Alumni House
September 2005 Update
Executive Summary
For more than eighteen months the Lynchburg College Alumni Association Board of Directors has served an additional role at the request of President Kenneth R. Garren. In October 2003, Dr. Garren asked the Board to function as a "Blue Ribbon Panel" to assess current alumni programming, to benchmark it against the "best practices" at other colleges and universities, and to make recommendations to him and the Board of Trustees as to how alumni can become more significantly engaged in the life of their alma mater.
The Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) began its work with a review of award-winning alumni programs recognized by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and of alumni programs profiled in CASE Currents magazine. Alumni offices of scores of colleges and universities were polled, either by Blue Ribbon Committee members or via a survey.
The BRP conducted its work through four committees and through an alumni survey developed and administered by Alumni Board member Dr. James B. Flynn '75, in conjunction with LC faculty and staff.
The committees examined alumni events, alumni program funding, alumni financial support, the role of alumni in admissions and career development, and the impact of alumni on community.
Two surveys were done via the LC website. One tested alumni interests; the other tested alumni attitudes. The surveys were e-mailed to more than 6,000 alumni. Letters were mailed to an additional 14,000 alumni, asking them to visit the website and complete the survey. More than 1,200 alumni responded.
Additionally, the BRP invited representatives from two similar institutions (Drew University in New Jersey and Southwestern University in Texas), which had undergone similar Blue Ribbon program reviews, to visit campus and share their insights and experiences with us.
Finally, with the encouragement and support of Dr. Garren and Denise McDonald, vice president for development and external affairs, the BRP retained a nationally recognized alumni relations expert to evaluate the College’s alumni operations and programs.
The results of all this work and the findings and recommendations from the survey analysis and the four committees are detailed in the chapters of this report. There are, however, several key recommendations that warrant mention in this executive summary. President Kenneth Garren's reactions to the Executive Summary in May 2005 are noted below:
· A new position of Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations should be established.—"Done."
· The College’s Board of Trustees should tap or recruit a member to serve on the Alumni Board with full voting rights on each. –"Recommendation to Board, recommended by Consultant Eustace Theodore."
· The Alumni Board should examine and consider other governance structures.—"Proceed after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· Regional alumni clubs should be volunteer-driven with staff support from LC. A "model" alumni club start-up kit should be created to facilitate club development.—"Proceed after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· The alumni awards program needs to be reviewed.—"Not top priority, but add to list of items for new Assoc. VP."
· The Lynchburg College Magazine should be published more frequently.—"Discuss with LC TIM Marketing Committee."
· The Alumni Board needs to work collaboratively with LC staff to develop additional meaningful ways in which alumni can be involved in the admissions process and career networking.—"Yes, do more with this after new Assoc VP is in place."
· The LC website should be expanded to offer alumni ways to connect with one another, faculty and staff, and students to facilitate activities such as student mentoring, lifelong learning, and online giving.—"Proceed with further research & study on this topic after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· College funding of the alumni program should be on par over time with that of peer institutions ($14 vs. $20 per alumnus).—"After new Assoc. VP is in place, study current Alumni Budget and compare to other College Alumni Budgets, get input from consultant."
· Homecoming needs "fresh" thinking and programming, perhaps with reunions built around shared interests, such as the Concert Choir and other affinity groups.—"Proceed after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· LC should consider developing an alumni college to underscore its commitment to lifelong learning and, space permitting, the College should permit Westover Alumni Society Members to audit classes, gratis.—"Do further research on this proposal and similar programs at other colleges after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· Alumni travel programs should be developed and facilitated by LC faculty or staff where appropriate.—"Do further research on this proposal and similar programs at other colleges after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· Programs should be developed to encourage Lynchburg area alumni to be involved with entering freshmen and current students, who should be viewed as "pre-alumni." –"Do further research on this proposal and similar programs at other colleges after new Assoc. VP is in place."
· Finally, the College should review in detail the results of the alumni attitude and interests surveys to glean a wealth of information that might be useful in student programming and retention. –"Do further research on this proposal after new Assoc. VP is in place."