April 2010 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Spring Meeting of the
Board of Directors of the Colgate University Alumni Corporation
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Hamilton, New York

The spring meeting of the Board of Directors of the Colgate University Alumni Corporation (the “Alumni Council”) was held on Sunday, April 11, 2010, in Hamilton, New York.

The meeting was called to order at 10:25 a.m. by Mr. Gus P. Coldebella ’91, President.

A silent roll call was taken by RuthAnn S. Loveless MA ’72, Executive Secretary.
The following officers, directors and life member(s) were present:

 A. Paul Bradley ’67. John B. Brennan ’81, Christine J. Chao ’86, Bruce C. Clayton ’89, Gus P. Coldebella ’91, Kathleen A. Dill ’89, Robert S. Dorf ’80, Arthur L. DuBois ’55, Theresa Donohue Egler ’77, William H. Freeborn, Jr. ’76, Christine Cronin Gallagher ’83, Geoffrey A. Gold ’86, Scott P. Hoekman ’98, Johanna M. Hunter ’82, Amy Hargrave Leo ’03, John M. LeFevre ’41, RuthAnn S. Loveless MA’72, Joseph P. McGrath, Jr. ’85, Michael F. Morrone ’68, Jeffrey A. Oberg ’76, Lynn Plant ’77, Robert P. Quitzau ’55, Robert B. Raiber ’68, Peter W. Rakov ’54, Kevin R. Rusch ’85, Edward A. Ryan ’67, Peter A. Sears ’60, Devon M. Skerritt ’00, James A. Smith ’70, Stephen W. Solomon ’76, Joanne D. Spigner ’76, Anna Steel ’91, Howard E. Sutliff ’50, William J. Sweeney ’01, Jason A. Whitt ’96, Christopher J. Wolyniak ’01

The following directors and life members were present for committee meetings but unable to attend the General Session:

Thomas W. Dempsey, Jr. ’72, Linda Havlin ’72.
The following directors were absent: Peter K. Anglum ’77, Sarah J. Compter ’04, Amy L. Dapot ’96, Linda U. Feuss ’78, Juan Flores ’80, Sandra Braddy Hall ’76, Michael J. Herling ’79, John W. Hoagland ’78, William A. Johnston ’73, Thomas F. Kirkpatrick ’61, Scott A. Meiklejohn ’77, Jung H. Pak ’96, Heidi Bulow Parsont ’90, Christine M. Quirolo ’00, Christopher M. Schweighart ’97, M. Gerald Sedam II ’64, Karl B. Stewart ’91, Tracy R. Tanner ’00, Sandra Drucker Wright ’96
The following life members were absent: Douglas G. Campbell ’50, John E. Gillick, Jr. ’67, Clifford L. Heaslip, Jr. ’50, Ronald A. Joyce ’73, Haskell P. Mac Cowatt ’53, Michael S. Martin ’69, Fred C. Meendsen ’54, C. Bruce Morser ’76, Pamela Odeen-LoDato ’81, Gerald D. Quill ’60, G. Gary Ripple ’64, Bruce F. Wesson ’64.

The following invited guests were present:

Mr. Jeffrey Herbst, incoming President of the University, Charlie Melichar, Vice President for Public Relations and Communications. It was established that a quorum was present.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE WINTER MEETING
Mr. Coldebella asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the winter meeting held in Hamilton, New York, in January 2010, previously distributed to the council. The motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously.

ELECTIONS
Mr. Coldebella called the vote on the previously-made and seconded motion to re-elect Ms. RuthAnn S. Loveless MA ’72 as Executive Secretary. The motion was approved unanimously. Ms. Loveless thanked the Council for its support, and announced that this would be her last term as Executive Secretary -- she would retire on May 31, 2011. Mr. Coldebella, Mr. Herbst, and others commented on Ms. Loveless’s extraordinary contributions to the Alumni Council and to the university, and the council gave her a rousing round of applause.
Mr. Coldebella also presented the following slate of Regional Vice Presidents for the 2010-2011 fiscal year:
Laura Kurlander ’84 -- Southeast
Kathryn Chamberlain Roberts ’01 -- Southwest
Valerie B. Shapiro ’02 -- Far West

The slate was approved unanimously.

