Dear Fellow Shockers,
I’m very pleased that we will have Courtney Marshall as president and CEO of the WSU Alumni Association. Like Courtney, my degrees came from elsewhere, but Wichita State grew in my heart from my earliest days on campus. I believe she will become a strong leader of our alumni association and carry it to even greater heights.
It’s somehow appropriate, I like to think, that not only will Courtney’s official start-date at the association be New Year’s Day 2015, but also her arrival on campus coincides with the university’s newly launched “Our Time” marketing campaign. Collectively, it is indeed “Our Time” for change, innovation and a few new Shocker faces.
Along with my enthusiasm in welcoming Courtney, I am grateful for the hard work of the alumni association staff, including Erin Stieben, who served as interim director, and volunteer alumni leaders, notably association board chair Denis Dieker, during the search for a successor to Debbie Kennedy.
As we begin this new era in alumni relations, it’s worth reviewing the WSU Alumni Association by-laws, to dededicate ourselves to these purposes:
• “To promote the goals and purposes of Wichita State University and to encourage a continuing and increasing interest in the University among graduates, former students and friends.”
• “To foster loyalty and friendship among graduates, former students and friends.”
• “To support Wichita State University’s efforts to solicit gifts and other contributions from alumni and friends, institutions and organizations.”
• “To serve as a primary link among the University, alumni and friends and, through its services, to make every effort to foster an understanding of the University; to develop an effective alumni program to assist in recruiting students; to provide a vehicle for consultation and suggestions by alumni on matters of significance to the University.”
These purposes make sense to me. The effectiveness of the alumni association is essential as we work to improve the quality education of WSU students and our positive impact in south central Kansas and beyond.
As the association board was beginning its search for a new president and CEO, I shared some thoughts with Denis and the other board members on matters of importance. I’d like to share them with you, too. These include:
• Membership should offer clear value to alums. Make a compelling case for alumni to become and remain members of the alumni association.
• Help Shockers stay connected to the university, through regular communications, in-person contacts and an updated database. Continue production of publications and, as possible, increase the number of contacts per year. Accurate contact information is critical for many of the important functions of alumni relations.
• Rebuild national alumni chapters and grow the number of chapters. All major U.S. cities with a concentration of alums should have an active chapter, with a board and a regular schedule of activities. Also, there should be a long-term goal for the development of international chapters.
• Within colleges, each major field of study should have an active alumni society. For example, the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences could have a Society of Communications, a Society of Sociology, a Mathematician Society, etc.
• Maintain a strong, productive relationship with the WSU Foundation, especially as we head into the major capital campaign being planned. Courtney Marshall and Foundation CEO Elizabeth King and their staffs should have outstanding working partnerships to develop alumni relations and mutually beneficial events throughout the country.
• Continue to grow the student alumni group Shockers Forever — investing now for the future.
• Build strong, collaborative relations within the Shocker community and with the university executive team, deans, faculty and professional staff.
I know accomplishing all of those things will take time and resources, but I have great confidence that each is doable, and that the alumni association and the university will be better as a result. I believe it is “Our Time” to work closely together.
Our university strategic plan, actions and communication are moving us toward the goal of becoming an Innovation University. In November, we began delivering that message through a multimedia campaign that touches the head and heart by focusing on the individual journeys that begin at WSU.
The campaign includes a new TV and online spot, which is airing locally on broadcast TV stations, the Cox Kansas network and on ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS during national broadcasts of Wichita State Shocker basketball games.
Most of our university marketing efforts focus on specific outcomes, such as increasing enrollment. “Our Time” takes a broader approach, encouraging all who encounter the message to think about Wichita State as a launch pad for successful lives, a launch pad you as alumni are proud to have employed.
I love the feel of this campaign. To me it says there is tremendous momentum at WSU because of our emphasis on innovation, creativity, technology and entrepreneurship.
It is an honor for all of us to serve Wichita State University. It is indeed “Our Time.”
And, as I always say, it’s a great day to be a Shocker.
