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MISSION STATEMENT
Open to all alumni, the UCSC Alumni Association is a membership organization whose programs foster a lifelong connection with the university. The purpose of the Association is to promote, influence and support the educational, cultural, and social life of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and to provide a means by which alumni may both serve the university, its colleges, and its students, and to help guide the university in the future.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
GOALS
1. Offer programs and opportunities that encourage alumni to maintain lifelong connection with UCSC.
2. Support activities that attract students to UCSC, enrich the student experience, and help students succeed at UCSC and after.
3. Actively support the university's effort to encourage diversity.
4. Participate in the development and implementation of policies affecting UCSC.
5. Develop programs to engage faculty and students in an ongoing discussion of the UCSC academic mission, heritage, and values.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE UCSC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
History
The UCSC Alumni Association was organized in 1968 as a vehicle through which alumni could serve and promote the welfare of the university. It is a separately incorporated non-profit 501(c)3 corporation with over 10,000 dues-paying members.
Alumni Council
The governing body of the UCSC Alumni Association is the Alumni Council which oversees and directs all of the activities of the Association. The council comprises twenty-four alumni who are elected by the membership to represent them.
The faculty, students, administration and Foundation Board of UCSC are represented by ex officio, non-voting members on the council.
Membership
The activities and programs of the Alumni Association are primarily funded by membership dues. In addition to providing the funding for important programs that benefit UCSC and our students, members receive a variety of benefits.
Membership benefits include: borrowing privileges at UC libraries, a subscription to the Banana Slug Bulletin, access to group medical and life insurance, a UC vacation center, travel programs, alumni locator service, UC Extension class discounts, hotel and car rental discounts, reunions, access to the campus career center and recreational facilities, invitations to special events, Kaplan test prep discount, regional events, UCSC Alumni Association credit card, loan program, and discounts on tickets to Shakespeare Santa Cruz.
Alumni Directory
Every five years, the Alumni Association publishes an alumni directory. Included in the directory are the names, college, class year, and contact information (if known) for over 50,000 UCSC graduates. The directory enhances the ability of alumni to network with each other for career development and other purposes.
Career Programs
Career Advice Network
Over 900 volunteer alumni are willing to offer practical advice to students and fellow alumni who are currently making career choices. The network is stored in a database at the campus's Career Center.
Multicultural Connections Conference
Each year over sixty alumni return to campus to participate in the Multicultural Connections Conference, a daylong event to advise students on career choices and to provide professional advice.
Career Panels and Fairs for Students
The Alumni Association works closely with the Career Center to identify alumni to participate in career panels and fairs for students.
All-UC Alumni Career Conference
In conjunction with other UC alumni associations, the UCSC Alumni Association helps sponsor and organize an annual "UC Alumni Career Conference" held in Los Angeles.
Career Resources for Alumni
The career services office at each of the nine UC campuses provides services to alumni.
Reunions
The Banana Slug Spring Fair takes place on the third Saturday of April each year. The Association works closely with the colleges, academic units, and other campus departments to bring alumni back to campus for reunions and a variety of other activities.
The Association sponsors a reunion luncheon in conjunction with the UCSC Alumni Association annual meeting. All alumni are welcome, and special invitations are sent to the classes that graduated 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years ago.
Members of the classes that graduated 5, 20, 25 and 30 years ago are solicited by UCSC's Annual Fund to make a donation to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
Alumni Affinity Groups
Affinity Groups are formed by alumni who wish to connect with others based on some common experience. Current affinity groups are: Black Escargot (African-American/Black alumni), Latino Alumni Network (LAN), and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Alumni. With alumni living and working in all parts of the globe, there is always an opportunity for alumni to gather. Reunions are a particularly meaningful way for members of an affinity group to reconnect and to meet alumni of all ages within their affinity.
Regional Programs
With nearly 75 percent of the alumni population living outside the Santa Cruz area, a network of alumni chapters and regional groups has been established across the country to serve as extensions of the university.