TREASURER’S REPORT
Ms. Kathleen Dill, treasurer, reported that the Alumni Affairs and the Alumni Council accounts were in good order.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY’S REPORT
Ms. RuthAnn S. Loveless, executive secretary, gave the following report.
 Invited Tim Mansfield, director of alumni affairs, to briefly discuss the staffing changes in the office. Lorie Riedl, formerly associate director of alumni affairs, recently left for a position in the Parents’ Fund Office. A search committee has formed to replace her position. Over 90 applications were submitted and interviews are underway.
 Announced that the Senior Class Brunch is to be held on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Matt Renner ’01, co-executive producer of the television show The Deadliest Catch, will be the guest speaker and welcome the class into the Alumni Corporation.
 Reported that plans for Reunion 2010 are well under way. Reunion College features over sixty diverse and robust programs. The final program is online at www.colgatealumni.org/reunion.
 Reported that Summer on the Hill registrations are off to a terrific start. The four day program will be filled will classes, activities, and excursions. The faculty members teaching the courses are excited to participate.
 Reported that club activity has been incredible this past year with over 300 events, including over 55 with faculty and staff. This high number of alumni club events is well above peer schools.
 Reported that Interim President Lyle Roelofs and members of the Board of Trustees hosted presidential events and town halls to provide an update on Colgate Today and gain feedback from alumni.
 Announced that send-off planning has already begun, with invitations going out in the beginning of June. There will be 35-40 send-off parties held across the country and abroad for incoming and current students this year. Council members are urged to attend the send-off party in their area.
 Reported a 48.8 percent legacy acceptance rate for admissions of the Colgate Class of 2014. The Alumni Affairs staff calls all alumni with applicants who were denied or placed on the waitlist to notify them of the decision before the admission letters are received.
 Reminded the Council to submit nominations for the Vice President and Alumni Trustee positions by June 1. Recommendations will be discussed at the summer executive committee meeting and voted on in the fall.
 Reminded the Council to complete Annual Meeting Proxy forms and to leave nametags and other paper materials to be recycled as part of the Council’s effort in “going green.”
 Announced that the fall meeting will be held during the first weekend in October. That weekend is also Homecoming, the Board of Trustees meeting, and the Inauguration of President Herbst.

TRUSTEE REPORT
Dr. James A. Smith ’70, alumni trustee, reported that the Board of Trustees last met in March and discussed several initiatives. They reviewed the budget recommendations from the Economic Environment Working Group (EEG), which were used to make budget decisions. The board also discussed several building projects over the next several months both on-campus and in the village of Hamilton. Finally, the board engaged in a “generative thinking” session focusing on reflective discussions about challenges facing the university and possibilities for the future. The board spent a lot of time with the new President, Jeffrey Herbst, allowing him to get to know the board members.

