Amherst College: 2023-2024 Meeting Minutes

Winter Meeting: February 2, 2024

kdebeer — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 21:27:51 +0000

Winter Meeting: February 2, 2024 Katie DeBeer Thursday, 3/7/2024, at 4:27 PM

Executive Committee of the Society of the Alumni Winter Meeting Minutes
Friday, February 2, 2024

Members Present: Kathy Chia ’88, P’22, ’27 , Rebekah Coleman ’02, Stephen Conway ’75, P’10, ’13, Jay Drain, Jr. ’18, Rhamey Elhosseiny ’10, Catherine Foster-Anderson ’85, Sara Gehrdes ’11, Andrew Petruzzelli Herrera ’14, John Klein ’85, Lauri Lee ’90, Jessica Maposa ’17, Ed McCatty ’75, Raza Mujtaba ’00, Jessica Noyes McEntee ’00, Derek C. Prill ’08, LeAnn Shelton ’80, Michael Shogren ’89, P’19, ’21, ’25, Gabriela Snyder ’99, Cristina Sproul ’05, Denise Tran ’92 and Geoffrey Underwood ’84, P’22

Guests: Betsy Cannon Smith ’84, P’15, ’27-Chief Advancement Officer, Courtney Desmarais-Associate Chief Advancement Officer, Stephanie Jones ’90-Sr. Director of Special Initiatives, Caroline Deveau-Sr. Director of the Amherst Fund, Fritz Kuhnlenz-Sr. Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, Sarah Hart-Director of Amherst Fund Leadership, Angi Tissi-Gassoway-Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students

The winter meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society of the Alumni, held virtually, was called to order at 9:04 a.m. Fritz Kuhnlenz, Senior Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, offered opening remarks and welcomed LeAnn Shelton ’80 to her first meeting. Kathy Chia ’88, P’22, ’27, President of the Society of the Alumni, offered welcoming remarks. Ms. Chia noted the ongoing work with various groups of alumni volunteers, including the Class Notes initiatives discussed during the fall meeting. She mentioned the role that Executive Committee members can play in providing feedback to the College and strengthening communication and relationship with the alumni body.

The meeting began with member introductions, followed by Courtney Desmarais, Associate Chief Advancement Officer, introducing two new members of the Advancement leadership team: Stephanie Jones ’90, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Caroline Deveau, Senior Director of the Amherst Fund.

Sarah Hart, Director of Amherst Fund Leadership, shared updates from the Amherst Fund, noting that overall $4.45 million had been raised toward the $10.2 million goal, 20% alumni participation had been achieved toward the 40% alumni participation goal and giving to the Parents’ Fund was up. Ms. Hart then previewed the spring solicitation schedule, noting a young alumni challenge ongoing through February, class appeals in March, and Giving Day on Thursday, April 11. Discussion followed with committee members requesting that Fund volunteers be included in non-donor solicitations to increase transparency.

Mr. Kuhnlenz provided updates from Alumni & Constituent Engagement (ACE), reporting that the Trustee Nominating Committee convened in December to interview eight candidates, from which they selected three Alumni Trustee nominees to fill one six-year term on the Board of Trustees for Amherst College: Mindy Berman ’92, Ryan Park ’05 and Nic Zhou ’10. Voting will open April 15 to fill the vacancy created by the conclusion of Beth Cisneros ’89’s six-year term.

Mr. Kuhnlenz then shared an update on Class Notes, indicating that the Class Secretary Working Group and ACE staff implemented a series of enhancements to Class Notes based on recommendations from secretaries received in fall 2023. New initiatives include: training available to all secretaries, a 'community of practice' platform designed to foster collaboration and sharing of best practices, and an online alumni news submission form, piloted in February 2024.

Mr. Kuhnlenz went on to report on events, noting continued and widespread interest in educational programming delivered virtually. More than 4,700 registrants have attended virtual programs during the past year. Mr. Kuhnlenz also reported strong participation at in-person events, noting that on-campus events were at or over the pre-pandemic levels including Family Weekend (1,026 parents and families in October), Homecoming (1,100 participants in November), and Black Alumni Weekend (220 participants in November). Looking ahead, Mr. Kuhnlenz shared that more than 80 events are scheduled for FY24 including spring semester regional events with President Elliott and Reunion Weekend for 4s and 9s. Lastly, the Sophomore Summit pilot in January was a success with 165 students and 42 alumni participating.

The Committee reviewed and voted on the candidate question for the Trustee election, and the following was approved unanimously: “How will your experiences and perspectives inform your role as an Amherst College Trustee and enable you to contribute to the Board’s work?” Mr. Kuhnlenz indicated that voting would open on April 15 and candidates would supply a profile, photo and resume, in addition to their responses to the question.

