 2004
Denver, CO at Old Chicago, August 19, 2004
Des Moines, IA at Down Under Bar & Grill, August 19, 2004
St. Louis, MO at Sasha’s Wine Bar, August 20, 2004
St. Paul, MN at The Liffey Bar, August 20, 2004
Tempe, AZ at Uno’s Chicago Grill, August 20, 2004

b. Other Area Alumni Events

• CCCC Holiday Party & Auction Dec. 11, 2004
  Club 44 at the John Hancock Building

• Greater Cornell pregame party & Jan. 29, 2005
• RoughRiders hockey gme

• Arizona Turf Paradise Racetrack Luncheon February 26, 2005

• Colorado Ski Reception @ Copper Mountain March 12, 2005
• Coordinated by Gary Thompson ’60

• Atlanta Reception at the home of March 19, 2005
• Tamra Thompson Toussaint ’86

• Charlotte, NC Luncheon at the Hyatt Hotel April 16, 2005
• Coordinated by John Dean ’58 & Fred Holtz ’86

• Seattle, WA Luncheon April 30, 2005
• At Qwest Field hosted by John Rizzardini ’79

• Portland, OR Luncheon May 1, 2005
• At the Century Hotel

• New York, NY After Work Reception May 12, 2005
  Dekk Restaurant

Hosted by John Turner ’94 & Ann Loewe Turner ’94

• CCCC Picnic at the Ravinia Music Festival and June 18, 2005

Coordinated by Mike Conklin ’69 & Diane Conklin hon. ’93

• Summer C’YA Events (Formerly GOLD events) Week of Aug. 15

• Tailgate before the Cornell vs. Aurora Univ. Football Game Sept. 2, 2005

c. Further Discussion of C’YA Events

RJ Holmes elaborated on the concept of C’YA (Cornell Young Alumni)

• Host social events in various cities targeting young alumni
• Sponsor a special event for young alumni during Homecoming
• Incorporate the C’YA concept/brand into all communications to young alumni:

i.e., annual fund publications, website

Blitz week for C’YA is the week of August 15 th. Locations to date:

• St. Paul
• Des Moines
• Iowa City
• St. Louis
• Phoenix
• Denver
• Portland

4. Alumni Events in Key Cities in 2005-06 to be planned by Board and Alumni Office

a. Events to Be Planned By October 2005

Ruth Miller wants to return alumni events for 2005-2006 to the seven key cities (Greater Cornell, Des Moines, St. Louis, Chicago, Twin Cities, Denver, & Phoenix). Ruth would appreciate the assistance of board members to locate venues and help plan the events in those areas early enough this year so a calendar could be in place by fall.

General discussion included some suggestions:

Barbara: Have some events in the summer and bring students along.

RJ: Host the Cornell event in conjunction with an already existing city/ area event.

Lu Ann: Send a kit for an event overseas.

b. Assignments for Board/Timeline

To give Board members a target deadline, Lu Ann asked Board members from the respective target cities to communicate and make contacts regarding their ideas on a place for an event by July 15 th. They should be in contact with Ruth about their progress. The Alumni Office would like to have these events planned by October for the 2005-2006 academic year.

B. Alum Chums

Jennifer Boettger sent around the sign up sheet for 2005/2006 Alum Chums. Jennifer explained the program to our new board members. Mark Van Etten spoke of his experience as an Alum Chum and that he has kept in close contact with one of his chums. (Any board member not at the meeting who would like to be an alum chum should contact Jennifer Boettger- jboettger@cornellcollege.edu )

C. Student Survey

Lu Ann passed out questionnaires for a student from Ireland asking that they be filled out by Board members who studied under OCAAT.

