Update and Discussion with Max and Suzyn

How to engage constituents?

• Build one-on-one-relationships: Carolyn now serving as Coordinator of Alumni Engagement
• Prioritize relationships with alumni
• Individualize relationships
• Visit different regions
• Inform and talk with alumni to solicit their input

Ways for alumni to get involved

• Work alumni parents into strategic plan
• Leverage alumni in Illinois clubs for staffing informational sessions
• Use alumni parents to communicate the message of the Academy
• Find alternative venues for advertising, such as libraries
• Bring alumni into the admissions process, through interviewing applicants, two-way interviews, incorporate time for alumni to sit with prospective students
• "Green Initiative"
• Help with determining classes to offer for students
• Diversify faculty
• Help Academy to connect with groups, help college-bound students, Student Inquiry and Research, Intersession

Technology Infrastructure

Discussion: should the IAA take over the responsibility of providing electronic resources for alumni? (Alumni directory, email, discussion forums, website)

The status of Academy IT with respect to providing alumni with these services comes into question when IT activities (maintenance, upgrades) threatens to take away currently-provided services (notesfiles in particular). Should the IAA make plans to provide these resources in the event that the Academy cannot or will not?

Discussion: Can logins/accounts be centralized?

Currently there are multiple logins required, for myIMSA, for email and shell services. Simplifying them would remove a major obstacle to greater usage of electronic resources by alumni. The stringent password requirements imposed on the Academy by state law also impacts usage, as many alumni accounts lapse due to forgotten passwords and alumni do not know how to reactivate their accounts.

Activities: Server Upgrade, Resources to be Provided

The IAA website and mailing lists are being ported to a new server co-located at the Academy. This activity will be completed by the end of the year. Discussion regarding electronic resources will continue, with more concrete plans to be worked out over the next six months.

Long-Term Planning / IAA Vision

Goals for the next 1-3 years

• Establish/develop our identity, define who we are
• Define what: online services/community, offline services/community (alumni, Academy, students)
• Define how: how do we do these things?

Long-term goals

• Financial concerns/self-sufficiency
• Increase alumni interest and participation
• Provide support for greater alumni networking
• Increase involvement with the Academy
• Anticipate nationwide/worldwide growth, become a worldwide organization

Student Council Discussion

What is the role of the Student Council?

• Student Council should serve as an advocacy group rather than try to be an agent of change

How can the IAA help the Student Council?

• Use IAA as a sounding board for issues
• Have alumni events at IMSA community days

Website Discussion

What services should be available on the IAA website?

• Links to social networking services
• Share information with the Academy (long-term)
• Event announcements
  • Events held at the Academy that alumni may find interesting
  • Intersessions run by alumni
• Reunion information
• Resources for Cabinet members
• Mailing lists
• Webmail
• Link alumni weblogs (provide RSS feeds from alumni sites)

Actions

• Find graphic artists to look into redesigning logo

Constitution / Bylaws Discussion

(Timeline for activities: January)

Cabinet member roles and responsibilities

• Call out specific projects/responsibilities in a separate article
• Scott will explore potential language for such an article
• Articles 2-6 to reference this article

Regional clubs

• Amend/create bylaws to better support ad hoc groups, not require chartering for providing funding of events but still have bylaws governing funding process
• Structure it like a "request for proposal" process
• Provide chartered clubs with mailing lists and web space
• Support both geographic and functional clubs

Cabinet Membership

• Determine number of at-large representatives allowed: set the maximum at 7, with a maximum of 3 appointees; attach this to article 6
• Update constitution to refer to new IMSA position "Coordinator of Alumni Engagement"

Elections / Voting Procedures

• With electronic voting, is there a need to hold a vote at the meeting?
• Discussion of whether write-in candidates can succeed in such a situation
• Constitution should address how elections are run