September 2015
Well the summer seemed to not last as long as we all hoped, and now we’re in the beginning of a new
school year. As you all know, Tim Brandt retired in April, and I’m trying to fill the shoes of guy with a
lot of wisdom and knowledge.
This summer we started repairing the parking lot. This is a recurring maintenance item, and we can
expect such repairs every 3 to 5 years. You may also have noticed the stairs located on 13 th street have
deteriorated in recent years, creating a potential safety hazard. We intend to replace the stairs and
install handrails on both sides to ensure safety in both directions. As for the city sidewalks surrounding
the building, there are some uneven spots we will either replace or grind down as appropriate to provide
a flat walking surface. There has also been some discussion about if and when the sidewalk at the corner
of Oread and 13th will need to be replaced. I have proposed having a 3 foot Jayhawk stamped and having
it stained at the corner when this event happens.
In the past, Tim worked on converting some of our traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting to
more energy efficient LED lighting. I will be continuing this conversion as bulbs quit working, including
converting the fluorescent T8’s to LED. I’ve found that some companies have a direct replacement that
doesn’t require the ballast to be changed. This will save time and money when replacement happens.
During the week of September 14th we are scheduled to start the replacement of our 32 year old roof. We
are replacing the old aggregate roof with a 60mil TPO membrane roof. This will take about 1 week
depending on weather. The new roof will help reduce heat in the attic because of its white material and
should help with our energy costs to cool the 3rd floor. Also, the weight of the new roof is much lighter
than the original aggregate roof from 1983, and the weight reduction might help reduce any drywall
cracking in the floors below. We obtained 3 competitive bids for the replacement and chose Diamond
Everley, a local roofing company, for the project. They have helped with repairs to our roof in the past
and using them will save us a pretty penny.
You might have noticed that most of the interior banquet room doors now stay open without door stops.
I was able to fiddle with air pressure and gauges in the mechanical room to accomplish this. The
current air actuated system is considered outdated technology and will ultimately need to be replaced.
The estimated cost to replace the old air actuated openers/closers with a new electromagnetic system is
$16,000-$20,000. Therefore, we plan to continue working with the current system and repairing it as
needed.
Ben Shepley
Director of Adams Alumni Center
Alumni Programs Board Report
September 2015
It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the conclusion of another Hawk Days of Summer and have
welcomed back thousands of students to the Hill to kick off the 2015-2016 academic year. The
Association has certainly had its share of transition and change this summer with the departures of
Kevin Corbett and Mike Davis and interim roles for Heath Peterson and I, but the Programs
department has continued to move full steam ahead with the conclusion of the Hawk Days schedule and
rolling right into a full slate of fall events.
As a department, we are extremely thankful for the hard work and leadership over the last decade-plus
from Kevin and Mike that has laid the foundation for the continued success of the Association in the
future. We are also excited by the opportunities in front of us as we continue to implement new
strategies and measures that have come from the board discussion led by Mike Swenson and follow up
discussions last spring. The specific focus of the programs team will continue to be on efficiency, highimpact programming, and Presidents Club opportunities moving forward.
We are excited to share lots of updates in our board reports and at the committee meeting in
September, but I’ll also give you a few highlights here:

Hawk Days of Summer has come to a close with approximately 80 events in a 90-day timespan.
The entire staff put in a lot of miles this summer and our focus on quality of events over quantity
has created a better experience for alumni and staff as we come into the school year with a bit
more gas in the tank while still spreading the Association’s message and gaining new members
throughout the country.

The annual conclusion of the Hawk Days of Summer schedule of events happened on August 21
with a highly successful KU Kickoff at Corinth Square in Kansas City. Without a doubt, this was
the best weather we’ve ever had for this massive outdoor event and the high-energy atmosphere
for the several thousand Jayhawks that attended was a result of lots of hard work and planning
from our staff (and a new football coach with plenty of enthusiasm to share didn’t hurt either).

Our new online programming tool has proved to be extremely popular for alumni as our “Third
Thursday” all-alumni events continue to see great participation. We also created a summer
networking series as an addition to the Hawk Days schedule that focused on industry-specific
events that have also been highly successful in both attracting new members who want to
participate and engaging current members in a new way. We have also begun to hear from our
campus partners who would like to partner with us on these in the future, so we are excited by
the possibilities this new platform provides us.

