2006-10 Long-Range Plan
Core themes, noted in parentheses after each activity, categorize the plan and will be helpful in the development of an implementation plan. Themes include:
A. Internal promotion
B. External promotion and interaction
C. Programs for students
D. Programs for potential students
E. Advising and training
F. Programs for alumni and parents
G. Revenue generation
Thanks are extended to the following members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors for their work in the development of the Alumni Association Long-Range Plan, 2006-10. Special thanks to Jerry Putman for providing leadership for the long-range planning committee and members of each team who served as secretaries to their team.
Goal 1: Tonya Parris '92 (secretary), Ray Russolillo '80, Gene Flood '57
Goal 2: John D'Aquila '86 (secretary), Norma St. Vil-Bernard '92, Barry MacEwan '62
Goal 3: Todd Gurvis '84 (secretary), Jordan Fox '00, Tony Mascolo '77
Goal 4: Bruce Cameron '88 (secretary), Nicole Speier '00, Alex Huppe '69
Goal 5: Joe Bress '66 (secretary), Kay Boland '79 '82, Evan Farber '94
Goal 6: Michelle Adams '94 (secretary), Fred Farley '03, Tony Kendall '83 '85, Jerry Putman '76 '84
Goal 7: Michelle Adams '94 (secretary), Fred Farley '03, Tony Kendall '83 '85, Jerry Putman '76 '84
Staff providing support to the long-range planning teams included:
Rose Frierman, Director of Alumni and Parent Operations
Barb Kachmar, Secretary, Office of Alumni and Parent Relations
Siusan Orlovsky, Assistant Director for Alumni and Parent Relations
Chris Ritter, Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Kim Spaulding, Administrative Assistant, Alumni and Development
Mary Woolson, Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Constituent Relations
Goal 1: Enhance the role that collegiate communities play in educating undergraduate and graduate students (both on and off campus) about the Alumni Association.
• Advance the Alumni Association as an organization that is recognized and respected by students on and off campus.
• Extend immediate outreach to incoming freshmen and transfer students each fall and spring semesters by developing and implementing a comprehensive marketing plan that “sells” the Alumni Association to students who are not yet alumni. The plan should define “what's in it for me.” (A)
• Distribute posters, leaflets and flyers.
• Include information in freshman orientation packets.
• Participate in campus events, including orientation.
• Provide historical information regarding the founding of Binghamton University to entering and current students via the collegiate communities. (A)
• Recognize current Binghamton University students as members of the Alumni Association. Create a benefits package associated with student membership and provide a membership card in student orientation packets. (C)
• Emphasize the lifelong relationship with Binghamton University, again, by emphasizing to students “what's in it for me,” but also by beginning to raise awareness among students of issues related to public higher education. (A)
• Constantly reinforce “what's in it for me.” Whenever the Alumni Association participates in a student event, the emphasis must be on what we can do for the current student/future alumnus. By emphasizing “what's in it for me,” we subtly build the idea of a lifelong relationship with Binghamton University . (A)
• Arrange for alumni to return to campus to inform Student Association-chartered groups about the value of the Alumni Association. (C)
• Arrange for alumni to meet with students who live off campus to determine what the Alumni Association might do for them. (B)
• Work with the registrar's office to secure contact information for off-campus students.
• Send Alumni Association information to off-campus students.
• Position the Alumni Association as a source for students by promoting it in University literature, including Career Development Center (CDC) information. Leverage the B-Connected alumni online community. (A)
• Use Pipe Dream to communicate information to students/future alumni about alumni events. (A)
• Under guidance from faculty and placement office staff, determine where Binghamton students have needs for internships, professional guidance and networking. (C)
• Actively encourage alumni to provide both paid and credit-earning internships for students.
• Reach out to alumni to provide job shadowing opportunities for students.
• Explore the possibility of student networking groups under the auspices of the CDC. (C)
• Establish an alumni presence with students living in residence halls.