The next topic on the agenda was how the Executive Committee was communicating with the Alumni community at large. This was a follow-up on the EC’s fall meeting where Ms. Chia had suggested thinking about opportunities for the EC to take a formal lead in the communication process and engage additional strategies to increase EC visibility to the alumni body. Ms. Chia reiterated the EC’s position as an accessible and available platform to work as a bridge between the College and the alumni community and create a two-way feedback loop in the process.

Mr. Kuhnlenz presented on Building Visibility, Impact, and Trust with the EC. He shared the idea of post-meeting reflection with meeting minutes, thrice a year. The meeting minutes are posted on the website and are available for the alumni community. The post-meeting reflection message will go out to the alumni community along with the meeting minutes to inform them of the meeting highlights.

The second point put forth was having an annual review of EC activity as a calendar year-end message with the names of EC members and topics that the committee is tackling for the upcoming year. For the alumni using Amherst magazine as a primary conduit of information, the same information could live in that space. Lastly, creating a designated Amherst email/feedback form for EC to provide an opportunity to be more forthright with their engagement and to give feedback to the EC.

Discussion followed which focused on the question as to what other ways can we create visibility, impact, and trust with EC. These suggestions were received positively. Some other suggestions given were adding podcasts or videos online involving the EC members and President Elliott. Ms. Chia added that in the past this group has been tasked with different assignments such as mascot change. She suggested that they should focus on something important that the EC wants to do this upcoming year, such as what guest speakers they would like to hear from or what topics. They can think of a systematic way to then disseminate that information to the community and devise an action plan to be even more useful to the college and community.

Suggestions were made to tie the meeting feedback to class notes and or social media to spread awareness of what was learned during the meeting and to share campus updates.

Mr. Kuhnlenz presented on Considering a Larger Alumni Council Body and how to connect the various alumni volunteer communities together. The College has a huge alumni volunteer corp working for both Amherst Fund and Alumni & Constituent Engagement as well as other parts of campus. The data shared a breakdown of the 24,678 active members in the Amherst alumni population through 2023. It is further detailed by class decades. Almost 45% of alumni have graduated since 2000, 80% of alumni have graduated after 1974, and less than 20% of the alumni graduated before 1974. The alumni body was further displayed demographically - 25% of the entire alumni community identify as non-white, and almost 40% are women.

Fritz Kuhnlenz further informed the Committee that the Amherst Volunteers are categorized by their class, their residence, and interest/identity relative to the College community. They include 350+ class officers, 100+ of Regional Association volunteers, 50+ Affinity Association volunteers, 100+ Reunion volunteers per class cycle, the Executive Committee of the Society of the Alumni, Nominating Committee, and Inspectors of Election.

These large groups of volunteers are highly diverse and willing to help but may also not be connected to one another and may find difficulty in coming to a consensus, while some alumni may feel unseen or underrepresented.

Some questions still at hand are: how to maximize the volunteer roles, how to better connect with the College’s priorities and how to harness the current volunteer corps to connect more alumni to the College. The discussion that is required is scoping and considering bridging the work of the Executive Committee with the alumni body. Mr. Kuhnlenz pointed out that the College once had an Alumni Council Body which had a broader representation from classes, regions, affinities allowing a larger leadership presence. Alumni who are invested in the community want to share and exchange information directly with alumni. The Council would be an additional way for alumni to connect across class lines and provide an opportunity for the EC to lead and set an agenda for the larger community.

Mr. Kuhnlenz introduced Angi Tissi-Gassoway, Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students, as guest speaker. Dean Tissi-Gassoway thanked the EC for being invited to the meeting. She gave a review of Student Affairs and ODEI. She informed everyone that this was her 11th academic year at the College within Student Affairs and ODEI. She touched upon the traditional work that Student Affairs does such as Residential Life, Student Activities, Community Standards, and Code of Conduct. Along with these departments, there are other services which are offered to the students such as health services and mental health services and class deans and academic support. Dean Tissi-Gassoway expressed intentionality in the connection between these services. Providing these services gives the opportunity to think holistically of the student experience as they experience and navigate on campus. This intentional intertwinement helps tie it all to the mission of the College. At Student Affairs, they are rebuilding the ways in which they engage with the student body.

Dean Tissi-Gassoway emphasized the importance of connecting alumni to transfer historical knowledge to the students who are unaware of Amherst College’s pre-Covid traditions. This would assist in not only building out the division but also guide how they do that work with students and be able to engage innovatively and creatively with the full college life.

