If IU graduates formed a nation, they would be 166th in world population, 35th in total Olympic medals and 9th in total Nobel Prize winners, the IU Alumni Association reported to the Board of Trustees Thursday.
At the Board of Trustees' first day of meetings, the association gave an update about the approach they take to IU alumni engagement.
“As a University, we are a major player on the world stage," said Nate Feltman, chair of the IUAA Board of Managers. "As a nation, we would be equally significant."
Feltman and IUAA Executive Director J Thomas Forbes led the report, talking about three core methods that drive alumni work—participation, satisfaction and revenue. Participation refers to alumni lifetime involvement with IU, whereas satisfaction refers to their loyalty.
“By tracking participation and satisfaction, we can see how our work ultimately generates revenue, most importantly in gifts to IU,” Forbes said.
Forbes said data has shown the association is more efficient than their peers at other alumni institutions. They return two dollars for every dollar that IU invests in the alumni.
This is largely in part because IU alumni are generous with their donations. IU association alumni members, Forbes said, give four times more than non-alumni. The combined lifetime giving total for all members is near $750 million.
“Indiana University really benefits greatly from the giving and service of its alumni, and the trustees seem to be persuaded that we’re performing well and operating in an exemplary way,” Forbes said, following the meeting.
The new School of Art and Design also gave a presentation at the meeting, bringing the board up to date on how their progress is going. Dean Peg Faimon, who started working at the beginning of July, discussed what the school is planning for the future.
“We’re working as a faculty and staff, working together on a mission statement, and governance for the school,” Faimon said.
Some of the ideas presented were focused on the type of student the school hopes to create through their programs. This student would be connected several different ways, Faimon said. He or she would be able to understand contacts, know the importance of valuing interdisciplinary work, solve complex problems, have social responsibility and participate in global engagement.
“Those are the things we’re thinking about a lot as we’re creating new initiatives,” Faimon said.
In other business, treasurer Donald Lukes presented a few resolutions for approval.
The Eskenazi Museum of Art Renovation and Memorial Stadium Excellence Academy and Related Stadium Renovations, two projects based on IU-Bloomington's campus, had been introduced by the Finance, Audit and Strategic Planning Committee. The first resolution, which was passed Thursday, will allow them to issue forms of debt for financing and to refund previous debt. The second resolution, which was passed Friday, allows them to get reimbursement for the projects.