Regional chapters have been chartered by the Alumni Association in eight areas (Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, and Seattle). In addition, the Association sponsors events in: Washington, D.C., and San Diego.
Publications
The UCSC Review is the magazine published by the university and sent to all alumni and other university supporters. The Review's "Alumni News" section is prepared by the Alumni Association staff.
In addition, the Association publishes a quarterly newsletter for its members. The Banana Slug Bulletin includes information on activities of the Association and articles about the campus.
Electronic Communications
News about the campus and the Association's activities are sent via the "eSlug Bulletin," an electronic newsletter with Web links which is sent via email to all alumni for whom we have an email address.
Information about the Association and the campus, as well as links to services and information provided by various campus departments, can be found on the Association's Web site, www.alumni.ucsc.edu.
Alumni Voice on Campus
Alumni are an important part of the campus community. Through their participation on the Alumni Council, the UCSC Foundation, and a variety of campus committees, alumni have been able to contribute their expertise to the enrichment of UCSC. Alumni have been represented on the Academic Senate's Committee on Educational Policy, Campus Physical Planning Advisory Committee, the Student Center Governance Board, the Dean's Council for Natural Sciences, the Social Sciences Teaching Award Committee, search committees for recruitments, and several ad hoc campus committees.
Two UCSC alumni have served on UC's Board of Regents: Allan Goodman, who graduated from Stevenson College in 1967; and Paul Hall, who graduated from Merrill College in 1972.
Funding for College and Campus Activities
A portion of all annual membership dues received goes directly into Alumni Association college fund accounts or a special projects fund and is made available to fund projects on campus. Those funds provide resources to the colleges and support a variety of student activities and college projects&endash;from teaching fellowships to equipment purchases. In the past ten years over $300,000 in membership dues revenue has been transferred to those funds.
Additionally, the Alumni Association and Annual Fund help staff a table during summer orientation for new students and their parents.
Distinguished Visiting
Each year the Alumni Association supports a Distinguished Visiting Professor position which rotates among the colleges. The purpose of the professorship is to enrich undergraduate education at UCSC by providing financial support that enables the campus to hire a person of academic distinction for one quarter each academic year. The professorship is funded by an endowment which was established by the Association in 1982.
Graduating Seniors
Each year during graduation week, Alumni Association representatives talk with graduating students about programs and benefits offered by the Alumni Association. Graduating seniors are offered a "free first year" membership in the Alumni Association and are encouraged to become involved in regional programs, as well as outreach and mentoring of new and prospective students.
New Student Welcome
Each quarter, entering frosh and transfer students are welcomed to UCSC with a mailing from the Alumni Association. The mailing includes a timeline of campus history, a banana slug sticker, and a "pop quiz" for which respondents win a brass banana slug key chain. New students also receive an Association-branded ID card holder/key chain when they receive their first UCSC ID card.
Awards
College Service Awards
The Alumni Association recognizes students who have served their colleges by awarding eight college service awards (one per college). The awards are $500 each and are presented at the Association's annual awards ceremony in February.
Distinguished Teaching Award
Since 1979, the Alumni Association has honored faculty members whose dedication to teaching and undergraduate education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has placed the campus in the academic spotlight. Recipients receive a framed certificate and a $500 cash award at the annual awards ceremony.
Alumni Achievement Awards
In 1984 the UCSC Alumni Association began honoring alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their fields. Recipients are alumni of UC Santa Cruz who have rendered special and outstanding service to UCSC; or who by personal achievement have brought distinction to the university. The awardee receives a framed certificate at the annual awards ceremony. Recipients receive a framed certificate and a $500 cash award at the annual awards ceremony.
Outstanding Staff Awards
The first Outstanding Staff Award was presented in 1995. The award recognizes outstanding service by staff to UCSC and its students. A framed certificate and a $500 cash award are presented to the recipient at the annual awards ceremony.
