Alumni Council Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, January 22, 2005

Welcome—Alex Wilson ’73
Alex called the meeting to order and introduced special guests Clifford "Bump" Bean '51 and Vic Scalise '54, past alumni chairpersons.

Committee Reports/Updates

Admissions and Financial Aid—Janice Wood Parsons ’65
Jan reported that the legacy event for alumni with college-age students has been coordinated by Jason Klein '97 and Director of Admissions Steve Thomas and that 30 families were expected to be in attendance. She also indicated that Dean of Multicultural Affairs Sammie Robinson is working on ALANA initiatives and recently hosted college counselors from urban areas at Colby. Jan updated the council on an issue that Steve Thomas is working on regarding NESCAC schools and making sure there is a level playing field and equal admission for athletes among the schools. She also reported about the six upcoming retention events for the newly admitted class in April and the alums that will be present to help prospective students and their families make their final decisions about Colby. The admissions staff had recently met about the first and second early decision rounds for the class of 2009 and will report on the makeup of the incoming class at the June meeting.

Alumni Fund—Jessica D'Ercole Stanton '92
Jessica reported that the year-end total for the Alumni Fund was $1.38 million of the $3.75 million goal. The critical timeframe, as always, will be the next six months. The Alumni Fund volunteer event in Dedham in November will be held again in another year. Jessica also announced that there was a new member of annual giving, Ryan Carmichael, and that former staff member Nancy Fox had decided to return to her previous position in Annual Giving.

Athletics—Art Brennan ’68
Art reported that at the Tufts football game in Medford, Mass., there was a large turnout of Colby alumni, parents, and students at both the game and the post-game reception sponsored by the C Club. The committee discussed plans for the Spring C Club event honoring the Carl Nelson Award winner for 2005 and the senior athlete awards. They hope to coordinate the event with the dedication of the new Bill Alfond synthetic turf field on April 30 or May 1. Also discussed was the new Alumni Mentoring/Networking program in the Athletic Department between former athletes and current student athletes. This needs to be promoted to make sure that the students are taking advantage of the entire Colby experience beyond the playing fields and that alumni can provide a continuance of services and networking opportunities for students. Art indicated that the basketball and football programs will be first to start this network and that other teams plan to follow suit.

Awards—Byrd Allen ’75
Byrd announced the winners of this year's Colby Brick awards. They are Doris Rose Hopengarten '40, Caroline Walker Knowles '60 and Jonathan R. "Jock" Knowles '60, William E. "Bud" Marvin '65, Eleanor "Woofie" F. Amidon '75, and Kevin Fahey '80. He also announced the following winners: Outstanding Educator Award, Richard Moss '70; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Stuart Rothenberg '70; Charles W. Basset Award for Faculty Service to Alumni, L. Sandy Maisel. Byrd thanked the alumni relations staff, particularly Karin Weston and Buffy Higgins, who provided the research profiles and citations for these awards. He then encouraged the council members to nominate their classmates for any of the awards, as appropriate.

Career Services—Patricia Whittemore Jenkins ’67
Patty reported that the Colby alumni online directory now includes all current parents, as they may have experiences and opportunities that are valuable to students and young alums. She also encouraged alumni to volunteer to speak on campus with current students and/or serve as a mentor for students in their career fields. This can be done electronically as well as via phone or letter at the alum's convenience. The committee will be planning alumni panels in the fields of sciences, finance, communications, and law.

The committee has learned there is now an Alumni-of-Color Network, which is a more targeted resource for students as well as offering networking opportunities amongst each other. A similar gay and lesbian alumni network is planned for the near future.

Alumni continue to serve as volunteers offering internships or job-shadowing, and Patty encouraged alums who know of opportunities or openings to contact the Career Services Office at any time.

Nominating—Barry Potter ’60
Barry reported that the notice for two new alumni trustee nominations was posted in the winter issue of Colby magazine. They are Jamie Cowie '77 and Jane Powers '86; if no write-in candidates are received by February 15, 2005, Jamie and Jane will be elected by the Alumni Council Executive Committee as required by the by-laws. Also, there are two member-at-large openings to the Alumni Council to be decided at the afternoon meeting.