Reforming the UCONN Alumni Association

[J187Money]

Honestly I am part of the NYC chapter of the Alumni Association on LinkedIn and Facebook. When the Huskies are in the NCAA Tournament or a bowl game (remember those days?) they were great at getting the word out about watch parties and such.

Other than that, there is no discernible role that they play here in the City. What I would like to see happen:

* Regularly scheduled meetings.
* A physical space in Manhattan for us to meet. I'm not saying we'll ever have a Harvard, Yale or Princeton club, but let's put our flag down and have somewhere to meet, drink and network.
* Fundraising efforts. For not only the local chapter, but also for the University as a whole. There's a lot of money in NYC and a lot of UConn alumni, we should be working them hard.
* Mentoring programs. I'm 31 years old and would never hesitate to help a 22-year-old graduate find their first job in The City.

Just a couple of thoughts. We can be doing so much more.

You are 100% right. But we need more members to actually help do that work. The bulk of everything the NYC chapter has done has been driven by 5 or so people, who are also very busy. I've been on the Board of the NYC Chapter for a number of years, and we haven't really done what we should have over the past 2-3 years, but we need new blood.

I am very proud of the NYC Chapter Scholarship fund that we launched though, with over $50K raised for scholarships for NYC students to attend UCONN.

There are mentoring programs - I can connect you with folks that participate if you would like to.

As to meeting space - I did talk to Newton about potentially getting some UCONN space in the city for fundraising / alumni events. It is something they are going to seriously look into.

 

[NYUConn]

You are 100% right. But we need more members to actually help do that work. The bulk of everything the NYC chapter has done has been driven by 5 or so people, who are also very busy. I've been on the Board of the NYC Chapter for a number of years, and we haven't really done what we should have over the past 2-3 years, but we need new blood.

I am very proud of the NYC Chapter Scholarship fund that we launched though, with over $50K raised for scholarships for NYC students to attend UCONN.

There are mentoring programs - I can connect you with folks that participate if you would like to.

As to meeting space - I did talk to Newton about potentially getting some UCONN space in the city for fundraising / alumni events. It is something they are going to seriously look into.

Send me a private message. I want to get involved, let's talk.

 

[Stinger92860]

Open a UConn NYC office here

 

[UConn9604]

It's important to remember that a tiny number of people can hijack this process for the entire University community.

In order to dissolve the corporation by a vote of the members, a 2/3 vote is needed. Participation in alumni elections is historically slim (Exhibit A as to some of the problems that the University is trying solve!). In recent years, some Alumni Association elections have received fewer than a thousand ballots cast.

Therefore, even though this concept is intended to support all of our 200,000+ alumni, if only 200 votes are received from members, just 67 are needed to reject the proposal. If only 100 votes are received, just 34 are needed to reject the proposal.

Think about that: a very tiny number of alumni could throw down a roadblock on what has, to date, been a very smooth transition intended to improve relations and engagement with all alumni, not just the 6% or so who are members. Voting "yes" will allow the transition to continue unimpeded.

By the way, here's what happens when universities and their alumni associations don't get along:

https://baptistnews.com/ministry/or...sity-files-lawsuit-against-alumni-association
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/higher...cle_f45389f4-6b12-593e-8b77-b15d963c6a67.html

Every member who can vote, should vote "yes" on this. No one wins if this proposal fails. No one.

 

[OkaForPrez]

TLDR. Which vote for the B1G?

 

[UConn9604]

TLDR. Which vote for the B1G?

Yes = B1G, no = AAC.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Yes = B1G, no = AAC.

I vote Yes.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Open a UConn NYC office here

Would that only be in the same Third Ave office building, or immediately adjacent to B1G's 36th floor office?

 

[husky8273]

...and you know that how, exactly?

how naive are you?

 

[J187Money]

So what? Obama doesn't believe what he says because he has speechwriters?

 

[Kolumbo]

I just received my ballot in the mail and if the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association itself is encouraging its members to vote Yes to the dissolution, it seems very likely it will be dissolved.

 

[J187Money]

I just received my ballot in the mail and if the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association itself is encouraging its members to vote Yes to the dissolution, it seems very likely it will be dissolved.

Don't be so certain. There is a small but ornery group that will fight this to the death. Every vote counts. Please send in your ballot.

 

[Carl S. Ey]

Huskies -

As an elected member of the UCAA Board of Directors, I have been paying close attention to our dissolution plan. First of all, let me say that the UCAA Board of Directors approved a NON-DUES paying model for alums prior to April of 2015. Secondly, if had Pres. Herbst had not removed UCAA funding and the use of the UCONN logos, we wouldn't be having this issue.