We continue to rollout the Key Performance Indicators to network boards throughout the state
and country in addition to a newly-developed volunteer resource kit that will both provide
increased clarity and direction for volunteers and their roles in serving KU moving forward.
Thank you, as always, for your leadership in making KUAA such a strong organization that is such a
positive resource for KU. We look forward to seeing you in September. Rock Chalk!
Brad Eland
Assistant VP, Alumni Programs
KU Alumni Association
Kansas City Programs
National Board Report – September 2015
The start of a new fiscal or school year, always brings change and a chance for a fresh start. Our Kansas
City Network is embracing this opportunity as we welcome four new members to our board, a strong
slate of officers to lead the charge, and an exciting line up of events and programs.
Below is a list of officers and board members for 2015-2016. If you recognize any of the names below, I
hope you will reach out to congratulate them!
Greater Kansas City Alumni Network Officers:
President: Matt Taylor
Executive Vice-President: Lindsay Hare
Ex-officio President – Jim Brown
Secretary – Andrea Hayob
Executive Committee At- Large: Jace McClasky
Executive Committee At-Large: Susan Leonard
Chair, Rock Chalk Ball: Mark Frutiger
Co-Chair, Rock Chalk Ball: Jake Ballard
Chair, Community Awareness: Jessica Nelson
Co-Chair, Community Awareness: Christina Hopkins
Chair, Student Recruitment: Joe Mulvihill
Co-Chair, Student Recruitment: Portia Kibble-Smith
Board Members:
Jason Booker
Scott Fiss
Dwight Goodwin
Mallory Hannah
Sheri Hart
Grant Kollman
Alfred Murguia
Linda Ellis Sims
Mark VanBlaricum
Andrew Wank
This group has already been hard at work planning two new programs in Kansas City. The first is, what
we hope will be our networks signature program, a Jayhawk Networking Career Series. The first
networking and career development event was held in June, and hosted by Lexmark Enterprise
Software (formerly Perceptive Software). The goal of this series is to connect members and prospective
members in the largest Jayhawk network with business and industry leaders in our community. June 17
featured cocktails, light appetizers, and a unique opportunity to hear from Perceptive’s President and
CEO, Scott Coons, e’91. The KC Network Board takes great pride in the potential of this series, and is
working on a second program to highlight KU alum, and President/CEO of Dimensional Innovation,
Tucker Trotter, f’97, in October. We are also working with Endowment and our relationships with deans
and other university faculty to add a strong academic element to the series moving forward.
The second new program, was a Jayhawk Food Crawl held August 17-21. The KC Network hosted a week
of KU Alumni nights at different restaurants around our city. We asked each participating restaurant to
offer an Alumni Association member discount on the purchase of food. Additionally, we partnered with
KVC Health Systems, to provide donations of school supplies to foster children in need. This was a great
way to engage Jayhawks from every corner of the city, by bringing the Alumni Association to their
neighborhood. Our goal was to thank current members for their support, and to encourage nonmembers to join and save on their meal that evening (along with all of the other great benefits of
membership). Staff and volunteers were on hand to talk about current and upcoming network activities,
and the latest KU news. Below is a list of participating restaurants.
Monday, August 17 – Rock & Brews (Overland Park)
Tuesday, August 18 – Power & Light District with Royals Watch Party (downtown Kansas City)
Wednesday, August 19 – Grand Street Café (Lenexa)
Thursday, August 20 – Teocali Mexican Restaurant and Cantina (Kansas City, MO)
Friday, August 21 – Johnny’s Tavern (Prairie Village)
In addition to these new programs, we hosted a KU Alumni Night at Sporting Kansas City on July 18,
and sold 200 tickets to the game. This opportunity was open to members only, and while we were not
able to host a pre-game gathering, participants wore our signature Jayhawk stickers and saw a great
Sporting win with their fellow alumni.
Danny Lewis will report on the overall success of this year’s KU Kickoff at Corinth Square, but for the
fourth year in a row, the McLiney family hosted our Presidents Club members in a VIP tent, which
included a comfortable place to sit, relax, eat, and drink. This continues to be a favorite event for our
members and a special stewardship opportunity for those that support the Alumni Association at the
highest levels.
Finally to wrap up August, we partnered with the KU Edwards Campus on a TEDxKC watch party.
KUEC is a proud sponsor of TEDxKC, which until last year, boasted the largest TEDx community in the
world. The live talks were hosted at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. That event, as well as
the live simulcast next door in Helzberg Hall, sold out so quickly, that two independent watch sites were
