University of North Carolina Asheville

Alumni & Development Report

 

January 20, 2005

 

Development

1.  Attached are 2004-2005 goals that have been established by Development staff.  We will measure success against these goals, understanding that some modifications will be necessitated because stated goals for individual members of the development staff were not established in previous years.

 

2.  Family Weekend, a program of the Annual Fund’s National Parents Council, was cancelled in the fall due to adverse weather conditions.  Over 700 families had made reservations to attend and participate in a wide variety of activities, both on campus and in the community.  Thanks to timely decision-making and communication, we succeeded in building relationships with families while not actually holding the event.  All registration fees were returned.  Special thanks to the Grove Arcade and the Chamber of Commerce.  Family Weekend next fall will be September 16-18.

 

3.  The Parents’ Fund annual telemarketing campaign was completed in December 2004.  Results have been very encouraging, both in the percent of participation and the average gift amount.  The goal for this year is $75,000.  This includes gifts from current parents, past parent donors, and members of the National Parents Council. For parents who were not reached by telephone and for parents who did not make gifts by phone, contributions will be solicited by direct mail in the spring.

 

The inaugural issue of the “Family News” newsletter was mailed in late December to parents of all currently enrolled students and past students whose families continue to support UNC Asheville. The newsletter will be produced three times annually.

 

4.  The Annual Fund telemarketing campaign will continue through late January.  Alumni are segmented into the following categories: young alumni (1995-2004), alumni from 1994 and back, and reunion classes of 1955 and 1980.  Both the National Alumni Advisory Council and the Foundation Board of Directors issued challenges to donors by matching gifts of first time donors and matching the increased giving amounts of donors contributing for more than the first time.  Each challenge is capped at $10,000.

 

5.  The Senior Class program is a combined effort of the Annual Fund Office and the Alumni Office.  A Senior Class Leadership Council has been formed comprising 22 seniors.  This group of students is responsible for class activities to generate loyalty to their Class and to UNC Asheville, and they will provide leadership and tactical support for this spring’s Senior Class Gift campaign which will take on new dimensions this year.

 

6.  Position openings in the Division of Alumni and Development: we currently are in the interview process to fill four positions:  Annual Fund officer (to be filled in February 2005), Director of Publications (to be filled in February 2005), and Principal Gifts/ Endowment Gifts officer (to be filled in March 2005).

 

The positions of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Special Projects and Divisional Office manager/budget officer have been filled as of January 2005.

7.  Trustee/Foundation Directors Annual Dinner: 105 Trustees and former Trustees, Foundation Directors and former Directors, members of the Board of Governors and special guests along with their spouses/guests attended the November 9 dinner at the Reuter Center.  Speaker for the evening was Rick Legon, vice president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, publishers of Trusteeship magazine.

 

8.  The UNC Asheville Foundation Board of Directors met August 26, 2004, and November 3, 2004.  Additionally, all new Directors attended a full-day Orientation on September 20, 2004.

 

9.  The UNC Office of the President secured nationally respected planned giving expert John Brown for a conference open to UNC Asheville and other constituent institutions of the UNC system.  Tim McClain, Alex Comfort and Bill Massey attended and benefited greatly from the training which already has improved our program in many ways.

 

10.  The annual Laurel Scholarship Luncheon was held on September 22, 2004 at the Renaissance Hotel. Over 60 guests attended the event planned by Tim McClain with Russ Martin, Foundation chair, as Host. 

 

11. The Annual Scholarship Luncheon was held October 28 in Alumni Hall of the Highsmith University Union. Julie Heinitsh planned the event, and LaVoy Spooner, Foundation vice chair, hosted. 

 

12.  In June 2005, UNC Asheville will host the UNC Advancement Conference.  The conference brings together all development professionals from all campuses of the UNC system.  Last year’s conference, the first of these, was in the Research Triangle.  Bill Massey is chair of the planning committee for this year’s conference. 

 

13.  Founders’ Dinner on the evening of October 1 was attended by 108 honorees and guests.  Those being honored were recipients of the Chancellor’s Medallion (Pete McDaniel), Distinguished Alumni Awards (James A. Shields ’75, and Audrey Byrd Mosley ‘74, and the Athletic Hall of Fame.  Trustee chair Sue McClinton welcomed the guests, and a number of fellow Trustees were in attendance. Earlier in the day, Sue McClinton welcomed students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests to the Founders’ Day program that featured remarks by Chancellor James Mullen and a presentation by CNN news host Anderson Cooper. 

 

 

Alumni

1.  Kevan Frasier was named interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni in October 2004.  Mary Chakales, who served the University as Alumni Director for over a decade, has accepted new responsibilities in the Integrative Studies Program area in Highsmith University Union. 

 

Dr. Frasier is undertaking a thorough review of alumni programs and activities at UNC Asheville, similar programs and selected other public and private universities, and a study of trends and forecasting in the alumni management field.  Kevan’s work is closely coordinated with the Development Office, although the Alumni office has no direct fundraising responsibility; instead, it focuses on programs, services and activities that build life-long ties between alumni and the University, providing the groundwork for the Development Office to seek voluntary private support.

 

2.  The National Alumni Advisory Council met on Saturday, October 2, as part of Founders’ Day weekend activities.  The Council is chaired by James R. Buckner ’71 of Suwanee, GA., who also serves the University as a Foundation Director. The Council heard reports from Mark Padilla (competitive salaries for faculty), Scot Schaffer (admissions changes), and Holly Waltemyer of the Career Center. 

 

The group provided counsel to the Chancellor in 3 specific areas:  need for increased University communication with alumni; the importance of a strong, well-experienced Career Center staff to serve students and alumni at all stages in their careers; and heightened consideration of distinguished alumni when filling Trustee and Foundation Board openings.

 

3.  The Alumni Office soon will invite alumni to secure a UNC Asheville MBNA Platinum VISA Rewards credit card.  The card provides travel and other benefits when purchases are made. UNC Asheville Alumni Office will receive payments on accounts opened, accounts renewed, and quarterly payments based on total dollars charged on the cumulative accounts.  The credit card will carry a strong visual image of UNC Asheville.

 

4.  The Alumni Office is working with the Harris Publishing Company to produce the 2005 Alumni Directory.  Harris is the leading publisher of Alumni Directories in the country. 

 

Publications & News Services

1.  We currently are in the final stages of interviewing candidates for the Director of Publications position.  The person filling this job will replace Martha Smith who retired from the University in September.  We appreciate Martha’s dedication to the work and to improving the graphic “look” of UNC Asheville.

 

2.  The University’s Annual Report for 2003-2004 was distributed in late November 2004.  12,000 copies were mailed extensively, and it will be among the most visible manifestations of the University’s successes in the past year.  Special thanks to Karen Anderson and Nickola Dudley in the Publications Office for their fine work.  The Annual Report was printed with private funds.

 

3.  Recent publications are: Annual Fund brochure, “The Word is Out in 2004” post card, and pre-call post cards to alumni and parents in advance of the annual telemarketing. These represent a collaboration between the Annual Fund and the Publications offices.