• Develop programming in conjunction with the residential life staff and collegiate masters that highlights the lifelong relationship between current students/future alumni, the University, and the Alumni Association. Such programming might take the form of mini career days and social action workshops and would build awareness of the importance of public higher education outside the confines of one's own college experience. (C)
• Foster alumni-student interaction by featuring alumni as guest speakers within the collegiate communities. Talks could focus on college-to-workforce transitions or other useful topics for students. The School of Management 's mentoring program is an example of such programming. (C)
• At least once per semester, host an “alumni table” in the University Union where students can sit with alumni and discuss job and career opportunities. (C)
• Broaden contact with students and alumni beyond the Alumni Association office by asking academic advisers, faculty masters and development officers to integrate Alumni Association programming into various collegiate settings.
• Provide academic advisers with resources to contact specific alumni, as necessary, to assist students with academic and career decisions. If possible, consider providing access to B-Connected to members of the campus community. (F)
Goal 2: Expand educational and professional opportunities for alumni.
• Engage alumni across various industries (business, education, health care, government and not-for-profit) to provide thought leadership on various topics that would be helpful to students in acquiring relevant skills and education required to compete in a changing world.
• Include alumni opinion articles in student, alumni and other relevant publications. Topics may include industry-specific thought leadership and information about skill building and job requirements. (B)
• Arrange for alumni to regularly participate in classroom activities as speakers or panelists. Topics might include ethics, globalization and career development. (F)
• Develop industry- and topic-specific chat rooms for alumni and students using the Alumni Association website. (B)
• Provide online continuing education opportunities for Binghamton University alumni under the auspices of the Alumni Association. (F)
• Involve alumni in the analysis of existing programs, and the development of new ones, within the schools and the University at large.
• Students: Identify opportunities for alumni to participate in student activities. Review the annual student activity calendar to determine which activities are most appropriate for alumni participation. Determine objectives for alumni participation in these activities. (A)
• Academic: With the deans' advisory boards, determine how alumni might assist in identifying emerging interests and enhancing curricula. Outcomes might include the development of new learning modules, courses and co-op programs. Ideas can also be solicited via the alumni or University website. (E)
• Administration: Develop a task force that regularly meets with the University president and other campus administrators to share ideas for new programs. (E)
• Serve as a clearinghouse to direct students to existing internship programs within each of the schools, the Career Development Center, and Off-Campus College .
• Determine how the alumni website might be used as a vehicle to provide links to internships and other experiential opportunities for students. Review models at other institutions (e.g ., http://www.mgt.buffalo.edu/crc/internships.shtm). (A, C)
• Use Binghamton University Magazine and other communications vehicles to encourage alumni and others to post information relating to internships and experiential opportunities for students to the alumni website. (B, C)
Goal 3: Enhance engagement and outreach.
• Formalize a network plan that works for Binghamton University that addresses the needs of regional and special interest alumni groups.
• Coordinate alumni admissions programs and regional alumni network activities in an effort to increase Binghamton University's visibility at college fairs and within high school guidance departments outside of the Tri-State Area. (D)
• Coordinate alumni affinity activities both regionally and on campus. Examples of alumni affinity groups include, but are not limited to, WHRW, Black Student Union (BSU), Latin American Student Union (LASU), Harpur College Law Alumni, the Student Association (SA), New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Jewish Student Union/Hillel (JSU), fraternities and sororities, athletic clubs and residential colleges. (B)
• Consider establishing an outreach committee for the Alumni Association. (F)
• Ask academic advisers and faculty masters for suggestions about how alumni might be integrated into their programming. (F)
• Maximize the use of Alumni Connect as communications vehicle.
• Revise the Alumni Connect e-mail newsletter and enhance its coverage of issues that are of interest to alumni and parents. (B)
• Promote Alumni Connect in the magazine, on the alumni website, and possibly in other media such as SUNYalumni.org and the Binghamton pages on MySpace.com, Facebook.com, etc. (B)
• Enhance the promotion of regional alumni networks and resources for alumni using the Alumni Connect e-mail newsletter and the alumni website. (B)
• Develop an overall communications and marketing plan that addresses the needs of Binghamton's various constituents and is consistent with the University's mission.