I encourage all to read Distribution Plan that comes along with dissolution at http://uconnalumni.com/ballot.

It says two things that should concern Huskies and compel alums to VOTE NO!

1. " the University's further acknowledgment of the importance of continuing to have and maintain a center for alumni on the University's Storrs campus in the event the University determines it is no longer in the best interest of the University and its alumni to continue to use the Alumni Center for such purposes."

-- WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THE CENTER STAYS IN TACT UNTIL IT TURNS OVER TO THE FOUNDATION AND THEN THE UNIVERSITY GETS TO DECIDE HOW THE BUILDING IS USED AND WHERE THE ALUMNI CENTER WILL GO? Remember, if dissolution happens, there is no elected Alumni voice so when it says "best interest of the university and alumni," the term "alumni" means the alums who work for the university/the Foundation, not alumni at large. We had one post on this site where a member asked something about the President removing the building or taking it away in general? Yes, that is an option under the distribution plan as it reads today and that matters because alums are voting THIS WEEK so....


2. "that any donor imposed restrictions on the Funds be honored by the Foundation; (iii) that the Funds be used to support alumni relations activities generally and, moreover, that the Association's intention be for the Funds to be used for specific purposes including, but not limited to, providing financial support for University scholarships, alumni career services, veterans memorial assistance, Alumni Center maintenance and improvements, life member benefits, and chapters and affinity groups."


-- WHY ARE THE TERMS "GENERALLY" AND "BUT NOT LIMITED TO," USED? THE LOOP HOLE HERE IS LARGE ENOUGH TO DRIVE THE HUSKY TEAM BUSES THROUGH.....when that $6M moves to the university coiffures, the usage for those dollars will be up for debate based on this part of the "Distribution Plan," and will not necessariy be earmarked toward the same goals that the UCAA had for that money. Plus the Foundation can take a 1.5% management fee or $90K just for accepting the money.

Please pay close attention to this ballot you will receive and remember, if you vote in favor of the dissolution, we are closing the UConn Alumni Association for good after over 100 years of existence and 40+ years existing as an INC.

You are effectively turning over all alumni operations to the UCONN FOUNDATION so their mission/business model has to shift/change to not only raise money for UCONN but also take care of ALL ALUMNI (not just donors).

BTW, we are still waiting on the UCONN Foundation's plan to incorporate all alumni into the fold - has anyone seen it published anywhere? If so, please send along but to date, I have not seen it. Are you willing to give the Foundation control without a salient plan?

Finally, if you decide to email or call up to UCONN to investigate, don't ever forget that anyone you speak to about alumni activities NOWworks for the Foundation. All of the UCAA employees were moved already before this vote so although I trust them all to be honest, remember who they get paid by - it used to be the UCONN Alumni Association and now it is the university.

Hmmmmm....

Thanks for reading,

Carl S. Ey
UCONN 1988

 

[Carl S. Ey]

Don't be so certain. There is a small but ornery group that will fight this to the death. Every vote counts. Please send in your ballot.

You can vote NOT to dissolve! Whatever you decide, please vote.

 

[Carl S. Ey]

The choice is pretty simple.

If you would like your association to represent 5-6% of alumni, and if you comfortable having an endowment that is about:

• $800 million smaller than Cincinnati's,
• $1 billion smaller than Delaware's,
• $800 million smaller than Kentucky's,
• $1.6 billion smaller than Indiana's,
• $900 million smaller than Iowa's,
• $1.75 billion smaller than Michigan State's,
• $2.8 billion smaller than Minnesota's,
• $1.1 billion smaller than Missouri's,
• $1.15 billion smaller than Nebraska's,
• $2.3 billion smaller than North Carolina's,
• $1.1 billion smaller than Oklahoma's,
• $2.1 billion smaller than Purdue's, or
• $2.5 billion smaller than Washington's...

...not to mention about $750 million smaller than Syracuse's and about $1.75 billion smaller than BC's, you should vote "no" for the status quo.

If you think our alma mater deserves better, then you should vote "yes" -- regardless of whether it was Donny or some other really smart person who wrote that letter.

The UCAA BoD voted in late 2014 to open all alums to be part of the alumni eliminating the dues paying model. The remainder of your comments are spot on but remember, the Foundation has been around for quite some time and has about $15 Billion - how does their ability to raise funds change if we combine all members - will members who did not pay to join the UCAA all-of-a-sudden decide to donate a ton of money now? The Foundation has had contact with all graduates for a long time - some Foundation members may not have been paid alumni members in the past but as of the end of 2014, the UCAA BoD had agreed to include all graduates as Alumni members - can we give it sometime to see how this new model works before the UCAA is dissolved?