FRATERNITY-SORORITY ALUMNI INITIATIVE (FSAI) REPORT
Mr. Bruce Clayton ’89 reported on the recent FSAI committee meeting in the absence of Ms. Sarah Compter ’04. Mr. Clayton commented that the committee met with Fouad Saleet, the new assistant dean for campus life. They discussed the Greek Life Advisory Council and their recent standards and assessments project. Time was also spent reflecting on the past five years of the committee’s existence and discussing how the committee might be a resource for the university moving forward.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
Executive. Ms. Christine Cronin Gallagher ’83, Vice President, reported that the executive committee met twice since the last meeting, once in March in New York and again in Hamilton, NY at the start of the spring meeting. The committee focused on committee agendas and determining new committee chairs. Also, it is working on a plan for outreach to former Alumni Council members and a plan for evaluating meetings. The executive committee will next meet in the summer.
Admission. Ms. Christine J. Chao ’86, chair, reported that the committee met with Mr. Gary Ross ’77, vice president and dean of admission, to discuss the incoming class of 2014, the Yellow Ribbon program to help veterans, and financial aid. Ms. Chao also announced that Mr. Christopher Wolyniak ’01 will serve as the next committee chair.
Advancement. Mr. Geoffrey A. Gold ’86, chair, reported that the committee heard from Ms. Sara Groh, co-director of the annual fund, and Mr. Michael Tone ’07, assistant director of the annual fund. Ms. Groh gave a fiscal year update, noting that the alumni participation is ahead of last year. She also discussed the matching gift policy change—now, matching gifts will be counted toward an alum’s membership in giving societies such as the President’s Club—designed to encourage more matching gifts. Mr. Tone discussed the use of social media in fundraising. A campaign update was also provided.
Athletics. Mr. William H. Freeborn ’76, chair, reported that the committee met with David Roach, director of athletics, for a review of his recent sabbatical experience visiting 16 schools. He will be able to use the information to help benchmark athletic programs and provide data to make decisions at Colgate. Mr. Freeborn also asked for the council’s continued support of the Rowdy Raiders program. He announced that Mr. Joe McGrath ‘85 will serve as the next committee chair.
Awards. On behalf of the committee, Ms. Johanna M. Hunter ’82, chair, moved that Ms. Dana Colbert ’05 and Ms. Patricia Baione ’99 be awarded the Alumni Admission Program Co-Chairs of the Year award, for their volunteer work in the greater New York City area. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
Career services. Mr. John B. Brennan ’81, chair, reported that although the committee did not meet, it has been busy with events and plans for the Maroon Advantage program. Two events were planned and executed this spring in Washington, D.C. and Fairfield, CT. It was decided to try Livestream for the upcoming webinars, a software program the university already had, before investing in a more expensive option. A plan for future Maroon Advantage programs and webinars will be determined over the summer months in collaboration with university staff.
Communications. Mrs. Theresa Donahue Egler ’77, chair, reported that their committee heard from Ms. Jen McGee, website manager, about the website rebranding project. She sought the council’s input in this process. The council was reminded to sign up to write alumni Maroon News articles for the next year.
District clubs. On behalf of the committee, Mr. Stephen W. Solomon ’76, chair, put forth the following slate for this year’s alumni club awards:
The Carlton O. Miller ’14 Memorial Cup for Outstanding District Club:
Gateway – Colgate Club of Saratoga
Small – Colgate Club of San Diego
Medium – Colgate Club of the Rockies
Large – Colgate Club of Philadelphia
Metropolitan – Colgate Club of New York City

The Harold S. Merrell ’42 Memorial Award for Most Improved District Club Award
Gateway – Colgate Club of Lehigh Valley
Small – Colgate Club of Rhode Island
Medium – Colgate Club of Rochester
Large – Colgate Club of Northern New Jersey
Metropolitan – Colgate Club of Boston

Special Recognition Awards were awarded as follows:
Gateway New Mexico Sustained Excellence
Small Chenango Valley Sustained Excellence
Small St. Louis Revitalization Efforts
Small Twin Cities Revitalization Efforts
Medium Atlanta Sustained Excellence
Medium New Haven Sustained Excellence
Medium Puget Sound Revitalization Efforts
Large Chicago Sustained Excellence
Large Northern California Excellence in New Social Media
Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Innovative Programming

Club Award for Distinguished Individual to Mr. Christopher Schweighart ’97 for his dedicated service to the Colgate Club of San Diego for the past ten years and constantly striving to connect alumni to their alma mater.

The slate was moved, seconded and unanimously approved. It was announced that Mrs. Christine O’Keeffe ’00 will serve as the next committee chair.
Nominations. Mr. Devon M. Skerritt ’00, chair, reported that the committee met to consider changes in the nominations process for the coming year. He also asked for a call for nominations from council members. It was announced that Mr. Kevin Rusch ‘85 will serve as the next committee chair.
University relations. Dr. A. Paul Bradley Jr. ’67, chair, reported that the committee heard about the progress of the Hamilton Initiative, including the renovation plan for the Colgate Inn, programming at the Palace Theater, and rejuvenation of the movie theater.

OTHER BUSINESS
Council members raised two issues:
 Mr. Brennan discussed the founding of Chenango Capital, a venture capital fund started by several current and former alumni council members, to support early stage businesses with a preference given to those with Colgate connections.
 Mr. Peter W. Rakov ’54 discussed the addition of handicap accessible seating in the football stands at Andy Kerr Stadium.

Mr. Coldebella officially thanked the graduating members of the Council for their dedicated service to Colgate, as well as the outgoing committee chairs for their leadership. He also reminded all Council members to submit committee evaluations to the committee chairs about committee performance over the past year.

ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Coldebella adjourned the meeting at 12:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

RuthAnn S. Loveless MA’72
Executive Secretary