UConn shutting down the Alumni Association

[DSquiz]

What the hell?

"At the insistence of University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst, the school's alumni association is considering dissolving and turning over its $9.2 million in assets to the UConn Foundation.

During a Jan. 13 meeting, Herbst and university leaders informed the association's board that the school's relationship with the alumni group will end April 1.

The group organizes networking events across the U.S. for the school's 200,000 alumni, lobbies state lawmakers for support and gets donations from thousands of alumni.

With the end of this 126-year relationship, the association will no longer be able to use the UConn and husky logos and will not be guaranteed access to the names of alumni."

 

[1999.2004.2011]

So are they just consolidating the two entities into the UConn Foundation?

 

[SubbaBub]

Sounds like a hostile take over.

 

[DSquiz]

So are they just consolidating the two entities into the UConn Foundation?

No, it doesn't sound like that. The Alumni Association runs twitter accounts, game watches, and activities all over the US. I have been to their events in Boston and NYC.

From this quote it sounds like the social aspects are just stopping: "The association's fund-raising role will be taken over by the UConn Foundation. It is not clear who, if anyone, would take over its social activities."

 

[Palatine]

This is just a ploy to take over the AA dues, and make me buy another "lifetime alumni membership."

Raw deal for the alumni.

 

[shakes65]

I guess I can forget about a 50th reunion this year..........although I was becoming doubtful since I have heard nothing as of now and I would imagine something of this order would occur in May or June. Come to think of it, I heard nothing about such an event for the class of '64 either.

 

[zls44]

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2015/03...w-approach-to-realign-expand-alumni-outreach/

 

[temery]

On April 1st? If this is an April Fools joke, it's not a good one.

 

[hardcorehusky]

As someone who was involved for over 6 years - this is a good thing but like anything else, will have some downside changes. I am not sure you will see the same Football Kickoff Event or the Basketball Events done the same way as they have been done in the Hartford area for many many years. That being said, the Alumni Association has had its issues for years and quite frankly, the University had to subsidize its existence. If the University is going to pay into it, they might as well see it run the way they want it run.

The new organization will be the friend raising arm of the organization which will supplement the fund raising.

 

[storrsroars]

I think I am the Pittsburgh Chapter. Just me.

 

[junglehusky]

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2015/03...w-approach-to-realign-expand-alumni-outreach/

Okay, that link provides some needed contex. It's pretty clear that something big has to be done. Hope they pull it off successfully.

 

[Fishy]

This is not a bad thing.

 

[DSquiz]

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2015/03...w-approach-to-realign-expand-alumni-outreach/

Thanks, this clears up a lot.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Interesting, the NYC Alumni group has been hit and miss. The Alumni event at the Stock Exchange last winter was great and the game watches in the City during last year's championship run were well attended; but, in between they seem to go silent for months at a time. I would help more myself; but, I live in Jersey (2 hour commute each way), have a job, wife, and kids. Just don't have the time

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

This is not a bad thing.

Based on the linked article, this sounds like a good thing with many common sense advantages.

 

[David 76]

Strikes me weird for a non-profit with $9.2 million to fold. I think there must be something else or at least Herbst strong-armed them to quit.

 

[UConnNick]

Theoretically the changes are a good thing because a dues-based membership model doesn't work, but that has been the case for many, many years, and the school administration is ramming this decision down the throat of the UCAA with absolutely no transition plan in place. Herbst is looking at it strictly in terms of dollars and cents. The school subsidizes the association and in turn expects them to increase membership, while for years the administration has wanted to get away from basing membership on paying dues. Because of this, the UCAA makes no requirement that anybody be a member to attend locally organized events, and makes no effort to try and sign people up as dues paying members. In effect, the association has been run that way as far back as the 1990's and possibly earlier.

What Herbst fails to understand is the vast majority of individual donors to the university are members of the association presently, and she's pissing off most of the members by unilaterally deciding to kill the association, all due to budget shortfalls. You cannot quantify what the association means to those large scale individual donors. These are not people you want to alienate. What she hasn't explained is how are you going to keep all of the present staff members employed, as has verbally been promised, and save any money due to increased efficiencies? You're still going to be paying the same employees the same amounts of money, unless you cut all their salaries, and anybody who has ever worked in a non-profit knows that you're already making less than for-profit wages as it is. If everybody remains employed and you are just re-shuffling roles, you haven't accomplished anything economically.