 

[Carl S. Ey]

Without knowing all the details of how the Alumni Assoc. operates, I think any plan designed to unify all Alumni is a good plan. There needs to be much more communication, structure, and fundraising to efficiently and effectively bring all the resources available together. I know that if I donate or pay dues, I want as much of that as possible going to UCONN to and to help build the endowment.

Great thought - all of the Foundation activities can be part of the University of Connecticut Alumni Association. The Foundation's mission is different, currently, from the UCAA's mission and there still is no salient plan from the Foundation to explain HOW they will include all alums particularly those grads that love the university but are not in a financial position to be big donors to the Foundation. How does a new grad support the Foundation? Does he or she have the financial means to make a play in the Foundation and if not how are they part of the Foundation? Details?

 

[CL82]

how naive are you?

Not so naive that I believe a poster without some substantiation. Do you have any?

 

[husky8273]

Not so naive that I believe a poster without some substantiation. Do you have any?

naivete case closed.

 

[CL82]

naivete case closed.

So you have nothing. Got it.

 

[husky8273]

So you have nothing. Got it.

irrational and illogical - case closed

 

[CTMike]

Huskies -

As an elected member of the UCAA Board of Directors, I have been paying close attention to our dissolution plan. First of all, let me say that the UCAA Board of Directors approved a NON-DUES paying model for alums prior to April of 2015. Secondly, if had Pres. Herbst had not removed UCAA funding and the use of the UCONN logos, we wouldn't be having this issue.

I encourage all to read Distribution Plan that comes along with dissolution at http://uconnalumni.com/ballot.

It says two things that should concern Huskies and compel alums to VOTE NO!

1. " the University's further acknowledgment of the importance of continuing to have and maintain a center for alumni on the University's Storrs campus in the event the University determines it is no longer in the best interest of the University and its alumni to continue to use the Alumni Center for such purposes."

-- WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THE CENTER STAYS IN TACT UNTIL IT TURNS OVER TO THE FOUNDATION AND THEN THE UNIVERSITY GETS TO DECIDE HOW THE BUILDING IS USED AND WHERE THE ALUMNI CENTER WILL GO? Remember, if dissolution happens, there is no elected Alumni voice so when it says "best interest of the university and alumni," the term "alumni" means the alums who work for the university/the Foundation, not alumni at large. We had one post on this site where a member asked something about the President removing the building or taking it away in general? Yes, that is an option under the distribution plan as it reads today and that matters because alums are voting THIS WEEK so....


2. "that any donor imposed restrictions on the Funds be honored by the Foundation; (iii) that the Funds be used to support alumni relations activities generally and, moreover, that the Association's intention be for the Funds to be used for specific purposes including, but not limited to, providing financial support for University scholarships, alumni career services, veterans memorial assistance, Alumni Center maintenance and improvements, life member benefits, and chapters and affinity groups."


-- WHY ARE THE TERMS "GENERALLY" AND "BUT NOT LIMITED TO," USED? THE LOOP HOLE HERE IS LARGE ENOUGH TO DRIVE THE HUSKY TEAM BUSES THROUGH.....when that $6M moves to the university coiffures, the usage for those dollars will be up for debate based on this part of the "Distribution Plan," and will not necessariy be earmarked toward the same goals that the UCAA had for that money. Plus the Foundation can take a 1.5% management fee or $90K just for accepting the money.

Please pay close attention to this ballot you will receive and remember, if you vote in favor of the dissolution, we are closing the UConn Alumni Association for good after over 100 years of existence and 40+ years existing as an INC.

You are effectively turning over all alumni operations to the UCONN FOUNDATION so their mission/business model has to shift/change to not only raise money for UCONN but also take care of ALL ALUMNI (not just donors).

BTW, we are still waiting on the UCONN Foundation's plan to incorporate all alumni into the fold - has anyone seen it published anywhere? If so, please send along but to date, I have not seen it. Are you willing to give the Foundation control without a salient plan?

Finally, if you decide to email or call up to UCONN to investigate, don't ever forget that anyone you speak to about alumni activities NOWworks for the Foundation. All of the UCAA employees were moved already before this vote so although I trust them all to be honest, remember who they get paid by - it used to be the UCONN Alumni Association and now it is the university.

Hmmmmm....

