Alumni Relations Chair

Professional/Personal Attributes necessary for the position:  

• Organizational skills, multi-tasking, interpersonal skills (lots of contact with vendors, alumni of the year nominees, students, faculty, alumni, donors, sponsors -- by phone and in person)

School/Work Schedule needed for the position:  

• Must have lots of flexibility in schedule, as workload fluctuates a lot.  As event draws near, there is very little time for other responsibilities, so an understanding boss is necessary to manage time efficiently.  Lots of work must be done during the workday to accommodate the vendors’ hours, so I ended up doing a lot of my RA work and schoolwork in the evenings.  The hectic schedule is really only for the couple months before the event.  The rest of the year is low-key.  Must attend all SGA meetings.

Responsible for SGA Student and Alumni Dinner in the spring. 

Position Description: 

• Ave # of hours spent per week:  8
• In the Fall:     2
• In the Spring:    10-20

• Fall: decide on a date, decide on a theme, start searching for caterers, get nominations for alumni of the year, begin proposal for GPSS funding, finalize address list for invitations, request funding from AARP

• Spring:  make sure GPSS funding is secured with the VP, order invitations, get rsvp from alumni of the year, order alumni of the year plaque, send out invitations, collect rsvps, order food, order tables and chairs from Classic Party Rentals if Maria Henke doesn’t have them, order PA system from Instructional Media Services if the school can’t provide, get alcohol approval form from hospitality services, get door prizes if you want, decorations must be arranged, etc.

• Most of the work must be done in the Spring.  Planning ahead and organization help keep things to a timeline, but there is no getting around that many of the tasks have to be taken care of a couple months prior to the event.

• Once the event has occurred, amount of time goes down to about one hour a week or less. 

The alumni chair should rally a committee of helpers and divide tasks to make them more manageable.  The alumni chair is overseen by the vice president.  Fundraising committee should work with the alumni chair to get funds for the dinner.  The VP should stay involved to report how the event is coming along and to collaborate on ideas.  The work can be handled individually or divided amongst the committee.  Support from staff, such as May and Trevor, is crucial in printing and designing invitations unless the alumni chair has ample time to devote to the project.