March 28, 2015

Attendance

Council Members:

Katie Rhodes ’07, President

Adam Shaffer ’11, Vice President

Mark Sampson ’93, Secretary

Kelly DeFilippo ’09

Ted Kay ’71

Bob Rak ’70

Mark Cowley ’87

Meredith Cowley – Mark’s wife – welcome

Carolyn Mollenkopf ’62

Barry Davis ’75

Special Guest:

Jolynn Frey- Alumni Relations

Laura DePietro ’07 - Alumni Relations

Ken Smith ’ President,

Jeff Jones, VP of Institutional Advancement

Bruce Backensto ’69, Board of Trustees Representative

Absent:

Holly Magnuson ’02

1. Opening Prayer

Katie Rhodes opened in prayer.

2. Alumni Council Strategic Planning

There was a general discussion about the history and function of the Alumni Council. These were the thoughts.

Original Alumni Council was originally design to facilitate communication between the college and alumni. Since Geneva now does this very well, does the Council need to exist or should it be modified?
Alumni Council does fill a gap that the College cannot meet by adding a personal touch that cannot be replicated in mailings and electronic communication. This should be a multiplying effect of the efforts of the college through personal interaction in the circles which council members live and work in.
What do council members do when not on campus?

3. Alumni Office Update

Jolynn provided an update on the Alumni Relations department:

Please see the Alumni Update on the website for the latest happenings. https://www.geneva.edu/page/alumni
Paul Hayne (spelling) will be the Life G recipient this year. Very active in alumni events and a great advocate for the college.
Senior Send Off Dinner on April 17^th. Seniors giving $20.15 gift designated to the Geneva Fund. Participants would receive a ‘philanthropy’ cord at commencement. This is an excellent opportunity to plant the seeds of alumni giving.
Introducing Geneva baby T-Shirts
Tuition Freedom Day – Raising awareness that donors cover a large portion of tuition. Students will be encouraged to send thank you cards to supporters. The will also be able to record a brief video message.
ReMatch – very successful. $78,714 collected at this point. Encouraging results. There was an excellent discussion around this event.

4. Homecoming

Homecoming and Family weekend combined together.
Dr. Watt will kick-off the weekend with a presentation on Jerusalem.
Save the date card being sent to alumni in mid-May.
Driving people to website. Sending printed materials is ineffective as plans change.
Registration tent has been renamed ‘Check In’ tent.
Early registration with drawings for some prizes to encourage early registration.
Each reunion year is having a tent this year. Some groups having catered lunches on the lawn from Moe’s Southwest Café.
Working with committee members to personally invite class members which is a proven way of increasing participation.
1980 year is having a formal dinner.
Check website for most current schedule of events.
The Homecoming Football Game will be at 3:00 this year.
Brunch is scheduled.

5. President’s Update

Campus community has exemplified Christian grace and mercy on Jonathan’s unexpected death. Many interactions and offers of prayer from other Presidents at Christian and non-Christian institutions.
Lost lawsuit in 3^rd circuit which kicked off a review of case. Motion filed for entire court to hear case. This is all part of larger picture nationally. Still more to come on this healthcare debate.
Title 9 hiring requirements in definition of marriage. These are growing issues in academia with many issues before boards and courts nationally.
Decline enrollments particularly in the Northeast with fewer high schoolers. Fall numbers are significantly ahead of last year but this does not translate into matriculation. Deposit numbers are above last year which is encouraging.
Very good feedback from supporters who love Geneva. Engineering continues to grow and needs additional space. Nursing is the number one requested major that is not offered. How all of this fit into the long range plans of Geneva is a key question.
Current efforts underway to understand the lower than national rate of alumni participation (percentage of alumni who give). Robust discussion around this survey and a negative response in social media. Alumni counsel is encouraged to strongly suggest that disgruntled people contact Geneva administration with concerns VS airing those thought on social media.
Potential foundation support for the exploration of the implementation of a nursing/allied health careers department and course sequence.
Comprehensive strategic plan in the works to understand better how and why students should attend. What will Geneva look like in ten years? Commitment to historic Christianity and inerrant Word of God. Commitment to Reformed worldview as detailed in the Westminster Standards. Commitment to distinctive Liberal Art core blending Biblical and cultural influence. Commitment to equip students to serve in the Lord’s Kingdom

6. Adjournment and Next Meeting

Katie adjourned the meeting in prayer. The next meeting will be August 22, 2015 @ 9:00 a.m.