Thanks for reading,

Carl S. Ey
UCONN 1988

You are clearly passionate on this subject, so I will simply respectfully disagree on the seriousness of the issues you cite. I believe a united approach presents more positives than negatives for UConn and its alumni in the long term. I hope you remain involved with furthering UConn's future as this evolves.

 

[Dooley]

Huskies -

As an elected member of the UCAA Board of Directors, I have been paying close attention to our dissolution plan. First of all, let me say that the UCAA Board of Directors approved a NON-DUES paying model for alums prior to April of 2015. Secondly, if had Pres. Herbst had not removed UCAA funding and the use of the UCONN logos, we wouldn't be having this issue.

I encourage all to read Distribution Plan that comes along with dissolution at http://uconnalumni.com/ballot.

It says two things that should concern Huskies and compel alums to VOTE NO!

1. " the University's further acknowledgment of the importance of continuing to have and maintain a center for alumni on the University's Storrs campus in the event the University determines it is no longer in the best interest of the University and its alumni to continue to use the Alumni Center for such purposes."

-- WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THE CENTER STAYS IN TACT UNTIL IT TURNS OVER TO THE FOUNDATION AND THEN THE UNIVERSITY GETS TO DECIDE HOW THE BUILDING IS USED AND WHERE THE ALUMNI CENTER WILL GO? Remember, if dissolution happens, there is no elected Alumni voice so when it says "best interest of the university and alumni," the term "alumni" means the alums who work for the university/the Foundation, not alumni at large. We had one post on this site where a member asked something about the President removing the building or taking it away in general? Yes, that is an option under the distribution plan as it reads today and that matters because alums are voting THIS WEEK so....


2. "that any donor imposed restrictions on the Funds be honored by the Foundation; (iii) that the Funds be used to support alumni relations activities generally and, moreover, that the Association's intention be for the Funds to be used for specific purposes including, but not limited to, providing financial support for University scholarships, alumni career services, veterans memorial assistance, Alumni Center maintenance and improvements, life member benefits, and chapters and affinity groups."


-- WHY ARE THE TERMS "GENERALLY" AND "BUT NOT LIMITED TO," USED? THE LOOP HOLE HERE IS LARGE ENOUGH TO DRIVE THE HUSKY TEAM BUSES THROUGH.....when that $6M moves to the university coiffures, the usage for those dollars will be up for debate based on this part of the "Distribution Plan," and will not necessariy be earmarked toward the same goals that the UCAA had for that money. Plus the Foundation can take a 1.5% management fee or $90K just for accepting the money.

Please pay close attention to this ballot you will receive and remember, if you vote in favor of the dissolution, we are closing the UConn Alumni Association for good after over 100 years of existence and 40+ years existing as an INC.

You are effectively turning over all alumni operations to the UCONN FOUNDATION so their mission/business model has to shift/change to not only raise money for UCONN but also take care of ALL ALUMNI (not just donors).

BTW, we are still waiting on the UCONN Foundation's plan to incorporate all alumni into the fold - has anyone seen it published anywhere? If so, please send along but to date, I have not seen it. Are you willing to give the Foundation control without a salient plan?

Finally, if you decide to email or call up to UCONN to investigate, don't ever forget that anyone you speak to about alumni activities NOWworks for the Foundation. All of the UCAA employees were moved already before this vote so although I trust them all to be honest, remember who they get paid by - it used to be the UCONN Alumni Association and now it is the university.

Hmmmmm....

Thanks for reading,

Carl S. Ey
UCONN 1988

Carl,

Thanks for posting this and sharing your thoughts. I received my ballot today and am taking my vote very seriously.

Because this is primarily a sports message board, I think what concerns the majority of posters here is conference affiliation. Not every poster is an alum or a donor. But every poster is a fan. So I will raise an issue and question that, I think, weighs most heavily here.

This board has been discussing conference realignment and the reasons why UConn has been "left behind" for years. One of the school's perceived weaknesses is its low endowment figure (in comparison by other schools in "Power" conferences) and a fragmented alumni base that make it difficult for the school to accurately demonstrate its strength-in-numbers in heavily populated areas in the coveted northeast. I think that many posters here feel that a 'YES' vote would help strengthen these perceived weaknesses.

Can you answer this question: how would a 'NO' vote help UConn boost its value in conference realignment?

Thanks again for your time.

 

[Fishy]

how naive are you?

Donny Marshall is a f--- ton brighter than your dopey ass.

 

[husky8273]

Donny Marshall is a f--- ton brighter than your dopey ass.

maybe but that doesn't make him the author

 

[Fishy]

maybe but that doesn't make him the author

What an ugly and stupid implication - you really should go elsewhere.