designated to accommodate the growing number of people who want to participate in this program. It
was a fantastic opportunity for our network and the Alumni Association to get in front of a diverse
audience, all while supporting the efforts of the Edwards Campus.
To round out the fall, we are forging ahead with plans for our annual Hawktoberfest event at Boulevard
Brewery and the Vesper’s performance at Johnson County Community College on December 4th.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in Kansas City! We are just starting our planning for the 21 st Rock
Chalk Ball on Saturday, April 23, 2016, and I look forward to providing an update at our meeting in
January!
Thank you all and Rock Chalk!
Betsy Winetroub
Director of Kansas City Programs
KU Alumni Association
Wichita Programs
National Board Report – September 11th & 12th
Greetings from Wichita! We are in the final days of summer, kids are back in school and I can sense fall
is right around the corner. Summer has been filled with getting to know the excellent volunteers in
Wichita and preparing for the Jayhawk Roundup. In addition, we have been planning new and
engaging events for our local alumni and friends of KU.
Jayhawk Roundup:
The 13th annual Jayhawk Roundup is quickly approaching and I couldn’t be more excited! We are
celebrating the 150th anniversary of the University with a “Happy Birthday KU” party. This event has
become a favorite for local KU alumni and Jayhawk friends and this year will not disappoint! Glenn
and Camille Nyberg, our event chairs, have been leading the way with their leadership and support.
They have been vital in the success of preparing and planning in all areas of the event.
I am thrilled to announce we have special guests attending for the first time this year, Bill Self and Ted
Owens! We are excited to have the basketball coaches and it has created quite the buzz with our
Roundup guests. This year we have added a “VIP Reception” with our special guests. The reception will
be available to sponsors at the level of Crimson and Blue, Jayhawk Patron, and Jayhawk Benefactor, as
well as Presidents Club members. This has definitely brought some excitement for our guests and
encouraged attendees to become a high level sponsor. Our sponsorship committee has been led by Greg
Ek and with his excellent leadership we are going to have a great year!
The event will take place on Saturday, October 3rd at the Murfin stables. We are thankful to Dave and
Janet Murfin for their continued support and the perfect venue to have a fall Jayhawk party! The venue
will be festive with the help of Susan Younger and our hard working decorations chair, Chris Jeter. We
have had so much fun thinking of fun and creative ways to decorate with the KU birthday theme! We
would love to have you join us for this fun night filled with friends, dinner and dancing!
I have been working with our volunteers on the Wichita Network Board to create some exciting new
events for our local Jayhawks. With the buzz of football approaching we have found a new location to
have watch parties. The restaurant is owned by KU alumni who were eager to engage alumni and fans
of all ages. They will include fun tailgate themed games, the KU fight song, along with special food and
beer tapped from Free State to make guests feel like they are in Lawrence cheering on the Jayhawks. In
our hopes to bring value to alumni membership to recent graduates, we will be planning events for our
local young alumni. In order to engage all of our alumni members we have planned fun events such as a
beer tasting dinner and career networking events that will take place in the next few weeks.
The Wichita network board has been actively involved with community service. We held a blood drive
this summer at KU Med’s Wichita campus and exceeded our goal with the American Red Cross. The
board has also volunteered their time to help Habitat for Humanity with a rebuild project in Wichita.
The service will take place in September and we will partner with the KU Med staff and students. We
have also been actively involved with student recruitment efforts for our local high school students. We
will have board members volunteer their time to help with the “Preview KU” event in September. This
has been planned by the admissions department to share information about the University to
prospective students.
I could not be more excited to be in this position and helping Jayhawks engage and unite in Wichita!
The volunteers and leadership in this community is outstanding and with their continued support we
are going to do excellent things in the community. I appreciate all of your support and everything you
do! Rock Chalk!!
Danielle Hoover
Assistant Director of Wichita Programs
KU Alumni Association
National Network, International Network & Athletic Programs
September 11 & 12, 2015
It’s that time of year! 4,000 new & very young looking faces wondering campus looking for class and
driving the wrong way on Tennessee & Kentucky streets. Before we jump into this new school year,
here is a look back on this summer.

