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Message: [QUOTE="jpdmath, post: 1352010, member: 5997"] Hi--Full disclosure: I'm both an alumna and a Foundation employee. Also a Boneyard lurker for some time, but that's beside the point! Under the new model, you don't have to "join" anything--you're automatically a "member" because you attended UConn. So you can already attend alumni events, volunteer, and get any other benefits we offer. Additionally, since our alumni relations staff no longer have to focus on driving membership, they are now better equipped to expand programming, event support, and communication with alumni groups (such as NYC). So not only is it a dues-free model, BUT alumni relations staff now have the full support and resources of the Foundation working alongside them. All funds that are currently dedicated for alumni relations purposes will continue to be set aside ONLY for alumni relations, scholarships, or whatever the donor's intent is/was. This is consistent with how the Foundation works as a whole, and more or less how the funds were managed previously. In other words: We're now all working together to strengthen UConn. The vote is the last major piece of this transition. A "no" vote means the Association still exists as a corporate entity, but can't use the UConn wordmark, the logo, or the alumni database, nor can it work with any of the alumni relations staff. This is outlined in the MOU with the University that the board signed last year. This is a model other institutions, including many big public universities, have found a lot of success with. If you talk with the alumni relations staff you'll find they're all really excited for the potential this brings. Happy to answer any other questions as I can. [/QUOTE]

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