• Inform key alumni leaders about Binghamton today and encourage them to share Binghamton's success story with their personal and professional networks. (B)
• Improve outreach to international and graduate students and alumni. (B)
• Determine how best to leverage SUNYalumni.org to engage Binghamton alumni. (B)
• Incorporate alumni and the Alumni Association in the in the University's branding and communications process. (B)
• Explore creative ways to market alumni programs using a variety of media, including the Internet and e-mail. (B)
• Recognize parents of current students and alumni as important and valued constituents.
• Encourage regional alumni networks to involve parents of current and incoming students in their activities and invite them to attend regional events. (F)
• Build upon the “Life Cycle” approach to engage students and alumni of all ages by identifying and integrating innovative programming that is appropriate to the various life stages of students and alumni.
• Provide training that integrates alumni skills and career needs. (C)
• Where available, incorporate special programs into Homecoming Weekend, and year-round, to build appeal for professional alumni to return to campus, such as continuing education programs for attorneys, financial planners, CPA's, physicians, etc. (C)
• Promote and foster greater diversity among members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors to better represent Binghamton's alumni and student populations.
• Actively seek candidates for board membership that reflect the makeup of the overall alumni and student populations of the University. Candidates for board membership should reflect the diverse populations represented in terms of professional affiliations, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, religious or racial background, geographic location and college. (E)
• Provide for overlapping terms on the nominating committee to provide continuity and a sense of organizational history in board recruitment. Require (or strongly encourage) that final board candidates be interviewed before formal nomination to the board. (E)
• Actively involve on-campus student organizations and regional alumni networks in the cultivation and identification of potential alumni association leadership. (E)
• Include non-board members on the Association's key committees (including programming, advocacy, fundraising, and long-range planning).
• Solicit suggestions for non-board committee members from staff, faculty and regional network coordinators. (E)
• Involve former Alumni Association board members on committees or in activities. (E)
Goal 4: Respond rapidly to educational needs arising from a fast-paced, high-performance work world.
• Provide opportunities to further the personal and professional development and growth of alumni and others.
• Identify the person or offices responsible for professional and distance education at the University, and within each school, and develop relationships between those offices and the Alumni Association. (F)
• Determine the needs of Binghamton alumni for programs or courses. (F)
• Create a feasible “wish list” of professional development opportunities for alumni with guidance from the appropriate staff at the University. (F)
• Arrange professional certification courses or non-credit lyceum courses.
• Develop distance learning and internet courses.
• Develop network-sponsored forums designed to further personal and professional growth. (F)
• Using B-Connected, promote the Career Development Center networking database that includes contact information for alumni willing to advise and assist each other in exploring and securing positions in their professional fields. (F)
• Sponsor cultural and natural history travel programs that could provide rich alumni programming and a new source of income for the Alumni Association. Travel programs would be organized through the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations. (F)
• Raise the profile of the Alumni Association with the current student population by enhancing their opportunities to interact with alumni.
• Using student/alumni models already in existence (such as in medicine and law), determine other areas where Binghamton alumni have special strengths and organize a way for them to interact with students. (C)
• Promote to students the data base of alumni willing to advise and to assist students in exploring and securing positions in their professional fields.
• Create a feasible “wish list” for further Alumni Association involvement with current students. (C)
• Sponsor forums for current students to discuss employment trends with alumni. (C)
Goal 5: Create an adaptive infrastructure to support the mission of the Alumni Association.
To achieve the ambitious goals set forth in this plan, the Alumni Association must devise a more adaptive infrastructure where people (staff and volunteers), programs and technology can be brought together to efficiently use limited resources.
• Maintain a high quality database to support both the Alumni Association and Foundation initiatives.
