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Ripon College Alumni Association
Minutes and Meeting Highlights
Friday & Saturday, September 28-29, 2007
Presiding: Ryberg
Attending: Alumni Board: Arifianto, K. Babcock, T. Babcock, Carlson, Cochrane, Emanuel (student), Hansen, Hatlak (student), Houston, Janssen, Konstans, Kummer, Lander (student), Larson (student), MacLeod, Nemecek (alumni trustee), Padilla, Robinson, Sparks, Stamos, Umhoefer, Voigt, Woodard.
College Administration/Staff: Corder, Gallagher, Hintz, Malchow (Advancement); Klegon (Admission); Seeliger (Alumni Office); Vaubel (Career Development); Wittler (Registrar).
Absent: Clemons, Des Lauriers, Gabriel (staff), McCullough, Miller, Neuberger, Retson (alumni trustee), Schmidt (alumni trustee), Schultz, Shogren, Spaeth.
A. Proceedings (Friday, 9/28/07)
Welcome by Ryberg and opened the meeting by singing the Alma Mater.
Ryberg made administrative announcements.
Malchow made a few general announcements.
Self introductions.
BOARD ACTION: The Board approved the minutes from the March 2007 meeting.
Corder gave an update about the plaques for recognizing Distinguished Alumni Citation, Outstanding Young Alumni and Metal of Merit. Administrative Council is asking the Board to hold off on placing the plaques in Great Hall and the rotunda until more of the renovations are done to see about traffic flow in other areas.
Hintz said the Annual Fund reached its goal of $2.2 million for the third year in a row. The 2007-08 year will be more challenging as Trustees are reducing money given to the Annual Fund. So far the 2007-08 year is slightly ahead of the same time last fiscal year. Spread the word to other alumni about how many exciting things are going on at Ripon College.
Gallagher mentioned the new gift receipts for alumni that donate to the Annual Fund and that gift processing is more timely. The Phonathon is ahead of years past by all measures. The Class of 2007 class gift was benches for the new apartment building.
BOARD ACTION: The Board approved to support the 2008 Senior Class Gift challenge as follows:
The class reaches: The Board match is:
60% participation $10.00 per member
70% participation $15.00 per member
80% participation $20.00 per member
90% participation $25.00 per member
99% participation $50.00 per member
The 2008 Senior Class Fundraising officers gave a presentation for an event they would like to hold on a weekend in November. This event would help get the message out to
seniors about giving and being alumni earlier than in the past (Cap and Gown party in the spring).
Klegon reported on this year's first year class. There are 265 new students and 26 transfer students for a total of 291, which brought the College to a total enrollment of 1,000 students. She gave brief statistics of the new class and talked about trying to expand the states students come from by using the Alumni/Parent Admission Alliance program (AAA).
Carlson and Hansen talked about Thursday's Health Care Forum. About 25-30 students participated. The panelists were great and the students' feedback was positive. The Board discussed adding 1-2 more career areas to the next one and possibly doing a four year rotation of career areas.
For the first Alumni travel trip, Professor Emeritus Bill Woolley, his wife and one alumni couple signed up to go on the trip to Napa Valley, CA. They plan to continue the travel program in some format.
Houston passed around information regarding a new vendor for the alumni travel program. The Ripon Person Committee will be talking about travel in their meeting. There was a suggestion to advertise the Maymesters or alternative spring break trips to the younger alumni or current students' siblings.
Malchow reported Alumni Weekend attendance and dinner participation increased in 2007. The Friday night reception was sponsored by the class of 1982, in 2008 it will be sponsored by the classes of 1973, 1974, and 1988. The fundraising luncheon had 141 sign up and 215 actually attended. It was a very successful Alumni Weekend. There are new trophies for the largest class gift and highest class giving percent. In 2008 there will be a new trophy for the highest attendance at a class dinner. The increased Alumni Board volunteer help was appreciated. Alumni Weekend 2008 dates are June 27-29.
The Board adjourned for break.
Bill Popko's proposal to mail a long term care book to all our alumni was introduced by Malchow. The college has offered Bill Popko to give a presentation at Alumni Weekend 2008 and also to write an article for the Ripon Magazine. Discussion took place and the College Operations committee will discuss in their committee meeting and will report back to the full board. Discussion also took place around asking Popko to attend the spring Board meeting.
The Nominations Committee document was distributed.