Dean Tissi-Gassoway took some questions from the EC. There were suggestions to modify traditions to meet today’s challenges. There was also a suggestion to discuss social space challenges for the students. Ms. Chia thought that a presentation on the Student Center Dining Commons to the EC members would be beneficial in understanding how the building will improve the students’ social life.

Mr. Kuhnlenz offered several announcements at the conclusion of the meeting, noting that Executive Committee members interested in joining the nominating committee should contact him directly. Additionally, he shared that Kathy Chia’s term as President will come to an end in July. Finally, upcoming events were announced including Giving Day on April 11, Trustee Elections opening on April 15, and the Society of the Alumni’s Senior Reception on May 2, preceding the next meeting of the Executive Committee on May 3.

Kathy Chia thanked everyone for a robust conversation and asked for feedback through email. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Fritz Kuhnlenz
Senior Director of Alumni & Constituent Engagement

Fall Meeting: October 6, 2023

atalibi — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:53:51 +0000

Fall Meeting: October 6, 2023 Aifer Talibi Friday, 11/3/2023, at 9:53 AM

Executive Committee of the Society of the Alumni Fall Meeting Minutes
Friday, October 6, 2023

Members present: Sara Gehrdes ʼ11, Lauri Lee ʼ90, D. Geoffrey Underwood ʼ84, Andrew Herrera ʼ14, Jessica Noyes McEntee ʼ00, Michael Shogren ʼ89, Oluwatomi Williams ʼ16, Rhamey Elhosseiny ʼ10, Gabriela Snyder ʼ99, and Denise Tran ʼ92.

Guests: Courtney Desmarais-Associate Chief Advancement Officer, Fritz Kuhnlenz-Senior Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, Sarah Hart-Interim Senior Director of the Amherst Fund, Dale Hendricks-Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Systems and Strategies, Emily Griffen-Executive Director Loeb Center & Special Advisor to the Provost, Robert Howard ’76, P’10-Class Notes Working Group Member, and John Stifler ’68-Class Notes Working Group Member.

The fall meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society of the Alumni was called to order at 9:06 a.m. Gabriela Snyder ʼ99 offered welcoming remarks, sharing that she was leading the meeting in the absence of Kathy Chia ʼ88, Pʼ22, ʼ27, President of the Society of the Alumni, who was unable to attend the meeting. Ms. Snyder then welcomed three new members of the Executive Committee to their first meeting: Denise Tran ʼ92, Rhamey Elhosseiny ʼ10, and LeAnn Shelton ʼ80 (in absentia).

Dale Hendricks, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Systems and Strategies, introduced himself and presented on the SCOTUS decision and implications for admissions. Mr. Henricks presented the legal history of affirmative action and shared insight into strategies Amherst has used to attract a diverse student body. Mr. Hendricks then discussed the 2023 SFFA vs. UNC/Harvard decision and the ways in which Amherst has responded since the decision was announced in June, noting that while race cannot be considered as a factor in admissions, institutions can use legal strategies to achieve a diverse class. There was discussion around the ability of candidates to reference their own race in their admissions materials and how it must be tied to their educational experience and personal development. Mr. Hendricks shared information about operational changes including staff training, removing access to race data, and updates to admissions essays. He called attention to ongoing efforts at Amherst, including targeted outreach and recruitment efforts; recruitment and yield programming (Access to Amherst); Admission staff recruitment travel targeting high-achieving, low-income schools; and campus visits by diversity interns, among others.

Following Mr. Hendricksʼ presentation, committee members departed for a tour of the Aliki Perroti & Seth Frank Lyceum led by Mark Andrews, Senior Capital Projects Manager. The meeting resumed at 11:20 a.m.

Sarah Hart, Interim Senior Director of the Amherst Fund, introduced herself and presented updates from the Amherst Fund, including a review of the past five years of giving, noting that 2021 was an outlier due to the COVID-19 support fund and one very large one-time gift. Ms. Hart reported that while dollars are relatively flat year-to-year, the donor count is declining over the past five years, as is common within our peer set. This was attributed to overall decline in participation numbers and an increasing solicitable base year over year. Current year giving shows us tracking ahead of the same time last year, toward our goal of $10.2 million. Ms. Hart then reviewed upcoming initiatives and campaigns including Class Agent letters, November sock giveaway, and calendar year end appeals. Discussion included changing demographics of the student population, gifts for loyalty milestones, company matching programs, and other ideas for donor acquisition and recognition.

