alumni futures

CASE VII + VIII = CASE XV

[Updated December 3, 2007: Link to page with presentation slides.]

If you're heading to Las Vegas for the combined CASE Districts VII and VIII conference, please stop by one of my sessions to say hello. I wrote about the postdoc topic back in March, 2007.

2007 CASE District VII & VIII Conference
Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunday, December 2, 12:30 to 3:00 pm
Master Class: Online Communities, Social Networks, Blogs and Podcasts
with Ben Danley (Oregon State University) and Peter Robertson (California State University, Fresno).

and

Monday, December 3, 3:15 to 4:15 pm:
A New Audience: Inviting Postdocs into the Game
with Karen Carlson (Caltech).

Caltech is well-represented. I'm co-presenting with our Associate Director Karen Carlson on the postdoc topic, and Caltech's Assistant Director for Communication Elizabeth Allen is presenting at 1:45 pm Monday on Embracing New Technology in Alumni Communications. She's also hosting a breakfast roundtable that morning on Online Networking and Alumni Relationships.

We'll see you there.

Update: Outsourcing Alumni E-mail & Databases

[Updated January 10, 2008 with story about University of Wisconsin]

Back in May 2007 I talked about the opportunity for alumni associations to deliver web-based e-mail accounts by piggy-backing when schools outsource campus e-mail. The most visible examples are Gmail (bundled with Google Apps for Education), and Windows Live@edu.

As Karine Joly has reported already, Inside Higher Ed's Andy Guess has written a detailed article about whether campus computing leaders could and should move to these outsourced solutions.

[Update: The University of Wisconsin-Madison is considering its options, as reported here:

UW eyes outsourcing student e-mail system]

This matters to advancement professionals because, as Guess mentions, students are arriving on campus with their e-mail provider already selected, their preferences already configured and their online loyalties more or less in place. So even if we provide graduating seniors with an alumni address (via either forwarding or an e-mail account), our newly-minted alumni will forward that address to their existing e-mail address, courtesy of Gmail or Microsoft.

And of course, it seems like you can't discuss campus technology without discussing social networks. Guess quotes Arizona State's CTO Adrian Sannier, pointing out that

some of the questions about outsourcing may soon shift to Facebook, already ubiquitous among college students and with features that many universities have tried to offer in the past. The question won’t be how to replicate it, he said, but how to harness it and “try to see how does that move from a tool that exists outside the university community to one that’s sort of knit into the fabric of the university itself.”

Pretty accurate, although calling Facebook "a tool that exists outside the university" is like calling the United States "a place that exists outside my living room." I don't think we're trying to knit social networks into our universities, I think it's the other way around.

Back in May I wrote:

almost all these services are really just giant databases on the back end, so we can also assume that our online alumni directories and alumni social networks will be powered by Google or a similar engine very soon.

In what may be an early indicator of this, Andy Guess reports that institutions now see

that they can more easily (and more cheaply) manage basic functions by using Web-based software that’s hosted externally. An increasingly popular example is “customer relationship management” software, which colleges use to handle vast contact lists and create profiles of alumni, prospective students and potential donors.

So "software as a service" gains a foothold, which will lead to the kind of database functions that development and alumni professionals need to weave the university (or college or school) into the social networks our students already belong to when they come to campus.

The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan was moving down this path about ten years ago, with the private sector's "customer relationship management" software as a model. But AAUM was ahead of the curve, and the conditions favorable to this kind of transition were not present then. What might drive the alumni relations sector to move in this direction? At least two factors are necessary:

• Access to a completely web-based, commercially viable but highly customizable solution; and
• Central IT managers on campus embracing the outsourcing of core functions.

This path is littered with abandoned campus-wide PeopleSoft and Oracle conversions, but the landscape may be coming more sharply into focus now.

And as an aside, keep an eye on Intelliworks' Orion as a player in this space. Inside Higher Ed has already reported on their plans as well.

Helping Staff Members Make the Next Career Move

Mark J. Drozdowski, executive director of the Fitchburg (Massachsetts, USA) State College Foundation writes a monthly column on career issues in fund raising and development for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Mark's insights are relevant and based on a wealth of experience. His November 19 installment was particularly interesting to anyone who is lucky enough to have staff members they value highly.

