Council Meeting Minutes
African American Alumni Council Meeting Minutes
African American Alumni Council Meeting
Office of Alumni Aactivities Conference Room
University Student Commons
Saturday, October 11, 2003
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 10:15 a.m.
II. WELCOME
Ms. Sims welcomed the Council members to the meeting.
III. APPROVAL OF MAY 31, 2003 MINUTES
A motion was made to approve the May 31, 2003 minutes. Moved. Seconded. Carried.
IV. 2004 OFFICER POSITIONS
Ms. Sims stated that filling the vacant officer positions was a top priority. Mr. Powell said that in order for the election process to take place in a timely manner, a slate of nominees should be presented to the Council for approval at the January meeting. Afterwards, a ballot would be mailed to the membership to allow alumni to approve, disapprove, or recommend additional nominees. The elections should be held during the March meeting. The Council members were encouraged to pass along the names of potential officer nominees to the alumni activities office.
V. COMMITTEE REPORTS
Budget
Mr. Powell distributed copies of the budget and reported that projected expenses for various activities this year will be shared during the November meeting.
Bylaws
There was no report.
Professional Development
Ms. Sims stated that due to limited resources and member participation the Council will put this program on hold until further notice. Mr. Powell was asked to check with the African-American Studies Program to see if they would help identify students interested in helping with this program.
Program and Events - Jackie Tunstall Bynum and Rumae Foddrell
Reunion
Reunion 2004 will be held on April 30 - May 2 at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel. A "mark your calendar" post card will be mailed shortly. The reunion schedule of events will probably be similar to last year's program, however, due to the timing of next year's reunion "Fridays at Sunset" will not be part of the itinerary. The concerts are scheduled to begin the weekend after the reunion.
There was also a discussion regarding off campus reunion events being held off campus. Mr. Powell reported that over the past several years, the reunion has evolved into a program were fewer events were being held on campus. He asked the members for feedback on this issue to determine if it was a concern or not. After some discussion, the consensus was that as the university continues to expand, alumni need to be brought back to the campus to see the growth. Bringing the alumni to the campus is also a cultivation tool to assist VCU in attracting alumni support as well as allowing them to see how their support is being utilized. It was suggested that the Council consider coordinating a socializing event at the alumni house during registration.
Mr. Powell also discussed the Program and Event Committee's idea to incorporate some form of a business meeting doing reunion to share Council information with the alumni while they're in town. The meeting could incorporate power point presentations, an annual report, budgetary information, photos of previous AAAC activities, etc. If this idea came to fruition, it would be held sometime Saturday morning. It was suggested that the meeting be held prior to the seminar and move the time of the seminar to later in the morning.
General Events
The members discussed the need to coordinate an event to inspire the alumni to come back to campus besides the reunion. Some examples of potential activities included organizing a lecture featuring a local minister, a well known black financial planner, health professionals, etc. The speaker would have to be someone who will attract significant alumni attendance.
The members inquired about existing events that the Council could piggyback on. Ms. Walker stated that the African American Studies department coordinates several events and she attended one featuring Manning Marable of Columbia University. She stated that there are several events held on campus that may interest alumni but they aren't aware of them. Ms. Sims asked Ms. Walker to take a look at campus activities taking place between now and January and pass the information along to Mr. Powell.
Public Relations - Nina Sims
Ms. Sims stated that the Council's newsletter will be out October 31.
Scholarship - Larry Powell
Ms. Sims stated that she will hold off on making a decision about the unallocated AAAC scholarship funds until we can have more feedback from the alumni on how to best utilize the money and determine ways to involve students in the process.
VCU Alumni Association Board
The VCU Alumni Association will host several alumni luncheons with Coach Jeff Capel this season. The specific details will be shared at a later date.
Ms. Jones will no longer serve as the Council's VCUAA board representative. Ms. Sims invited those interested in serving in this capacity to let her know
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
Council Participation
Ms. Sims asked Mr. Powell run a report listing alumni who have financially supported the university during the past several years and former Council members. These individuals will be contacted to encourage them to become involved in the Council. Ms Sims requested that the members present commit to calling 3 to 4 on the alumni off of the list to encourage them to attend the meetings.
Ms. Dance was asked to draft a personalized letter to be sent to alumni inviting them to attend the next meeting. After approving the letter Ms. Sims will forward the letter to Mr. Powell to be mailed. The letter should go out by November 3 or 4th just before the November 22 meeting to gauge the response. The personalized letter should include the alum's major and degree year.
After some discussion, the members offered suggestions to increase alumni involvement in the Council including:
* Seeking assistance from the fraternities and sororities (beginning with Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Phi Alpha) to help solicit alumni to participate in the Council.
* Current AAAC meeting attendees inviting friends and colleagues to attend Council meetings.
* Setting up a table during the reunion containing AAAC information and correspondence listing the organization's needs.
* Planning events tailored towards specific alumni age ranges.
* Prepare a calendar each month indicating campus events to make alumni aware of university activities that may be of interest to them.
* Design an envelope specifically for Council mailings so that alumni could distinguish it from other university mailings.
* Add the African-American Studies Program faculty, other departments, former professors, etc. to the Council's mailing list. The Council needs to begin developing other constituencies.
* Invite the first graduate of the African-American Studies Program to join the Council and ask the department if they know of any other alumni or students who may be interested in Council involvement.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at approximately 12 noon.
Submitted by
Regina Phinizey and Daryl Lynn Dance