They're comparing UCONN's endowment to those of big time, big name state flagship universities with huge alumni bases. Admittedly our endowment is dwarfed by a lot of those schools. We can't be Penn State, Michigan or any other huge flagship. Penn State has 95,000 students. We don't have that kind of alumni base. They're also crying about how Conn. is the richest state in the country, yet we seem unable to grab our fair share of that endowment money. Yes, Conn. is a wealthy state per capita, but a lot of those folks attended Ivy League schools or other public and private institutions all over the Northeast and elsewhere. They didn't all go to UCONN.

Rather than sit down and have an effective discourse on how this is all going to work, Herbst has basically refused to listen to anybody and presently holds all the cards. The university will absorb all of the UCAA's assets and from now on if you're an alum, you'll be dealing strictly with the fund raising arm of the university through the UCONN Foundation. It was kind of nice being able to just enjoy the alumni events without constantly being asked to contribute money to the university.

 

[CL82]

This is just a ploy to take over the AA dues, and make me buy another "lifetime alumni membership."

Raw deal for the alumni.

Actually, it's just the opposite. Membership in the new organization is free.

 

[David 76]

Yeah, but poor Palatine paid a lifetime membership to an organization with no life!

 

[husky8273]

all of the goals of a non-dues paying model could be done within the current UCAA which had agreed to make this change. This is a decision simply to have control without the inconvenience of an independent board of directors elected by the alumni which will no longer exist under the Foundation.

 

[junglehusky]

Email today, reprinted in case anybody was curious and had it go to their junk box or for non-alums (emphasis added relevant to above discussion):

UConn and You: A New Approach to Keeping You Connected

Montique Cotton Kelly, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations

communications @ uconn.edu

Dear UConn Alumni,

I write to you today to share some exciting developments that are intended to help you become involved in the life of your alma mater in a more meaningful way than ever before.

As you may have heard, the University of Connecticut is working to implement a new model for alumni engagement, including the possibility of an expanded partnership with the UConn Foundation, an independent organization that functions solely to support the University through the engagement of alumni and friends.

So why should you care about this change?

The reasons are many. First, we want to connect - and in many cases, reconnect - with all alumni, not just those who pay dues to the Alumni Association. As a result of this change, by virtue of your alumni status you automatically would be treated as a lifetime associate of the University, along with some 230,000 of your fellow UConn graduates, rather than having to pay dues in order to belong.

You worked hard to achieve the honor of being a UConn alum, and staying connected with the University and fellow graduates shouldn't come at a cost. You've earned that privilege through your efforts in the classroom and, subsequently, in life.

In addition, we want alumni to receive consistent messages and news that helps you stay abreast of developments on campus, and have a much more coordinated point of service for all alumni and friends.

By merging alumni relations with our institutional advancement efforts, we also become more efficient stewards of our resources by aligning alumni outreach functions into one independent advocacy organization that exists solely to support the University, its students, its faculty, and its future.

Lastly - but certainly not least - we want to do this with the continued support and participation of the many alumni who have contributed so much to the University over the years as volunteers and loyal friends.

For all these reasons, the University has asked the UConn Foundation to take a leadership role in alumni relations going forward. If the Foundation board accepts this opportunity, a formal plan will later be presented to the UConn Board of Trustees.

We understand there are questions and concerns about what this means for the UConn Alumni Association, an independent, non-profit organization managed by its own board of directors. While the University wishes to work with the Alumni Association on this new streamlined approach to better alumni engagement, UConn does not have authority over decisions that affect the future and existence of the Alumni Association into the future.

However, we can ensure that if you are connected to the University through affiliation with one of our alumni chapters, UConn clubs, or the UConn Alumni Association, this change would be seamless to you, as you will still have the same access to alumni events, programs, publications, and news blasts. In fact, the University wishes to see more alumni chapters grow and prosper, and a greater number of quality alumni events and programs offered to graduates.

The goal is simple: to dramatically increase the opportunities to stay close to UConn, and make them more substantive and relevant to your busy lives while at the same time creating a more streamlined and effective alumni engagement effort. The alumni support staff you've come to depend upon for updates and assistance will still be there to help you, and University intends for the Alumni House to continue to serve as a home on the Storrs campus for all alumni.

This type of integrated approach mirrors the model increasingly employed by many of the nation's top colleges and universities to forge alumni bonds with the institution and among each other.

What's more, if you wish to make a financial contribution to advance UConn’s mission, you’ll still have that option. But instead of required annual membership dues, you would have the freedom to support our outstanding students, programs, and initiatives through tax-deductible donations in areas of your choosing.