Mark asked, "what is our responsibility to our staff members and how do we weigh that against our commitment to do what's best for our institution?"

As managers, he says, we should be grooming employees to move on to new challenges. It reflects positively on us professionally and on the institution we represent. And as Mark puts it, "if you're fortunate enough to gain a reputation as a fertile training ground, perhaps recruitment may come easier." He continues:

As a manager, it's my responsibility to help employees develop professionally. If that means developing them to the point where they begin to seek better opportunities elsewhere, so be it. Who am I to stand in their way?

At the same time, though, I have an obligation to my institution. If I continue grooming my best employees for other jobs, am I acting in my employer's best interests? Or mine?

We walk a fine line here. Professional development enables people to perform better in their current positions. It also helps them climb the career ladder.

Bottom line: Mark is right. A critical part of senior managers' responsibility lies in helping early- and mid-career professionals make the next move in their careers.

The full article is available to paying Chronicle subscribers:

The Departing Data Diva

Holiday Break for Thanksgiving

It's the week of the Thanksgiving Holiday in the U.S. and Alumni Futures will take a break until Monday, November 26.

As for giving thanks, one thing I am grateful for is the interest readers and colleagues have shown in Alumni Futures. In less than ten months, the blog has collected

• 14,300 page views (about 50 per day on average),
• visitors from 49 different countries, and
• 329 subscribers.

A big thank you to all.

Job Opening: Cal State San Bernardino (USA) - Hispanic Outreach

Usually when I post a job opening on Alumni Futures, I summarize a posting and list a contact for you to track down. Today I'm doing something a little different. The posting below is listed in its entirety. This position is funded by a Title V grant and supports outreach to the Hispanic student and alumni population. U.S. Department of Education Title V is legislation designed to help colleges and universities

enhance and expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional stability, management, and fiscal capabilities of eligible institutions.

Although Cal State San Bernardino is a State-supported (public) institution, applicants to this position must complete a Foundation Employment Application [PDF]. Mail the application to:

CSUSB\Human Resources
5500 University Parkway
San Bernardino, CA.   92407

Position:	Alumni Partnership Coordinator
Job Code:	2007-F0032
Department:	Title V Grant
Deadline:	Open until filled
Timebase:	Full-time
Status:	Temporary, "non-exempt" position through September 30, 2008 (may be renewed anually based upon availablity of funding and satisfactory job performance).
Salary:	$3,166.66 to $4,000.00 per month
Work Schedule:	Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Occasional nights and/or weekends may be required.

Duties: Under the general supervision of the Activity Director for Alumni, the Alumni Partnership Coordinator will perform a variety of administrative, technical and analytical duties of moderate complexity in support of the operations and activities of the Title V “Be SMART: Community Networking for Long Term Success” program. The incumbent will coordinate alumni participation in the Hispanic Networking Chapter. The incumbent will assist in coordinating alumni volunteers for the ACE program by preparing timelines, recruiting volunteers, providing logistical support, maintaining mailing lists, RSVPs and follow-up correspondence. The incumbent will arrange face-to-face meetings with alumni as needed, and will identify success stories, announcements, and feature stories to create Title V informational pieces. The incumbent will assist the Activity Director for Alumni on a variety of alumni communications and marketing for the Title V project. The incumbent will assist with writing and coordinating press releases and other media information. The incumbent will work closely with an outside consulting firm on a data search and survey project. The incumbent will perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Bachelor’s degree, along with two years of professional experience, preferably in the areas of alumni affairs, public affairs, media relations, development, special events, communications, sales, or marketing. Applicants must have highly effective interpersonal and communication skills, along with excellent customer service skills for working with varied stakeholder groups. Applicants must possess a thorough knowledge of office methods, procedures and practices as well as skills in technical and persuasive writing, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Applicants must possess a willingness to work an adjusted schedule for occasional late hours for project related activities, along with the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information. Applicants must have a working knowledge of standard office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and have the ability to navigate around the internet. Applicants must have the ability to work cooperatively with a diverse group of people, work autonomously and exercise sound judgment, determine priorities, complete assigned projects in a timely manner and work under tight deadlines.

Good luck!

Does More Alumni Staffing Lead to Greater Alumni Giving?