Fund-Raising for Student Scholarships
The Association's top fund-raising priority has been scholarships for students. Donations from Alumni Association members support the ever-increasing need for student aid. The Alumni Association Scholarship Fund endowment established for this purpose has grown to $1 million. Need-based scholarships are awarded annually. The first year's award for recipients is for $2,500; each subsequent year is for $1,500.
Each year the Association participates in solicitation efforts with the goal of building the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund endowment.
Admissions Outreach
Over five hundred alumni have volunteered to attend high school and community college events as representatives of UCSC. Those alumni share their experiences as former students with prospective students. In the fall and spring the Alumni Association assists the Admissions Office in "yield events" at which newly admitted students, making college enrollment decisions, have an opportunity to talk with alumni about their UCSC experience.
Other alumni outreach activities include mentoring new students, telephoning prospective students, and hosting local receptions for newly admitted students.
Legislative Advocacy
Each year a contingent of UCSC alumni join other UC alumni in Sacramento to lobby legislators on behalf of the University of California. In addition, a Legislative Advocacy Network has been established through the Alumni Associations of the University of California (AAUC).
GOALS AND COMMITTEE PLANS
AWARDS AND REUNIONS COMMITTEE
AWARDS AND REUNIONS
COMMITTEE PLAN
Committee's charge: The Awards and Reunions Committee is charged with overseeing: the Association's awards programs including the Distinguished Teaching Award, Alumni Achievement Award, Outstanding Staff Award, College Service Awards, and the Alumni Association's scholarship recipients; the Association's reunion programs; and Banana Slug Spring Fair.
Committee Members: Renée Martínez, chair; Doug Foster; Eric Thomas; Heather Urquhart; ex officio councilors representing the Academic Senate, Student Union Assembly, and Graduate Student Union; Lynn Zachreson, Alumni Association staff liaison.
1. Offer programs and opportunities that encourage alumni to maintain lifelong connection with UCSC.
a. Support reunions for affinity groups, colleges, academic and other group reunions.
b. Encourage alumni and alumni groups, particularly through the reunion process, to participate in activities and projects that connect them with current UCSC students (mentoring, networking, etc.)
c. Encourage alumni participation in Banana Slug Spring Fair.
d. Solicit nominations and/or support-materials for the Alumni Achievement Award, the Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Outstanding Staff Award from alumni. Encourage alumni to honor the awardees by attending the Awards Luncheon.
2. Support activities that attract students to UCSC, enrich the student experience, and help students succeed at UCSC and after.
a. Sponsor and support Banana Slug Spring Fair and other recruitment activities encouraging participation and interaction among alumni and new students.
b. Through the awards program, encourage and acknowledge good teaching, college service, staff dedication, and the overall principles of a quality educational experience.
c. Encourage alumni and alumni groups, particularly through the reunion process, to participate in activities and projects that connect them with current UCSC students (mentoring, networking, etc.)
3. Actively support the university's effort to encourage diversity.
a. Reflect a commitment to diversity in all aspects of the awards process: soliciting nominations, soliciting supporting materials, the selection process, and the awards luncheon.
b. Encourage reunions and Banana Slug Spring Fair activities that enhance and support diversity in the Association, the UCSC community, and alumni events.
c. Encourage a recognition of contributions to campus diversity, among other factors, in the selection of College Service Awards and need-based scholarships.
4. Participate in the development and implementation of policies affecting UCSC.
a. In soliciting nominations for the Distinguished Teaching Award, Outstanding Staff Award, and the Alumni Achievement Award, and in promoting awardees, openly advocate policies explicitly supported by the Alumni Association. In the selection process, consider, among other factors, nominees' reflection and expression of policies or principles actively supported by the Alumni Association.
b. Openly advocate policies explicitly supported by the Alumni Association at reunions, in alumni-student mentorship and networking activities, at the Banana Slug Spring Fair, and the Alumni Awards Luncheon.