BOARD ACTION: The Board approved the recommendation of the Nomination Committee for the Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Citation and Outstanding Young Alumni Awards to be presented during Alumni Weekend 2008.
BOARD ACTION: The Board approved the recommendation of the Nomination Committee for the following Alumni Association Hall of Fame awards to be presented
during Alumni Weekend 2008.
Umhoefer talked about the progress of comparing our current online community from an outside vendor verses using the Jenzabar software from our current database company. Analysis of both systems will continue.
Wittler gave the academic update on behalf of Dean Jerry Seaman which included the following highlights. 3-4 new classrooms were acquired in the renovation of Todd Wehr. She updated the Board on the newly hired faculty, the new minor in National Security Studies and the redesigned academic integrity policy. She also mentioned Ripon College's excellent ratings in college ranking magazines and shared the 2007-08 enrollment report information.
The Board adjourned for open lunch with committee meetings to follow.
The full Board reconvened and Professor Young gave an update on the future renovations of the Commons and the Seward and Elm street closings.
Gallagher led the Board on a tour of the newly renovated campus spaces.
B. Proceedings (Saturday, 9/29/07)
Committee meetings continued from 7:30-9:45 a.m.
The Board reconvened and went into the Commons where the football team was having breakfast to cheer them to victory.
C. Standing Committee reports (Saturday, 9/29/07)
K. Babcock (Admission -sub committee of the Ripon Person committee) Working in these areas: Reviewing past ideas and projects, having a AAA corner in the Ripon Magazine, building alumni membership in the AAA program, building the international student population, developing an Education Weekend at Ripon where teaching alumni come and bring their colleagues, and having student ambassadors return to their high schools with Ripon College material during breaks.
BOARD ACTION: The Board approved an Alumni/Parent Admission Alliance program form will be given to all seniors that attend the Cap and Gown party.
BOARD ACTION: Motion passed for requiring all Alumni Board members to join the Alumni/Parent Admission Alliance program.
Kummer (Career Development -sub committee of the Ripon Person committee) Working in these areas: The career forums will continue in the law area next year with Andy Voigt and Bill Miller, and The Apprentice II is in the planning for the spring meeting to be held on Thursday, March 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Voigt (Alumni Relations -sub committee of Ripon Person committee) Working in these areas: Alumni Travel program fine tuning for the future, discussion of Future of
Ripon College Excellence (FORCE), and alumni Online Learning/Alumni College discussions were tabled for further review.
BOARD ACTION: The Ripon Person committee will investigate allowing alumni to participate in Ripon College Maymester, Panama trips and sister city trips.
Umhoefer reported on the Governance Committee's discussion of the Alumni Board mission, vision, and operating procedures, and discussed adding a historian type position on the board.
Umhoefer (College Operations committee) Working in these areas: The alumni association's policy on sharing information with alumni, conversion of "The Ripon Insider", inventory of the plaques and memorials around campus, alumni award plaques, working with the online bookstore, Alumni Weekend speakers and events, selling bricks for the new space around the commons for a fundraiser, and semi-permanent volunteers to help with larger alumni projects.
BOARD ACTION: Motion passed to ask the administration to consider the possibility of selling personalized bricks for the new open space in front of the commons.
BOARD ACTION: Motion passed to adopt "working guidelines" to follow from the College Operations Committee for offers from our alumni to use our mailing list.
Janssen (Advancement committee) Working in these areas: Continued work with FORCE (Futuer of Ripon College Excellence) in founding the group as an official student organization and discussing student body awareness and fundraising ideas, discussed ways to reach students while at Ripon to understand the importance of giving back to Ripon College, how can the committee use Flash technology with the students, and Senior Class request of help with a proposed senior event.
BOARD ACTION: Alumni Board to approve support of the new Senior Class fundraising event with proceeds going to the 2008 Senior Class Gift.
Nemecek gave the Alumni Trustee report including the following highlights: The Trustees realize the relationship with alumni is the Alumni Board's focus and benefits the College greatly and they appreciate all the work that is done by this group. Samuel W. Pickard '55 is now an Honorary Life Trustee, the renovations and building projects are moving along on time and on budget. The relationship with the town is strong and network updates have occurred.
Prior to adjournment the Board sang the Alma Mater.
BOARD ACTION: Adjournment.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Gabriel Gerretsen '04
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
Ripon College Alumni Association
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