Increase engagement and volunteer options for alumni through the support of regional networks and support career development opportunities for both alums and student

Council Champions: Monica Rodriguez ‘12 and Michelle Pham ‘15
Highlighted FY22 accomplishments:

✔ Collaborated with staff to provide feedback and suggestions to make the Bates Alumni webpage more user-friendly

✔ Supported the college’s career advancement programs including the Bates Bridge and advocated for participation and engagement with the platform

✔ Participated in conversations to support the Professional Development series and offered suggestions for next year’s programs and new topics for Lighthouse Career Associates to consider

✔ Identified regional leaders and initiated conversations to promote uniformity throughout the regional networks. This includes a plan to start calls (2-3/year) with regional leaders this summer to talk about what has been most successful in their areas re: programming/promotions/etc. and what they would like to try for programs as we move into in-person/virtual/hybrid-style events

✔ We had a very strong Alumni Council presence and participation at each of the regional events with President Spencer. For these events, we had four members attend in Boston, three members attend in NYC, and one member attend in Washington, D.C. We also had one member participate in a virtual event, sponsored by the class of 1985

Ensure that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are a central component of the Council’s work 

Council Champions: Leah Elsmore ‘12
Highlighted FY22 accomplishments:

✔ Worked to create an Alumni Council Equity and Inclusion mission statement to ensure that these principles are a central component of the work of the Council

✔ Supported Bates staff on broader strategic direction of DEI and alumni engagement, providing input on alumni events and engagement strategies

✔ Promoted DEI events by sharing and promoting upcoming events with alumni networks

Recognition of Alumni Excellence

Council Champions:  Jen Crawford ‘01
2022 Alumni Award Winners:

• Alumni Community Service Award: Carlton Finch ’45, Carolyn McNamara ’08, and Amanda Webb Dickerson ‘01
• Distinguished Young Alumni Award: Allen Kendunga ’18, and Mikey Pasek ‘12
• Sesquicentennial Prize: Jeff Tulis ‘72
• Bruce Stangle Award for Distinguished Service: David Morris ‘89
• Helen A. Papaioanou Distinguished Service Award: Sally Ehrenfried ‘89
• Alumni Professional Recognition Award: Lisa Marshall Schwiebert ’86, and Natalie Adler ‘92

In 2022, the Council created a new Professional Recognition Award as we recognized a gap in our ability to highlight alumni excellence and engage more alums.

We received 19 new nominations for the 2022 Alumni Awards.

Governance – FY22

Process Improvements:

✔ Continued to utilize a schedule of shorter, yet more frequent virtual Council meetings to continue our work more efficiently and effectively through the COVID-19 pandemic

✔ Began the process of a thorough bylaw review to ensure that all procedures are reflective of the evolution of the Alumni Association.

✔ Reevaluated our new member nomination and vetting processes to better ensure genuinely diverse alumni representation on the Alumni Council.

Membership:

✔ We received 25 nominations in FY2022 for the Alumni Council.

✔ New members who will be joining the Alumni Council this fall: Chuck James ’78, Natalie Rodriguez ’92, Matthew Bogyo ’93, Patrick Quirk ‘03, and Henry T. “Hank” Geng ’13

✔ The following members have completed their second term on the Alumni Council and will be rolling off: Jeremy Chase ’91, Mike Hogan ’85, and Tracy O’Mara Peacock ’94.

FY22 Guiding Principles of Leadership

✔ Continued to increase the Alumni Council profile among the Bates community by advertising awards and new member nominations, alumni events, and giving opportunities

✔ Ensured that the Alumni Council has 100% participation in the Bates Fund to support the operations of the college

✔ Participated in in-person events when possible as the college began to pivot back to pre-pandemic networking opportunities