According to an item on page 7 of the November/December 2007 issue of CASE Currents magazine,

AAU institutions that had an alumni giving rate greater than 20 percent had a ratio of one [alumni relations] staff member for every 5,431 alumni. Institutions with rates under 20 percent were stretched nearly twice as thin, with just one staffer for every 9,919 alumni.

These numbers come from Bill Dethlefs, associate director for alumni relations at the University of Texas - El Paso (USA). Dethlefs accounted for a number of variables, says Currents, including the age of the institution, alumni population, and endowment.

The AAU average, based on info that Dethlefs was able to corral, is one alumni staffer for every 8,000 alumni. The highest ("best") ratio was Stanford's (an alumni professional for every 1,310 alumni) and the lowest was at New York University (1:16,666).

Dethlefs says:

Fundraising is very much about relationships and relationship building. More staff on the front lines means touching more lives and reaching out to more alumni.

Undoubtedly. But I think we need to know the development staff:alumni ratio as well. Schools that invest in alumni relations are very likely investing heavily in research, stewardship and front line development staffing as well. So while common sense tells us that it's important to foster and maintain alumni relationships, the AR staff:alumni ratio shows correlation, but it doesn't show causality.

Nonetheless we should applaud any attempt to understand the effects of alumni relations on giving, and Dethlefs rightly pushes us in that direction. We need more systematic research on topics like these.

Job Opening: Wilmington College (Ohio, USA)

According to Academic Search, Inc.,

Wilmington College, located in Wilmington, Ohio (half-way between Columbus and Cincinnati), seeks a knowledgeable and energetic development leader to serve as its next Vice President for College Advancement (VPCA).

Founded 137 years ago by the Religious Society of Friends (aka Quakers), the school has 1,200 undergrads on campus, and five satellite sites with another 500 enrolled. According to the announcement, the school has "a strong commitment to integrating the liberal arts, career preparation, and its Quaker values."

As for the job - there's a comprehensive campaign around the bend. The VPCA will have 13 staff, and will report to the President of the College. The school's profile is available from the link below.

Meanwhile, to apply, fire off:

• a letter of interest,
• your résumé, and
• names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of five references.

Submit it all electronically (MS Word or Adobe PDF preferred) to Wilmingtonvpca@academic-search.com. The search committee hunkers down with the applications around December 1, so you can work on your cover letter during the Thanksgiving holiday break.

Institutional profile of Wilmington College
 

Resource: Alumni Relations on Facebook

One reason to click through to the Alumni Futures web site is to find links to other resources. I recently added to the list of "Additional Resources" a link to a Facebook group I created a couple of months ago. That group is called Alumni Relations on Facebook.*

There are a lot of conversations (on listservs and blogs, at conferences and meetings) about using social networks to reach out to students and alumni. Social network sites are a channel for reaching alumni and students who are unlikely to give us their email address or to stop by our alumni association's web site.

If you're a Facebook member you can join the group Alumni Relations on Facebook. Because I created the group, Facebook calls me the "Admin" but I'm not running any discussions. In fact, the laws of online discourse suggest that we probably don't yet have the critical mass needed to sustain any kind of discussion. Also, candidly, I don't think Facebook's discussion options are very user-friendly.

Having said that, however, it seems like Facebook might be a good place to talk about using Facebook. Other reasons for creating the group are that

• one way to learn about "the Facebook phenomenon" is to actually use Facebook yourself; and
• we will find out how useful Facebook groups are for these kinds of discussions.

As of this posting, there are exactly 200 members in the group, but only a few have shared comments or questions. If you take a look at the group page and you're on Facebook anyway, it might be worth joining. As for posting, you can use "The Wall," or the Discussion Board to add comments. You can also post links of interest to the group.

As to whether the group ends up serving any useful purpose...well, that's up to all of you.

* You must be a logged-in member of Facebook to view or join the group.

Minary Conference Recap II: Alumni Education Online

As promised last week, here are some additional thoughts from this year's Minary Conference.

Many discussions circled around online education: what do alumni need, that we can give them electronically? Yale's Steve Victor, Princeton's Andrew Gossen, and UC Berkeley's Scott Vento  surveyed the graveyard of online education: the Alliance for Lifelong Learning (later AllLearn); Virtual Temple; UMUC Online; Fathom, and NYU Online.