5. Develop programs to engage faculty and students in an ongoing discussion of the UCSC academic mission, heritage, and values.
a. Support reunion and Banana Slug Spring Fair activities that increase communication in all facets of the university.
b. Have the awards process (soliciting nominations, soliciting supporting materials, selecting awardees, and the awards luncheon) for the Alumni Achievement, Distinguished Teaching, and Outstanding Staff awards, as well as College Service Awards and need-based scholarships, reflect the Alumni Association's commitment to, and perspective of, the UCSC academic mission, heritage and values.
c. Encourage alumni and alumni groups, particularly through the reunion process, to participate in activities and projects that connect them with current UCSC students (mentoring, networking, etc.)
OUTREACH PROGRAMS
COMMITTEE PLAN
Committee's Charge: The Outreach Programs Committee sets policy and standards for: regional events and the chartered regional chapters; career programs that include: career conferences and panels sponsored by the Career Center, Multicultural Connections Conference, the Career Advice Network (CAN) and joint UC Career Conferences; the legislative advocacy program; student outreach programs, Admissions outreach programs and special events. The committee approves funding requests for non-college-based requests.
Committee Members: Linda Ziskin, chair; Adilah Barnes; Sandor Nagyszalanczy; Dominador Siababa; Daren Lewis; Allison Garcia, Alumni Office staff liaison.
Committee Goals
1. Offer programs and opportunities that encourage alumni to maintain lifelong connection with UCSC.
a. Regional events: Coordinate one or more events each year in regional chapter areas and in areas that are developing regional committees. Those events allow alumni to enliven their connection to the campus without traveling to Santa Cruz.
b. Alumni volunteer involvement: Bring alumni directly into the work of the Association by collaborating with them on the coordination and promotion of regional events. Motivate councilors to attend regional events in their areas to encourage the vitality and growth of chapters and maintain the connection between alumni groups and the campus. Promote participation in student outreach and mentoring, college fairs, and legislative advocacy.
c. Regional alumni chapter boards: Provide training, coordination, administration, and material support for alumni volunteer boards. Those chapters provide a local Alumni Association presence in areas near and far from the campus.
d. Regional chapter board development: Identify and cultivate volunteers in order to reinvigorate chapter boards and ensure robust programming in the key alumni population centers of Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz.
e. Continue offering and supporting the various career conferences in which alumni can play a mentorship role or participate as individuals seeking a new career or networking opportunity. The Multicultural Connections Conference as well as the All-UC Career Conference provide opportunities to reach out to a diverse population of alumni.
f. Continue educating and encouraging participation in the Legislative Conference in Sacramento, utilizing alumni skills to influence legislators on pertinent issues to UCSC and the entire UC system.
g. Encourage regional chapters to develop their own home pages and create links on the Association's Web site.
h. Encourage alumni participation in UCSC recruitment events, such as high school college fairs and Banana Slug Spring Fair.
i. Offer support to the newly formed affinity groups: Black Escargot (African American/Black Alumni), Latino Alumni Network (LAN), and Gay, lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Alumni.
2. Support activities that attract students to UCSC, enrich the student experience, and help students succeed at UCSC and after.
a. Raise scholarship funds through regional events: Support students financially by raising funds for scholarships through events such as the Alumni Vintners Wine Tasting.
b. Encourage councilors to connect with colleges: Encourage career mentoring, the Multicultural Connections Conference, and events at which councilors and current students mingle. Invite current students to (summer) regional events.
c. Support student life by participating in classes and events that enrich student life&emdash;enhancing academic programs at each of the colleges.
d. In cooperation with the Career Center, develop career-networking opportunities on the Web.
3. Actively support the university's effort to encourage diversity.
a. Support campus-related activities for outreach and retention of a diverse student population. Recruit alumni to participate in the Multicultural Connections Conference as well as in various retention programs.
b. Encourage formation and development of affinity groups.
c. Involve alumni volunteers in Admissions outreach.