D. Trustee Committee Reports

Board member representatives to the Board of Trustees committees reported on their committees. Nels Lindquist reported on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee:

• Update on Faculty searches
• Reported on Dennis Moore’s retirement
• Announced Brenda Tooley as the New Dean
• Faculty reviews on two/four/six years and ten year sabbaticals
• The Library Initiative: Focuses on actively and intentionally dispersing information literacy in all areas of academic life at Cornell. Because this initiative is one of the first of its kind at any undergraduate college in the country, it is very much redefining the library of the 21 st century. Students and faculty not only work in tandem with library consultants in their specific area of study but also have access to academic
  enhancement services such as writing, multimedia and quantitative reasoning to make sure they understand how to communicate their knowledge in the most effective way.

Michael Mudlaff reported on the Board of Trustees’ Enrollment and Student Affairs Committee.

*Minutes attached.

E. Lunch Break

Dean Dennis Moore and Paul Garvin, both retiring from the college, were inducted as honorary alumni. President Garner gave an update to the board on the new academic initiatives.

F. Trustee Committee Reports – Continued

Joe Campanelli reported on the Board of Trustees’ Campaign Executive Committee.

*Minutes attached.

Lu Ann announced that there will be an opening for a representative to replace Michael Mudlaff on the Enrollment & Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

G. Committee Meetings

The board broke into their respective committees.

H. Alumni Board Committee Reports

1. Student Assistance Committee

Michael Mudlaff reported on the Student Assistance Committee meeting.

*Minutes attached.

2. Alumni and College Advancement Committee

Mark Van Etten reported on the Alumni and College Advancement Committee meeting.

*Minutes attached.

3. Communications Committee

Allan Ruter reported on the Communications Committee Meeting.

* Minutes attached.

4. Alumni Awards

On behalf of the Communications Committee, Allan presented the following alumni for awards:

Michael Graham ’75 – Distinguished Achievement Award

Sharon Goodwin Fogleman ’75 – Leadership and Services Award

Robert Slater ’60 – Leadership and Service Award

Timothy Devine ’92 – Young Alumni Award

Michael Mudlaff moved to approve the four awards. Seconded. Passed.

Allan presented the following nominations for Honorary Alumni:

Marilyn (Mem) McConnell

Barbara Christiansen

Lisa Naaktgeboren moved to approve the nominations; Mark Van Etten seconded. The motion passed.

Ruth mentioned that it is difficult to get nominations for the Young Alumni Award. It was suggested that we could encourage nominations in the class agent letters for classes up to 15 years out.

I. Important Dates for Alumni Board Members to Note:

May 26 th: Senior Dinner

August 30 th: Validation Day (Board members welcome and greet new students & families.)

October 14 th: Annual Meeting of the Alumni Board

J. Guest Karla Carney, Dean of Students – Pledging Task Force Report

 Dean Karla Carney returned to give an update on the work of the Pledging Task Force. The task force identified the following three areas needing improvement:

1. Disruption in the Community during pledging
2. Alcohol abuse
3. Tone of pledging: intimidation, and other inappropriate behavior

She reported that the Pledging Task Force goals were:

• Create a more positive pledging experience by evaluating pledging activities of all social groups, including their tone and themes.
• Establish better community relationships to include Service Day –all groups were required to have at least two thirds of their members involved in community service activities.
• Establish guidelines for the use of alcohol during pledging.

She reported significant improvement in pledging this year while noting there are still areas that need improvement.

VI. NEW BUSINESS

 A. Mark Van Etten - Proposal

Mark Van Etten presented an idea regarding somehow promoting Cornell alumni who participate in races, sporting events, etc., throughout the country, such as by promoting some kind of Cornell attire identifying them as Cornell alumni, something on the order of an “Alumni Team.” It was suggested that this would not be just for alumni who were involved in athletics while at Cornell. This would be more for alums who have many different social/athletic interests such as biking, skiing, hiking, and running which involve groups of people. The common bond would be to find the Cornell alums out there doing these things. An example would be RAGBRAI where there are many people. If alums from Cornell had a special piece of clothing on you would be able to recognize them.

Benefits:

• Identify other Cornellians
• Representing Cornell in this way may attract a different segment of Alumni
• FUN

Risks:

• Representing Cornell inappropriately
• A legal liability
• Cost-Alumni Association or individual?

