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Building and Sustaining an Alumni Advisory Board

Learn how the Eta Upsilon Chapter at the University of Texas at Arlington successfully built and sustained an Alumni Advisory Board to improve chapter engagement, recruitment, and academic performance. Discover their strategies, challenges, and outcomes.

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Building and Sustaining an Alumni Advisory Board

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  1. Building and Sustaining an Alumni Advisory Board Eta Upsilon Chapter – The University of Texas at Arlington Andy Axsom, Chapter Advisor (Rockhurst, Kappa Epsilon ’98) Grant Cowan, Recruitment Advisor (Missouri, Alpha Nu ’00)

  2. Eta Upsilon – At a Glance • Chartered in 1973, closed in 2000 (hazing, low membership, etc.) • Re-colonized in 2004 with Colony Advisor (Andy) and 8 Advisors (all but 2 were UTA alumni) • Undergraduates – Good, but not great • 40-50 man chapter, Good Tier II Fraternity • Known for Campus Involvement, Sorority Relations • Alumni – Good, but not great • Involved alumni from mid-80s to mid-90s

  3. 2004-2007 Can’t See the Forest for the Trees • Made large push to get chartered, then advisors vanished (call me if you need anything) • Number of engaged advisors dwindled from 8 to 2 • Tone of the chapter was quickly turning away from Fraternity’s Core Values • Had to deal with a recruitment infraction that resulted in the Chapter losing their fall pledge class (first insight into the ramifications of having poor University relations)

  4. 2007-2008Refocusing the AAB • Purged the roster of advisors who had moved on • Focused on recruiting those who 1) would get involved, 2) had time to devote, 3) espoused Fraternity values • Recruited 5 advisors from different chapters and 5 from UTA, all with varied backgrounds • Made concerted effort to engage recent alumni who were Re-Founding Fathers • Assigned them to officer(s) and put them in front of the Chapter at retreats, meetings, events

  5. Organization & Communication • Advisors were put into specific roles because of 1) career field, 2) held that office as an undergrad, 3) desire to assist in that area, 4) chapter deficiency in that area • Quarterly meetings (July, October, January, April) • Agenda e-mailed at least 3 weeks and 2-3 days prior • Minutes e-mailed within 1-2 weeks of meeting • Varied meeting places (conference rooms, prior to chapter retreat, meeting with Chapter Consultant, casual dinner, recruitment events, etc.) • Each advisor provided a list of duties and expected time commitment and asked to sign a commitment form

  6. Advisors by the Numbers

  7. Fall 2007Eliminating the Country Club • Post-Chartering Lull – Men were unmotivated and not upholding Pike values • Development of a Strategic Plan to combat this • Set minimum expectations and hold men accountable • Being proactive rather than reactive • SWOT Analysis to critically assess state of Chapter • Help undergraduates develop comprehensive programming so as to not reinvent the wheel • Develop Chapter Vision, Mission and Core Values

  8. Spring 2008Overhauling the Infrastructure • Distributed Leadership • 4 VPs to 2 VPs • Gave everyone a position • Used Alumni as Academic Coaches • 2.36 Fall GPA meant there were 16 men below the minimum standard for membership • Instituted weekly meetings to discuss academic progress, study skills, time management • Awarded $800 in scholarships (Pike U Scholarship Account) to send 26 men to Dallas Leadership Summit

  9. Chapter Outcomes in 2007-2008 • 2/3 of the Chapter have participated in at least 1 Pike U event (33 went in 2007-2008) • 69% increase in initiations (13 in 2006-2007, 22 in 2007-2008) • 0.12 increase in GPA (2.36 in Fall 2007 to 2.48 in Spring 2008) through our Academic Coach Program • Increase in Alumni Programming and Participation (Pike Shrimpfest, Golf Tournament, Recruitment, Football Watching Parties) • Discussions about building a house

  10. Top 10 Ways to Build and Sustain an AAB 10. Leverage Technology to maximize AAB 9. Utilize Campus & Fraternity Resources 8. Use Goals as the Universal Language 7. Account for 50% Participation by AAB 6. Put Alumni in front of Chapter early and often 5. Revisit the Structure and Makeup of the AAB 4. Protect the “Pike Brand” but recruit externally 3. Groom Young Alumni for participation 2. Allow for Test Drives before Purchase 1. Set specific time and involvement expectations

  11. Challenge • Involve at least 3 new people in advising this fall • 1) Trusted Pike, 2) Young Alum, 3) Non-Pike or Campus Resource or Female • Provide alumni speakers for: 1) Recruitment Event, 2) Pledge Education Event, and 3) Continuing Education Event on Career Development • Spend less time managing (working on the house, mitigating conflict, etc.) and more time helping the Chapter develop goals, action plans and long-range planning

  12. Questions? Andy Axsom – aaxsom@hsc.unt.edu Grant Cowan – gcowan@strandusa.com http://www.utapikes.org

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