Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

Worcester Crowne Plaza
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
6:00 p.m.

Present:  Tom Campbell, Jackie Carlson, Ed Godek, Ron Grasso, Andy Hochberg, Sara Coady Howe, Sean LeBlanc and Joel Slovin

Absent:  Shyno Chacko Pandeya and Ron Spicer

Staff:  Deb Goodhind and Anna Symington

Guests:  Bob Shaughnessey

The meeting convened at 6:15 p.m.

Approval of Minutes
Motion: by Sara Coady Howe, seconded by Ron Grasso, to approve the minutes of the November 10 Executive Committee meeting.  The motion passed unanimously.

President’s Update
The Daily Collegian recently ran an article on the Alumni Association’s consideration of a possible restructure of the membership program, as well as a follow-up editorial regarding the Alumni Association’s engagement of current students. 

The men’s basketball team will be playing Memphis at the TD Garden on Saturday, December 19.  The Alumni Association’s pre-game alumni reception is sold-out at this time.  Staff recently launched a variety of new alumni travel programs with a number of alumni already booking trips.

Sean spoke with Tom Milligan, executive vice chancellor for university relations, regarding the alumni/donor database after Thanksgiving.  Tom plans to meet in the near future with Mike Leto, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations, and Anna to discuss this matter.

Executive Director’s Update
 Staff is collaborating with colleagues in Admissions and University Relations to plan and promote several in-home yield receptions for early acceptance students within the New Jersey and Long Island areas.  In addition, staff is working to plan an alumni reception in Springfield in January to introduce the university’s new provost and vice chancellor for outreach and engagement. 

Anna had an opportunity to discuss various aspects of alumni relations in a conference call with several Japanese dignitaries who were meeting with MIT and HCC representative at MIT.  They expressed great interest in learning more about the board’s structure, the nominations and elections process, various programs and services, and funding resources, as well as the university’s standing on recruiting international students.  UMass Amherst plans to place more focus on recruiting international students in the future.

Update on Membership Restructure Discussions
Ron Grasso reported that the Communications, Marketing and Membership (CMM) Committee is developing a survey for distribution to all alumni for whom we have email addresses.  The purpose of the survey is to receive alumni feedback on what tangible and intangible programs and services are most important to them.  The survey results will be helpful to the Committee in determining what programs and services might entice alumni to continue paying dues towards the life membership level, as well as what costs would be associated with continuing various programs and services. 

Based on the initial survey response rate, the CMM Committee will determine if a follow-up survey targeted to Life members will be necessary.

Directors and Officers Insurance
As previously requested by the Executive Committee, Deb contacted several insurance professionals to determine what insurance coverage and associated levels of liability and retention amounts would be most appropriate for an organization of the Alumni Association’s size and assets.  In addition to our current broker, Deb spoke with two other individuals, one of whom conducted a paid risk assessment of our current coverage, and she also conducted a survey of peer institutions regarding their insurance coverage.

Based on an analysis of the data collected through her research, coupled with the concerns outlined within the risk assessment, Deb presented the following recommendations to the Executive Committee:

  • Reduce current D&O/EPL coverage to $3 million with a $5,000 retention amount
  • Secure separate cyberliability coverage for $1 or $2 million with a $5,000 retention amount (final coverage amount will be determined based on additional review of claims statistics)
  • Research general liability exposure to determine feasibility of securing separate coverage for $2 million

The Executive Committee authorized Deb to move forward with her proposed recommendations.  In addition, the Executive Committee determined that it would be in the best interests of the Alumni Association to develop a long-term relationship with an insurance group that specializes in risk management, and that can provide the organization with a comprehensive risk protection program based on their ongoing evaluation of the organization's operations and exposures.  The Committee authorized Deb to begin negotiations with a broker affiliated with such an insurance group to help the Alumni Association achieve its future risk management goals.

Committee Reports

Audit
None

Career Connections
The Career Connections Committee has noticed a recent decrease in attendance at alumni career events, while alumni participation in online webinars continues to grow.  Committee members plan to develop new topic ideas that may help to increase event attendance.

Sara noted that she has been assigned as the administrator for a social network group sponsored by her employer and targeted to UMass alumni, which she hopes to leverage in generating new ideas for event topics, potential presenters, and new volunteers.

Clubs
None

Communications, Marketing and Membership
None

Finance and Investments
The Finance and Investments Committee will meet after the new year to review mid-year investment performance reports and financial statements, as well as continue discussions on the future use of life membership reserves.

Honors and Awards
The Honors and Awards Committee has selected the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients and staff members are currently reaching out to these individuals.  The names of the recipients will be released as soon as all recipients have confirmed their acceptance of their respective awards.

Nominating
The Nominating Committee distributed a call for director nominations in early December.  Nominations will close on January 8, 2010.  The Committee will meet early in the next year to select which nominees will be invited to interview with committee members in February.

Programs and Services
The Programs and Services Committee is working with the Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs Committee to review the goals and location of the Distinguished Alumni Awards program, with the intent of improving participation of both alumni and legislators.  Anna noted that she is working with an individual who has a contact at the State House who can help with outreach efforts to legislators.

Technology and Online Services
None

Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs
Tom noted that he hopes to set up a meeting in the near future with members of the Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs, Programs and Services, and Honors and Awards Committees, as well as representatives from the Office of Government Relations, to discuss ways in which we can increase legislative participation at the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony. 

Old Business
None

New Business: 
Ed outlined a procedural issue relative to the nominations and elections process that the Nominating Committee has encountered for the first time since FY 2006, when the Board approved implementation of various bylaw amendments, including two-year presidential appointments and term limits for all directors.  The current bylaws require that all officers be an elected or appointed director to be considered a voting member of the Board.  However, dependent on which year of a director’s elected term he or she is duly elected as an officer, there is the possibility that the director may not be eligible for election or appointment as a general director during the second year of his or her officer term.  Based on the current bylaws, this would exclude the officer as a voting member of the Board during the second year of their officer term, which was not the original intent of the bylaw amendments. 

To address this issue, the Nominating Committee proposes a bylaw amendment that would include all duly elected officers as voting members of the Board during the entirety of their officer term(s).  The Committee also proposes dividing the twelve presidential appointments, which currently run coterminous with the President’s term, into two equal and staggered terms.  Implementation of the second amendment would require that the next incoming President, on a one-time basis only, would make six one-year and six two-year presidential appointments for FY 2012.  Six two-year presidential appointments would be made each year thereafter.

In the interest of full transparency, the Nominating Committee recommends that the proposed bylaw amendments be presented to the Board for consideration prior to the director elections in March.  Executive Committee members agreed to submit the proposed bylaw amendments to the full Board for a vote in February.

Adjournment:  Motion by Sara Coady Howe, seconded by Andy Hochberg, to adjourn the meeting.  The motion passed unanimously.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.