4. Participate in the development and implementation of policies affecting UCSC.
a. To encourage alumni involvement, offer volunteer opportunities which include: serving on the Alumni Association Council or chapter boards; career networking with students and alumni; assisting with student recruitment; participating in the legislative advocacy program; and sitting on campus committees.
b. Create a current issues site on the Web and include chapter involvement opportunities.
c. Maintain a strong relationship with the Academic Senate.
Develop and encourage collaboration with provosts and councilors. Seek out and publicize opportunities for alumni presence on major campus committees.
d. Maintain activism on issues (e.g., Narrative Evaluation System, the colleges, and undergraduate teaching) by supporting and continuing campus-based programs and events.
e. Encourage chapters to host activities that attract attendance by legislators or their staff.
f. Continue to develop the legislative advocacy program, increasing participation in the AAUC legislative conference, placing an emphasis on specific programmatic UCSC and UC funding needs.
5. Develop programs to engage faculty and students in an ongoing discussion of the UCSC academic mission, heritage, and values.
a. Provide support for colleges and departments financially, and encourage alumni participation in sponsored events.
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
DEVELOPMENT
COMMITTEE PLAN
Committee's Charge: The purpose of the Development Committee is to serve as a liaison between the Alumni Association Council and both University Relations and the UCSC Foundation in order to support the efforts of all three organizations. This committee designs and oversees the fund-raising initiatives for special projects to benefit UC Santa Cruz.
Committee Members: Ken Doctor, chair; LizAnne Jensen; John Laird; Michael Twombly; Linda Wilshusen; Robert Weiner; Jennifer Wood and Matt Henry (Development staff).
1. Offer programs and opportunities that encourage alumni to maintain a lifelong connection with UCSC.
a. Initiate reunion giving efforts by conducting personal solicitations, and sending class mailings that encourage attendance at the Banana Slug Spring Fair and participation in the Class Gift Program.
b. Solicit current alumni councilors by telephone and in person by December 31 of each year with a goal of achieving 100 percent donor participation for gifts to UC Santa Cruz with an emphasis on support to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund (AASF).
c. Solicit past alumni councilors (from 1992 to 2000) by telephone and in person by June 30 each year with a goal of achieving 50 percent donor participation for gifts to UC Santa Cruz with an emphasis to support the AASF.
d. Inform fellow alumni about the importance of private support to UC Santa Cruz by submitting articles on fund-raising activities to the UCSC Review and the Banana Slug Bulletin.
2. Support activities that attract students to UCSC, enrich the student experience, and help students succeed at UCSC and after.
a. Continue strategic planning and campaign implementation to increase the AASF endowment so that the number of multi-year scholarship recipients may increase.
b. Solicit all members of the Alumni Association by phone or mail for gifts to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund with members of the Development Committee reviewing lead letters. Prioritize the process of retaining and upgrading our current donor base.
c. Communicate the purpose and importance of the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund with a brochure that focuses on award recipients with details on their UCSC experience and their successes after UCSC. Update brochure as necessary.
d. Encourage alumni contact with students by inviting top alumni donors to the Alumni Scholarship Fund as guests to the annual awards luncheon which honors the recipients of the Alumni Scholarship Fund.
3. Actively support the university's efforts to encourage diversity.
a. The Development Committee will select Scholarship Fund recipients who qualify for financial assistance and also represent a variety of cultural and experiential backgrounds.
4. Participate in the development and implementation of policies affecting UCSC.
a. Obtain 50 percent participation from the Development Committee in Legislative Advocacy Day in Sacramento.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE PLAN
Committee's Charge: The Membership Committee shall manage and enhance all membership development/revenue-generating activities, including membership solicitations and benefits, travel program, loan program, credit card program, insurance program, and corporate sponsorships.
