News from the University of Alumni Association (URAA)

Meeting Summary
University of Richmond Alumni Association (URAA) Board of Directors
November 6, 2009

The University of Richmond (URAA) Board of Directors met on 6 November 2009, Homecoming Weekend. We had the pleasure of hearing from various University leaders as they shared information in their areas of responsibility:

• Head Football Coach Mike London, R’83, inspired us with his approach to coaching, which includes knowing the ‘whole’ athlete.
• Tom Gutenberger, B’87, Vice President for Advancement, introduced Bonnie Devlin from Washburn & McGoldrick, to discuss why and how a university plans for a capital  campaign.
• Michelle Wamsley, Assistant Vice President for Corporation, Foundation and Government Relations, shared information regarding public funding the University receives from these sources.
• Gil Villanueva, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Admission, and Michael Kabbaz, Director of Admission, each shared some facts about the admission process and the Class of 2013 specifically.

URAA President, Tracey Holgren Ivey, B’82, reminded us that UR has new construction going on, while other schools have halted expansions and renovations, or have put planning efforts on hold. The URAA Board took a hardhat tour of the Carole Weinstein International Center and Robins Stadium. The URAA Board will work to encourage alumni to come back for Homecoming2010 which will include the first football season in Robins Stadium.

Under President Ivey’s leadership, the URAA Board’s main focus this year is connecting with our alumni more often and more meaningfully through ‘topic specific’ alumni programming at the regional level. The board has targeted six cities this year: Boston, Chicago, NYC, Washington DC, Richmond and Miami. Stay tuned….

URAA Board members sit on one of three internal councils that have a specific focus and functionality within the Board. The Outreach Council is currently working on the implementation of the ‘topic specific’ regional programs in the targeted cities listed above.

• The Planning and Operations Council is monitoring our budget, guiding the allocation of funding, and making sure our policies and procedures are up to date and in compliance with the relevant regulations.
• The Membership Council is collecting information regarding possible candidates for the Distinguished Alumni Award and continues to think about and record names of potential board candidates.

The URAA Board is also conducting conference calls with regional/chapter leaders on a quarterly basis to share information about the University and to connect these leaders so they can share ideas and program successes with each other.