Rewards:

• Mostly fun (Mark would like to develop a name for the group.)

Action Steps:

• Feed back; Is this is something the Alumni Board would like to help get off the ground?
• What, specifically, would we do to promote Cornell identification at events? There was discussion about encouraging alums to wear Cornell hats or t-shirts at these kinds of events in an article on the web, in the Cornell Report, or in class agent letters. There was discussion about the difficulty with working with the Bookstore to have them stock any specific items. There was discussion about whether we could promote this kind of identification and gathering without having specific attire being necessary or something we would get involved in designing or buying or promoting.

The specifics of what we could do to promote this Cornell camaraderie at events needs to be further defined and specified. There was no consensus on trying to do this through promoting certain Cornell attire.

No action was taken. Lisa Naaktgeboren suggested this would be something that could be introduced in a Cornell Report article. It was suggested that Dee Ann Rexroat be consulted about the idea generally as to promoting Cornell alums to gather at events or perhaps to have a place on the website to announce that Cornellians will be gathering at certain sporting or athletic events.

B. Cornell Report Survey

Dee Ann thanked everyone who filled out the survey on the Cornell Report. The feedback is very valuable.

C. Class Banner Project

Jennifer introduced the new Class Banner project that will begin with the Class of 2005. The first banner will be presented at the Class of ’05 Senior Dinner. A class banner will be designed by members of each senior class. The banners will be used at their commencement, reunions, and other events to represent that class.

D. By-Laws Review

Lu Ann asked each committee to review the By Laws for any changes that may need to be made to the description of their committee.

E. Lisa Naaktgeboren Speaking to Golden Alumni

 Lu Ann also thanked Lisa Naaktgeboren for staying and addressing the Golden Alumni at the luncheon on Saturday, April 23.

F. Thank You to Nels Lindquist

Lu Ann presented Nels Lindquist with a gift of appreciation and thanked him for his service to the Alumni Board. This was his final board meeting as he will be unable to attend the fall meeting.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 5:07 p.m.

Committee Minutes:

Minutes of Student Assistance Committee Meeting
April 22, 2005
submitted by Sheila Kruse Boyce

Attending: Michael Mudlaff (chair), Carol Busch Telling, Sheila Kruse Boyce, John Gilliland, RJ Holmes, Lisa Naakteboren, John Yeager, Joe Campanelli (Member-at-Large).

Staff: Jayne Swanson, Sharon Grice

Assisting ADMISSIONS - Sharon Grice reported on Admissions projects that the Alumni Board can help with.

• Legacy Phoning Project – Board members made calls to alumni parents of seniors considering Cornell. Calls were very helpful. In addition, legacies received email from Jonathon Stroud, and a handwritten note from Ruth Miller. To date, of 41 possible legacies, 5 have deposited, 14 more are admitted but have not committed. (# of enrolled legacies: 2004= 5, 2003= 4, 2002= 8, 2001= 4) The legacies who have not committed are being targeted with emails focusing on their interests, the student symposium brochure, and counselor connections.

2) Cornell Admissions Recruiting Effort (CARE) – Not much has changed since fall meeting.

a. Development of CARE Teams:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Future Years

Minneapolis Chicago Houston Austin
St. Louis Dallas Milwaukee
Kansas City Northern CA Madison
Denver New England Des Moines
Decorah Phoenix

Houston and Dallas have made good progress. A shift in Admission staff has revised use of CARE teams. Not planning to expand things at this time. It was suggested that we expand CARE to assist young alums moving to new cities.