Committee Members: Richard Hall, chair; Mark Adams; Michael Brown; Aaron Cole; Carol Hoshizaki; Patrick Walker; Alumni Association staff liaisons: Lisa Bono, Doreen Schack, Janny Tang.
1. Offer programs and opportunities which encourage alumni to maintain a lifelong connection with UCSC.
a. To create a two-way conversation between members of the Alumni Association and campus leadership, use the Banana Slug Bulletin, the telephone, the Internet, and other media to survey and gather input from Association members on statewide and campuswide issues affecting the university. Advocate for Alumni OpEd articles and letters to the editor in the BSB as a way to promote dialogue.
b. To encourage more timely communication, gather email addresses from alumni and promote Association activities and campus news via email through the "E-Slug Bulletin".
c. Offer a lifetime email forwarding address to members.
d. To better serve the needs of graduating seniors, explore extending
email privileges and expanding services via the Internet.
e. To foster a stronger affiliation with UCSC, encourage more alumni to join the Alumni Association by providing benefits and access to campus services.
f. To retain members of the Alumni Association, send up to five reminder bills after an individual's membership has lapsed.
g. To reinstate lapsed members, offer special campaigns that will encourage lapsed members to rejoin the Alumni Association.
h. To acquire new members, conduct at least one solicitation that goes to all non-members annually.
i. To provide alumni with a "point of connection with the campus," the Alumni Association Office provides alumni with information and acts as a referral service via telephone and by written correspondence. Explore providing a dedicated "alumni desk" in-office where alumni can use a computer and other resources to conduct a job search or apply to graduate school.
j. To provide a way for alumni to keep in touch with one another, publish an all-alumni directory in the year 2000.
k. Create and maintain the option for alumni to make payments, sign up for events and membership, and make changes to their biographical information on the Web.
2. Support activities that attract students to UCSC, enrich the student experience, and help students succeed at UCSC and after.
a. To offer direct financial support in the form of need-based scholarships, continue to encourage Alumni Association members to make donations to the UCSC Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
b. To offer alumni service, resources and expertise to students, encourage alumni to participate in career networking programs and mentorship programs; assist with student recruitment; participate in the legislative advocacy program; and serve on campus and systemwide committees.
c. To provide funding for all Association programs and services offered to the campus and to students, continue to raise money through the membership dues program and other revenue-generating programs of the Alumni Association.
d. To offer financial support to the colleges and campus, continue to transfer a percentage of the annual membership revenue to the college funds for the support of activities and services that benefit students at the colleges (college-based courses, college nights, Stevenson junior fellows, college service awards, equipment purchases, and capital improvements, etc.).
e. To enhance undergraduate education, continue to provide the resources for an endowment for a visiting professor to teach courses and seminars at the colleges. The Distinguished Visiting Professor Endowment, which rotates among the colleges, was originally established with membership dues income.
3. Actively support the university's effort to encourage diversity.
a. To provide career information and mentorship relationships for students of color, continue to financially support and encourage alumni members to participate in the annual Multicultural Connections Conference (formerly known as the Students of Color Conference).
b. To provide support for current students, expand the mentorship opportunities between alumni and students.
c. To assist the university in acquiring a diverse student body, encourage alumni to participate in Admissions outreach programs and events.
4. Participate in the development and implementation of policies affecting UCSC.
a. To involve alumni in the development of policies affecting the campus, request alumni representation on committees that make those policy decisions.
b. To better inform our members and get their input on issues related to campus policies, create timely and interactive communication vehicles via email, the membership newsletter, and phone surveys.
c. To involve alumni in statewide policy discussions, encourage members to: participate in the Legislative Conference; contact their legislators; and act as spokespersons for the University of California.
5. Develop programs to engage faculty and students in an ongoing discussion of the UCSC academic mission, heritage, and values.
a. To define UCSC's tradition, culture and values, gather a group of alumni, students, and faculty together to discuss those issues.
b. To maintain UCSC's culture and values, explore ways to promote them to students, faculty and administrators.