• Explore creative revenue-generating initiatives to bring in new dollars to help support the programs and activities of the Alumni Association.
• Explore partnerships that provide discounts for alumni and a possible source of revenue for the Alumni Association (e.g. Dell, Apple). (G)
• Explore arrangements that provide rebates to the Alumni Association related to purchases made by alumni on the web (e.g., Amazon, Barnes & Noble). (G)
• Explore the acceptance of paid advertising in Binghamton University Magazine with ad revenue shared with the Alumni Association. (G)
• Seek corporate sponsors for the alumni website, B-Connected and streaming lectures. (G)
• Generate revenue through the advertisement and sale of alumni products. (G)
• Create opportunities for alumni to connect virtually to their alma mater.
• Stream lectures and classes to alumni. (F)
• Create chat rooms for alumni to meet and greet, discuss items of interest and network. (F)
• Provide non-credit streaming courses to alumni who have contributed to the Alumni Association as volunteers or donors. (F)
• Stream basketball games by video (consider condensed versions). (B)
• Create a link to WHRW on the alumni website. (B)
• Provide web tours of the University. (B)
• In recognition of the importance of private support, the Alumni Association will partner with the Foundation to encourage private financial support and joint ventures for the advancement of the University.
• Using outside facilitation, host a joint retreat with the Foundation board to develop common plans to raise private support for the University. (E)
• Establish a liaison committee of the Foundation and Alumni Association boards. (E)
• Learn from other universities about their methods of raising private support. (E)
Goal 6: Foster a campus culture of respect and success.
The success of the Alumni Association is tied to the volunteers who serve on boards and coordinate regional network activities as well as staff who work in the Alumni and Parent Relations Office and at the University. A culture of respect for every individual (volunteer or staff) and every idea needs to exist to elicit the best contributions out of all. Professional development needs to be supported and encouraged. Staff training must be provided. Expectations must be made clear to volunteers and staff. Orientation for new board members should be enhanced.
• Foster a culture of respect. (E)
• Host a breakfast on campus to educate other faculty and staff regarding the activities of the Alumni Association.
• Determine ways for the Alumni Association to recognize faculty and staff that have and continue to positively influence students and alumni (e.g., a recognition breakfast).
• When new officers are elected, conduct a retreat for the executive board of the Alumni Association and the staff of the Alumni and Parent Relations Office.
• Enhance and expand volunteer training. (E)
• Expand the volunteer base the through the current alumni networks.
• Establish new alumni networks, particularly in underserved areas or in areas where networks do not exist.
• Involve alumni network leaders in the training of new volunteers.
• Work with the admissions office and the Career Development Center (CDC) to enhance existing programs reciprocally.
• Establish an electronic newsletter for volunteers to communicate current activities of the Alumni Association.
• Provide recognition opportunities for volunteers through an electronic volunteer newsletter, Alumni Connect, and/or Binghamton University Magazine.
• Enhance orientation for new board members. (E)
• Provide on-site training for new board members between their election in July and their first board meeting in the fall.
• Include one or more executive committee members as trainers.
• During orientation, include an introduction to the University president, brief updates from each of the schools, tours of new buildings, updates from other offices, including admissions, the CDC, Discovery Center and athletics.
• Conduct team-building exercises for the entire board. (E)
• Using an outside facilitator, conduct team building exercises during the fall board meeting.
Goal 7: Invest in academic excellence, innovation, growth and diversification.
• Involve alumni in faculty growth by providing the practical interchange of experiences through faculty/alumni panels, lectures, symposia or one-on-one exchanges. Provide opportunities for faculty to interact with alumni in both the University and “real world” settings.
• Establish a database of alumni volunteers interested in serving as guest lecturers, organized by their areas of expertise. (F)
• Use the same database to provide information on faculty members who are willing to serve on panels and/or interact with alumni off site. (F)
Revised on 8/28/06 by Gerald Putman and Mary Woolson
