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Cornell Alumni Federation Speaker Series | How to make the most of faculty speakers

Each spring, Cornell faculty hit the road to speak with alumni across the map. Thanks to support from Cornell Visa card royalties, the Cornell Alumni Federation Faculty Speaker Series has expanded and now reaches almost all of the eighty-plus Cornell Clubs and Alumni Associations. Organizers of clubs ranging from thirty to 1,300 members report that having a faculty speaker is often the signature event of their annual program. What lessons from club leaders might expand this outreach and extend the intellectual excitement of campus to even more alumni? In other words: how do we put more bodies in seats?

Content: Besides wine-tasting-- always a crowd-pleaser--what topics have a large draw? Alumni respond to subjects that are current, practical, and directly connected to their life or community. Smart event organizers look for a "hook" for their community --such as Martha Haynes, Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy, speaking at the Arizona Science Center. Alumni Affairs staff will match expert faculty speakers with the topics volunteers identify.

Communications: Clubs should try to make the seven impressions that marketers say are needed to motivate. The first is a high-quality invitation designed and mailed by Alumni Affairs staff. Follow up with four e-mail reminders--they're not a burden to your audience if each is brief and upbeat. Making announcements at a prior event or on your website is free. And finally, if you really want to fill those seats, divide up the membership list and start placing personal telephone calls a week in advance.

Format: "Drive-time" receptions are eclipsing evening dinners as the most frequent type of event. The critical program bookends before and after the speech allow ample time for fellowship on one end and questions on the other. For managing the content in the middle, experienced emcees remind us that brevity and punctuality are the keys to successful events.

Affordability: Most clubs would like to have a low-cost or free event. The hors d'oeuvres reception format is probably the most cost-effective. Inexpensive venues can be found at churches/synagogues and colleges/ universities, or at members' offices or private clubs. Low-cost catering is often available from a friendly vendor or a local Cornellian. Members may donate a sampling of wine or loan audio-visual equipment. Dinner functions can include a dessert-only option, and club receptions can have a dinner-after option.

Synergistic collaboration: Many clubs have extrapolated from their Ivy collaborations to partner with other organizations. An appropriate hook can be the basis for a co-sponsored event with a high-profile local institution. For example, Nutritional Genomics fostered a joint event with a health club, the Plantations with a botanical garden, and Food Safety with a culinary institute. The collaborator may be able to provide a venue and resources that reduce expenses and attract additional attendance, while generating local recognition for Cornell.

Publicity: Events in collaboration with local institutions may be worthy of local media attention. In some cases, press releases by clubs have yielded radio and television interviews with the visiting Cornell professor. Other than the limitation that the flier mailed from campus cannot advertise for-profit organizations, clubs are free to co-promote with organizations and companies.

Location, location: Upscale,"cool," or new venues can indeed draw guests, but seasoned planners note that the decision to attend is equally influenced by practical matters. A convenient location with parking is important to our senior set, commuters, and those needing to get home to the family. A comfortable room with intimacy, unobstructed visibility, and good acoustics trumps "cool."

Invitees: To paraphrase Ezra, " would found an event where any person . . . " Clubs should cast a wide net, with invitations stating that all alumni, parents, family, and friends are welcome. Invitations are also often extended to CAAAN contacts at high schools and to accepted high school seniors and their families.

Specials: Some clubs get doubleduty out of their spring mailings. Alumni who are not yet members are invited to join by the time of the event and receive the next year's club membership as a bonus. Some clubs have injected fun extras into the event, such as a mini-auction or a quiz with prizes.

When faculty visit your alumni club or association, welcome them with a strong turnout. For further ideas, contact the Alumni Affairs staff (607-255-2390) or fellow alumni event organizers. Best wishes for successful faculty speaker events in 2005!

By Larry Taylor ’73

Welcome to the Board | New Alumni-Elected Trustees Take Office

The four-year terms of alumnielected trustees Cheryl Parks Francis '76 and Robert Huret '65 officially began on July 1, 2004. Francis, a former executive vice president and chief financial officer for RR Donnelley and Sons, received her MBA from the University of Chicago and now lives in Burr Ridge, Illinois. The mother of a Cornell sophomore, she's an active alumna in class and regional events. Huret, a general partner in Financial Technology Ventures in San Francisco, California, received an MBA from Harvard and served for many years on the Cornell University Council Administrative Board; his two daughters graduated from Cornell. Both new trustees have been active alumni and board members of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

While large compared to many university boards, Cornell's Board of Trustees is seen as one of the best among its peers in terms of collegiality and effectiveness. One key to that success has been in the attention given to welcoming new members. In June, Francis and Huret joined the five other new board- and studentelected trustees in an orientation at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Their orientation included presentations from the medical school and discussions with President Jeffrey Lehman '77, Board Chair Peter Meinig '61, and other senior members of the administration, along with committee meetings.

The two new members were reminded that trustees have the responsibility to set policy and oversee the management of Cornell, leaving operation and execution to the administration and staff. Using case studies, Provost Biddy Martin, University Counsel Jim Mingle, and Vice President Susan Murphy '73, PhD '94, discussed how balancing competing interests at Cornell can be quite difficult (such as when a trustee is approached by an interest group or individual for a specific favor). Additionally, while a trustee may have been appointed or elected by a specific constituency, once on the board the trustee needs to make decisions that are in the best interests of the entire institution, not just a certain group.

"I was struck by the time and attention that was invested into orientation of the new trustees," says Francis, who attended committee meetings on a wide range of topics. Each new trustee is assigned a mentor to help learn the ropes. Trustees are actively encouraged to be involved in one or more of the board's many committees and to participate in all decisions that affect students, faculty, and alumni. Huret, who credits Trustee Emeritus Mary Falvey '63 with helping him reconnect to Cornell many years ago, says that getting fellow grads to take an active role in University affairs will be a priority. "I want to be a reconnection catalyst for other Cornell alumni," he says, "encouraging even wider participation and involvement."

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