No truly great university can fully achieve its potential without a vast, supportive, and engaged alumni body, and with the full spirit of Husky Nation mobilized as one, there are no limits on what the future holds for UConn.

UConn needs you now more than ever - as advocates, mentors, networkers, storytellers, and living examples of the lifetime value of a UConn education. Just as importantly, we want to see and hear from you more.

Thank you for your loyalty and support of the University of Connecticut!

Montique Cotton Kelly
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I received the letter, too. Translated, it basically states that if UConn want to be considered a B1G boy University, the measly $400 million endowment needs a massive cash infusion. As the Alumni Association did not appear to be helping, time to try something new. Fingers crossed in my opinion.

As a FYI, the average B1G endowment is $2.9 BILLION with the smallest being Rutgers at $783 million.

 

[Skiblets]

Theoretically the changes are a good thing because a dues-based membership model doesn't work, but that has been the case for many, many years, and the school administration is ramming this decision down the throat of the UCAA with absolutely no transition plan in place. Herbst is looking at it strictly in terms of dollars and cents. The school subsidizes the association and in turn expects them to increase membership, while for years the administration has wanted to get away from basing membership on paying dues. Because of this, the UCAA makes no requirement that anybody be a member to attend locally organized events, and makes no effort to try and sign people up as dues paying members. In effect, the association has been run that way as far back as the 1990's and possibly earlier.

What Herbst fails to understand is the vast majority of individual donors to the university are members of the association presently, and she's pissing off most of the members by unilaterally deciding to kill the association, all due to budget shortfalls. You cannot quantify what the association means to those large scale individual donors. These are not people you want to alienate. What she hasn't explained is how are you going to keep all of the present staff members employed, as has verbally been promised, and save any money due to increased efficiencies? You're still going to be paying the same employees the same amounts of money, unless you cut all their salaries, and anybody who has ever worked in a non-profit knows that you're already making less than for-profit wages as it is. If everybody remains employed and you are just re-shuffling roles, you haven't accomplished anything economically.

They're comparing UCONN's endowment to those of big time, big name state flagship universities with huge alumni bases. Admittedly our endowment is dwarfed by a lot of those schools. We can't be Penn State, Michigan or any other huge flagship. Penn State has 95,000 students. We don't have that kind of alumni base. They're also crying about how Conn. is the richest state in the country, yet we seem unable to grab our fair share of that endowment money. Yes, Conn. is a wealthy state per capita, but a lot of those folks attended Ivy League schools or other public and private institutions all over the Northeast and elsewhere. They didn't all go to UCONN.

Rather than sit down and have an effective discourse on how this is all going to work, Herbst has basically refused to listen to anybody and presently holds all the cards. The university will absorb all of the UCAA's assets and from now on if you're an alum, you'll be dealing strictly with the fund raising arm of the university through the UCONN Foundation. It was kind of nice being able to just enjoy the alumni events without constantly being asked to contribute money to the university.

Nick - school was subsidizing the UCAA and getting little in return. It's pure ROI or lack thereof. Had they produced, doubt this move gets made but in the era of shrinking budgets, there's nothing extra to go around for underperformance like the UCAA

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm a lifetime member (got the email), and don't know what this really means. I can say this, I get many more invites to Boston area watch parties from the University of Kansas alumni association, which I never even joined, than I do from UConn's. That's pathetic when a school less than two hours away, with a major alumni presence in the city is behind one with very few alumni more than a thousand miles away. KU's AA is very well run. It is powerful. It gets people interviews, jobs, etc. UConn clearly needs to step up their game in this regard.

 

[UConnNick]

all of the goals of a non-dues paying model could be done within the current UCAA which had agreed to make this change. This is a decision simply to have control without the inconvenience of an independent board of directors elected by the alumni which will no longer exist under the Foundation.

The UCONN Foundation is also an independent 501(c)(3), with its own board of directors. That's what Herbst doesn't want anymore, two independent non-profits working at crossed purposes. I agree with that, but the way she's trying to implement the change is what I and a lot of other alumni are not happy about. There's no plan of action currently in place, or even in writing.

I do think you're correct that it's a device to get rid of the alumni board of directors, for sure. It could have all been fixed without the rancor if there had been any attempt at effective communication between the association and the university administration long before this decision had to be made. Also, the Director of the UCAA is a paid state employee, not compensated by the organization she runs. Who do you think she owes her allegiance to?