• CARE Members: 11 other states. Total CARE members: 191

• College Fairs (attended by CARE members): Total 32 in 2003-04

Arizona 1 Nebraska 1
California 5 Oregon 2
Florida 1 Texas (Houston 3, Dallas 3) 6
Illinois ( Chicago) 1 Virginia ( Alexandria) 2
Missouri ( St. Louis) 4 Washington 1
Missouri ( Kansas City) 9 Wisconsin 1

TOTAL: 34

d. Receptions: (Alumni on site to give college info)

Colorado Reception: 6 alumni assisted
Chicago Reception: 3 alumni assisted
Minneapolis Reception: 2 alumni assisted
Kansas City Reception: 5 alumni assisted

3) Alumni – Admit email communication: 62 alumni (from 99 alumni profiles) were assigned 5-10 admitted students to email. Admission Office received very positive feedback, even if most alums did not receive a response directly from student.

• CARE E-Newsletter – Hoping to get one sent this summer.

This summer, Sharon will be attending another seminar in Chicago, similar to the one she went to in Annapolis four years ago. It includes roundtable discussion of things that work at various schools. She came back with the CARE group idea from Annapolis, and hopes to find other good ideas this year.

They have developed a great team in Enrollment and Marketing and are not losing anyone this year.

Assisting CAREER SERVICES

• Externships - (an extended job shadowing program during Spring Break) had 35 applicants and 28 participants this spring. It was a big challenge to connect everyone with a mentor. Jane feels they are about at the limit of what her two-person office can manage. It was suggested that she email all alumni board members when she knows what they are looking for, we might have connections to someone who could help. The committee will write handwritten thank-you notes to all alums who participated in the program.

• Invest in Your Future and Life after Cornell – 11 alumni participated in these presentations:
  • Careers for Creative People – October 13, 2004

Amber Mussman ’00 and Lynne Shaffer ‘86

•  
  • Careers in Sports, Fitness and Recreation – February 3, 2005

Kelly Douda ’99, Eric Sudol ’03, Mark Abbot ’70, Mike Lawler ‘77

•  
  • Understanding Benefits Packages – April 6, 2005

Joseph Campanelli ‘69

Your First Months After Graduation – April 20, 2005

Maggie Carr ’03, Cassie Gerroll, ’04, Tiffany Klingert ‘04

• Alumni Fellows Program – The program is growing rapidly, and several fellowships have already happened. President Garner spoke about this at lunch. Suggested that they list Alumni Fellows on the College Website.

• Operation WALK – Dr. Larry Dohr is taking students abroad as part of this program to assist with hip and knee replacement surgeries and teach physicians in other countries.

Student Assistance Committee Business –

• Leadership Transition – Sheila Boyce will take Chair of committee in Spring 2006, after Michael Mudlaff retires from the Alumni Board (we’ll miss him!).
• Review of Student Assistance description in By-Laws – The revised description below was approved unanimously by the committee.

The Student Assistance Committee, the purpose of which shall be, under the direction of the Career Services Office, the Admission Office and the Alumni and College Advancement Office, to recruit alumni volunteers to assist these offices in meeting their objectives.

Alumni and College Advancement Committee
Minutes
April 22, 2005

Class Agent Letters

Jackie Stewart reported that >8,000 letters were sent last fall; that they were submitted on time; and that they showed evidence of use of the new Class Agent Handbook. About ½ of the spring letters have gone out. Only about 8 or 10 agents, distributed across the spectrum of classes, haven’t submitted either a letter last fall or thus far this spring. Jackie will contact these agents to encourage and offer to assist as needed so that these letters can be written and sent. She will report next fall on her efforts.

Discussion was held both with the committee and with whole board as to what to do about these recalcitrant agents if they don’t respond to Jackie’s call for action. Possibilities included having the alumni office, or alternatively agents from near by classes, send a generic class letter. Concern was raised that this might encourage further inaction “since the college will send one anyway.” Renewable 5 year class agent terms were discussed: these would provide an easy out from either party’s perspective. The effort involved in finding a replacement was raised as a concern. Having a classmate call the agent, rather than the Alumni Office, was suggested as possibly being a more effective prod. Shelia Boyce voiced the opinion that if we’ve given the agents a second chance and they still don’t perform, we shouldn’t be afraid to step on toes. We concluded to change nothing at this point; to let the first full year since the publication of the new Handbook and Jackie’s first full year at her position go by and reassess the problem next fall.