R.I.P. So who survives? For starters:

eCornell
UMass Online
Penn State World Campus

These last two are degree-granting. So one thing people need is course credit - enrichment is not a sufficient motivator to make alumni sit and look at talking heads for more than a few minutes, despite their best intentions (and what they say when we survey them). But the easy funding is gone, and online ed is not a profit center.

Initial questions for online education:

• Should the content be just for alumni, or for the public?
• What format do people want? Streaming? Something that needs a browser plug-in? Text only? iTunesU?
• Where should one seek funding? Academic divisions? The provost? Deans? Outside the campus?
• Who should produce these? How to divide the labor?
• How will we recognize success? What should we measure? (Metrics again!)

Even if we have ready answers to these questions, none of this is part of an alumni relations strategy.

• We don't have overarching strategies for these technologies.
• We don't know who is using the material (if we don't require users to log in).

And therefore,

• We can't measure "progress against goals."

We could be enjoying great success right now and not even know it.

So it seems to me that the remaining big questions are the same as for most alumni relations programs, services or events:

•     What do alumni need?
•     What are our goals for these services?
•     How do they fit into our overarching alumni relations strategies?
•     What is the cycle for assessing our success?

Reed College's Mike Teskey said that this might be leading us to "bowling alone for alumni relations" ten years from now: if the internet encourages individual learners and not social learners, are we doing alumni a service by sending faculty on the road? Alumni will say "I can watch it online." At first glance, the experience of Fathom, ALLlearn and others (above) suggests they won't do that. Nonetheless Scott Vento pointed out that students are now coming to expect streaming course content on campus. And guess what - they're going to become alumni and will likely maintain the same expectation.

Idea: What if Minary participants practiced what we preached and worked together to package some of the conference's content and make it available (at a price) for non-attendees? Not all of it, and not too cheaply. But,

• We'd learn how to provide online education.
• We'd reach more people than we ever could (even at a beautiful facility like Stanford Sierra Camp).
• And we'd earn funds to support next year's meeting (perhaps keeping the price down and increasing attendance).

And finally, some more links:

Princeton
Yale
UC Berkeley
Article about additional institutions' online for-credit programs
Open Educational Resources from the Hewlett Foundation

Minary Conference Recap I: Metrics & More

A few weeks ago I participated in the Minary Conference on Alumni Education. After attending every year from 1989 until 2004, I returned to find a much smaller group than I remembered from the 1990s, when 60 or more people attended every year. This year 25 participants attended, and I was worried that the interactions would be more spare and perhaps less valuable than those I remembered from past years.

I need not have worried. The smaller group created the one-on-one interactions that make the alumni education community tightly-knit and productive.

Below are some highlights. Anyone who was there and who wishes to add more info, or to correct anything I got wrong, please add a comment on the Alumni Futures web site.

• Monique E. Rocca, Assistant Professor of Wildland Fire Science at Colorado State University was the "faculty member in residence" and she gave great classroom and on-site education about the science and policy around wildfires in North America. Unfortunately, in the last ten days her insights became very relevant to those of us living in Southern California. You never can tell when something academic will suddenly become personal.

• Professor Rocca described in a couple of sentences her "broad research goals." Academics can do this. It's the academic version of the entrepreneur's "elevator pitch." I think that alumni executives should develop and practice a couple of sentences that summarize our broad goals as professionals.

This ties in a little with our standard struggle to answer the question, "And what do you do?":

• I'm a fundraiser.
• I'm an educator.
• I run a non-profit.
• I'm a higher ed administrator.

All of them may be true; not one of them tells the whole story.

• Metrics were the focus of a plenary session plus a couple of breakouts. Conference chair Andrew Gossen of Princeton cut straight to the heart of the risks of applying quantitative methods to alumni relations. He pointed out that when we measure, we give the impression we can accurately gauge much - or even most - of what we do. This, said Andrew, is often "a veneer of measurement" that can be misleading, or that at best will be misinterpreted.

And yet universities try to act more like private sector businesses every day and this is one driver of the search for measurement: "the new vice president wants numbers." But, as Andrew suggests, "Metrics are only valuable to the extent they help us do our jobs better."

There's a chicken-egg relationship here, as MIT's Melissa Gresh pointed out. "Your programs will give you an idea of what you need to measure, and your measurements will in turn give you some ideas about how to run your programs."

I'll finish off this recap with a second posting on Monday.