Fritz Kuhnlenz, Senior Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, provided updates from Alumni & Constituent Engagement (ACE), sharing that ACE had recently capped a series of presidential welcome receptions formally introducing President Elliott to the alumni community. Held in tandem with class-based zoom welcome calls, the receptions and calls, together, welcomed over 1,500 alumni for an opportunity to connect with President Elliott. Smaller events and zoom opportunities will continue throughout 2023. Mr. Kuhnlenz then shared that ACE completed 89 regional events across 15 cities engaging well-over 2,000 alumni; welcomed back over 1,800 alumni, family, and friends for Reunion 2023; and created a series of virtual programs designed to highlight Amherst faculty and alumni working on creative and distinctive topics which has attracted more than 2,500 registrants. He reported that ACE began work on modernizing the class notes process, and while the initial changes were not widely accepted by volunteers, the resulting conversation has been a widespread activation of current and past volunteers–leading to a series of listening sessions and creation of an ad-hoc working group of alumni volunteers, members of which would present their report later in the afternoon.

After a brief recess for lunch, the committee was joined by Emily Griffen, Executive Director Loeb Center & Special Advisor to the Provost, for an update on the Sophomore Summit. Ms. Griffen shared that President Elliott has been focused on career development as an integral part of the student experience, embedded within the Humanities, noting that the career center reports to Provost Epstein. Ms. Griffen then provided an overview of the Sophomore Summit–a new initiative designed to combat the “sophomore slump” and build a framework to connect with students during this critical time during which major decisions are made. This year, the Loeb will pilot a three-day community experience for 150 students including storytelling, reflection and connection, and exploration. Ms. Griffen shared that the program is meant to inspire students and help them see that they can build a rewarding and lucrative career from their passion area, and that on the institutional side, the program will help ensure equity in career experience. Discussion included potential for involvement of alumni who are recruiters; personality assessment tools; soft skills training; and digital badges/certificates.

Following Ms. Griffenʼs presentation, Mr. Kuhnlenz provided a brief update regarding the Class Notes Process before introducing Robert Howard ʼ76, Pʼ10 and John Stifler ʼ68 who presented recommendations from the Class Notes Working Group (CNWG). Mr. Howard shared that the strong emotions behind this situation indicated that people care deeply about the College, and that the Class Notes Working Group has approached its recommendations with a strong spirit of collaboration with College staff. Mr. Howard summarized the four recommendations of the CNWG as: preserving an active role for class secretaries; developing a new online submission tool; achieving a more transparent and collaborative editorial process; and creating a dynamic class secretary community of practice. Mr. Stifler noted that any solution that will work has to rely on interpersonal human connection. He referenced relationships which have deepened over time, which are stronger now than during the time as students, attributing that strength to the one-to-one conversations that happen between secretaries and their classmates before columns are submitted. Discussion with committee members included strategies for change management. Mr. Howard indicated that the CNWG does not support a change of frequency in print at this time, and suggested that a broad magazine readership survey is needed to better understand community expectations for the publication. Following the presentation by Mr. Howard and Mr. Stifler, Mr. Kuhnlenz reported that the College has accepted the four tenets of the proposal, and that staff would start to operationalize the changes this fall.

Courtney Desmarais, Associate Chief Advancement Officer, then provided updates from the Advancement Division. Ms. Desmarais reported that the Promise Campaign concluded in FY23, surpassing its $625M goal. On the heels of this success, she noted that the College is now seeking to raise $200M for the Student Center Dining Commons, a project which was not included in the campaign. Ms. Desmarais stated that the Student Center Dining Commons will be a vibrant space to bring students together to connect formally and informally across interests and affinities. She also noted that a Student Center Dining Commons Fundraising Committee had been established as part of the Board of Trustees. Ms. Desmarais then provided a staffing update, sharing that in two years, Advancement had filled 22 positions, including Senior Director of Strategy and Analysis, a new position recently filled by Raldy Laguilles ʼ97; and had recently created the Senior Director of Special Initiatives role as a new position to support broad fundraising efforts and initiatives, such as the 50th anniversary of coeducation 2027. She also noted that the search for Senior Director of the Amherst Fund is still ongoing.

Following Ms. Desmarais’ updates, the committee transitioned to roundtable discussions covering three questions aligned with the committee’s areas of focus for the 2023-2024 year: How can data help us understand the alumni community and each other better? How can the community be more involved in the student to alumni experience? How do we recognize alumni when they have done great things for the College or community? Mr. Kuhnlenz shared that each committee member would be asked to join a working group aligned with one of these topics, and that details would be shared following the meeting.

Mr. Kuhnlenz offered brief closing comments, thanking members for their participation and noting that the next meeting would take place virtually on Friday, February 2, 2024. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Fritz Kuhnlenz
Senior Director of Alumni & Constituent Engagement