It was pointed out that the new online community could ultimately change the class agent letter program dramatically.

A revised edition of the Handbook will be out this summer.

The current process of selecting class agents was reviewed and includes a very clear delineation of expectation.

Lisa Naaktgeboren will continue to write letters to the classes without agents, and Roger Stigers volunteered to write the annual Alumni Board thank you letter to class agents.

Options Project for Young Alumni Giving

RJ Holmes reviewed this initiative of the young trustees in some detail. Please refer to the handout attached. The C’ya program (Cornell Young Alumni, formerly the GOLD program) is effectively the social arm of this initiative attempting to keep young alums connected to each other and to Cornell. This connection is hoped to help foster the culture of giving described in the initiative.

2005-2006 Alumni Events

Ruth Miller asks that board members from each of the key seven alumni areas look for opportunities for possible events over the next academic year. The goal is to find an event and location that not only would be fun, but would accommodate a short presentation about or by participant(s) of one of the new academic initiatives. Consideration should also be given to what type of events would be interesting. Examples include an event at a museum, art gallery, theatre, coupled with a new exhibit or show that would include the ability to have a private space for a short presentation. Board members are asked to check event calendars in their communities and to begin brainstorming possibilities by July 15 with a goal of having a location determined by October.

Cornell College Alumni Association Board of Directors

Communications Committee

April 22, 2005

Members present : Jennifer Boettcher (staff liaison), Lynn Ross Cope, Fred Holtz (recorder), Dee Ann Rexroat (staff liaison), Allan Ruter (chair), and LuAnn White (ex officio).

1. The “Alum Chum” program had many volunteer sign-ups today.

2. The 2005Senior Dinner will take place on May 26 at the Touch of Class banquet center; CASA and the Alumni Association will sponsor the event. Jennifer asked that a representative of the Alumni Board be present if possible.

3. Alumni Board involvement in student events such as NSO, Family Weekend, and Commencement was discussed. For new student orientation, Alumni Board representatives give first-year students a water bottle on validation day. During Family Weekend, a lunch is held for legacy students and their parents; it was decided that there was no need to have further involvement in that activity. For Commencement, the Senior Dinner noted above will constitute our involvement.

4. Alumni Board activity at Homecoming: 1) Continue with Orange Carpet table and possibly demonstrate online community if it is up and running by then; 2) Advertise part or all of the Board meeting as the “Alumni Association” meeting that is open to all.

5. Online community: At our fall meeting the Alumni Board ratified a Communications Committee memorandum to the Board of Trustees requesting support to implement an online community. The Board of Trustees later agreed to allocate the money and a demonstration of the technology was presented to the entire Alumni Board of Directoirs. The task now is to get the alumni membership to embrace the system. Methods that we can implement to fortify the vendor’s marketing plan were discussed. Refrigerator magnets, post cards from school, inserts in class agents’ newsletters, and sticky notes were suggestions.

6. Major award nominees: Michael Graham ’75 for Distinguished Achievement Award, Robert Slater ’60 and Sharon Goodwin Fogleman ’75 for Leadership and Service for reasons stated in supplemental documents. The Board of Directors later ratified these nominations.

7. Young Alumni Achievement Award: Recent class agents will be asked for input. Tim Devine ‘92 was nominated for the reasons stated in supplemental documents. The Board of Directors later ratified this nomination.  

8. Honorary alumnae: Barbara Christiansen and Mem McConnell for reasons stated. The Board later ratified these nominations.

9. Cornell Report readership survey: Dee Ann reported that the survey was useful and some of her questions were answered. The next survey will explore other issues.

10. A proposal by Mark Van Etten to start a Cornell Alumni athletic club spurred discussion on a number of topics. One issue that was referred to the Communication Committee for further discussion was the idea of developing a Cornell Alumni logo that could be emblazoned on articles of clothing.

Sumitted by:
Allan Ruter