RACHEL JOHNSON
Staff Writer
When Pepperdine administrators learned from a recent survey that their alumni council was not up to par, school officials and faculty decided to revamp the organization.
After a formal self-review process that lasted about six months, it was found that the Alumni Board was not in an appropriate position to react to the pressing needs of Pepperdine graduates.
During the past year, an alumni task force, composed of current and former board members and an outside group of alumni leaders, began the process of devising guidelines and principles for a more effective council.
Their efforts resulted in the creation of the Alumni Leadership Council. The mission of the council is to “advance the university by developing and strengthening life-long relationships between the university and its alumni by serving as leaders who fully embrace the university’s mission.”
Other objectives include developing lifelong relationships with faculty and staff and facilitating social and intellectual participation among alumni to foster a deeper concern among graduates. The council also emphasizes on maintaining connections between alumni and Pepperdine staff to provide opportunities for careers after graduation.
“Educating students early on as to what awaits them as future alumni is key,” said Cathy Kort, executive director of Annual Funds and Alumni Affairs who serves as an adviser and facilitator to the ALC. “Helping provide job opportunities before graduation through a vast alumni network and national chapters will come through advocacy from the ALC.”
Unlike past alumni council, the ALC will develop high-level strategic planning and close alignment with university priorities and initiatives. Council members hope to make communication of alumni events and opportunities clearer and more accessible to graduates. Another goal is to become a global entity, reaching out to graduates all over the world.
“The new ALC will encourage our alumni to stay deeply involved with us, not only in Malibu, but across the United States and around the world,” said Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton.
The council is structuring committees whose members will be responsible for providing input on proposed strategic plans and voting on newly created bylaws.
A formal calendar is being set with members hoping to make Homecoming weekend the date for the true launch of the council.
It will take the council five years to finalize the bylaws and complete the strategic planning process. Members will work closely with all five of the university’s schools to determine alumni-based priorities that coincide with campus initiatives.
Benton appointed Bob Clark, a 1979 alum from the Graduate School of Business and Management and parent of two Seaver students, to the position of ALC president. Clark is an active Pepperdine alumni chapter leader in his hometown of Denver and will serve as ALC president for two years.
“The day a student enters Pepperdine, they should start thinking about graduation and what comes afterwards,” Clark said. “The sooner you can start networking with alumni, the better your chances are for finding a job after graduation, or even before graduation.”
Kort said the purpose of the council is to create and nurture a sense of life-long community among Pepperdine graduates.
“We call on ALC members to help us know how we can do a better job reaching out to our alumni,” Kort said. “We want alumni to see Pepperdine as an important resource and a place they can always call home.”
11-02-2006