The KPI’s are now finished and we have begun scheduling meetings with our local alumni to roll
them out.

Our Seattle network hosted a reception with local alumni and the Engineering SELF fellows.
The SELF fellows were in town for tours of Microsoft, Amazon, the world’s largest floating
bridge and SpaceX to name a few. The reception was well attended and our alumni left beyond
impressed with the students. We will continue to partner on these types of events.

This summer, our NYC Network returned to the MET for a tour hosted by KU Alum & Associate
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Randall Griffey. We had over 50 alumni attend the
tour. Our networks in DC, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Denver and Colorado Springs
also hosted events this summer.

We hosted our last alumni event with Coach Beaty in Chicago at the end of July. As always, he
was great with the over 100 Jayhawks in attendance. Coach Beaty has already started asking
where we can go next summer to meet and interact with even more Jayhawks.

This year is KU’s 150th birthday and we’ll be partnering with KU Libraries to deliver their
Sesquicentennial archives to alumni around the state and the country. We hosted our first one
in Tulsa and have plans to host events in Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver
& Colorado Springs.

Tegan and Kelsey hosted a flying Jayhawks trip this summer in Europe. During their stop in
Strasbourg, France we hosted a reception for our alumni on the trip and local alumni. We had 9
local alumni travel to join our group and everyone had a great time connecting with Jayhawks
from halfway around the world.

With the excitement surrounding the men’s basketball team playing in the World University
games, we teamed up with our international outreach partners on campus and Shorelight
Education to host a reception in Seoul before the games started. The reception was open to all
alumni, current students home for the summer, incoming students, students studying abroad in
South Korea, and high students in Seoul that have expressed interest in KU. We were very
pleased with the turnout of 63 attendees.

This year marked the 10th year of our annual KU Kickoff at Corinth Square in Prairie Village. It
was definitely the best weather we’ve ever had in late August for this event. The crowd was our
best in the last 5 years, with between 4,500-5,000 attendees to hear Coach Beaty, Coach
Brandon, Dr. Zenger, and Heath Peterson kickoff another fall at KU.

We will host four road tailgates for KU Football this season at Rutgers, Iowa State, Texas, and
TCU.

Home tailgates this year will be hosted entirely in the Alumni Center. In years past, we’ve
reserved the downstairs for our on-campus academic partners. This year, we reserved it for our
members of the Alumni Association, instead of hosting them at the union as we did last year.
Our Presidents Club tailgate will still be on the second floor and KUAA members will be on the
first floor of the building. We hope to see many of you at home at away tailgates this fall!
Thank you for your support!
Danny Lewis
Director of Alumni Programs
KU Alumni Association
Coordinator of Alumni Programs Report-Board of Directors
September 2015
Greetings from the Hill!
What an exciting summer it has been! As always, it was great to see so many Jayhawks come out in
support of our events both in Kansas and nationally. In addition to the slate of programs, I was
fortunate enough to host my first Flying Jayhawks trip in June and July. It goes without saying, but two
weeks in the back of 4x4 safari vehicles while cruising around Botswana enabled us to solve many of the
world’s problems 
A few of the highlights from the summer events and programs:
 Hawkstock in Mulberry was once again a success! With Coach David Beaty as the featured guest,
over 100 Jayhawks of all ages came out for this evening of great food, festivities and football. A
special thank you goes out to our event hosts Jill and Reed Miller, along with the Simpson
family for allowing us to have yet another great event.
 Our Lawrence network leadership organized the first annual young alumni Mass Street pub
crawl in June. This was a great way to spend a blistering afternoon and also provided a great
networking opportunity for the 60 Jayhawks who began the “crawl.” The number who
completed the crawl remains classified.
 In addition to the pub crawl, our Lawrence volunteers organized the first Rock Chalk Block
Party in July. The event featured a live band, food trucks, bounce houses, and many other great
attractions.
 The Topeka network hosted the first ever young alumni event in August. The goal of this event
was not only to offer a great networking opportunity to our younger alumni in the Capital city,
but also to identify prospective volunteers to engage at the local level- much like we did in
Lawrence during the previous year.
 Many of our networks, both in Kansas and nationally have held their first quarter board
meetings. These initial meetings allow the volunteers to map out their goals for the upcoming
year. The network KPI document has been very helpful in establishing a clear direction for each
network and has been very well received by all volunteers who have reviewed it.
The fall promises to pick up right where the summer has left off. From networking events in Lawrence
and Austin to a reception with Steve Hawley in Houston, we can’t wait to get rolling.
Thank you for everything you do in support of the Association. Rock Chalk!
Tyler Rockers
Coordinator of Alumni Programs
Western Kansas and Eastern United States Networks
Greetings from the Hill! As we wrap up our busy summer of travel for ‘Hawk Days of Summer, we
prepare for the students to arrive back on campus. The fall semester means busy streets and traffic, a
campus full of anxious and excited students, dropping temperatures and football tailgates. We tend to
be busy year round, but this fall might be our best yet!
Kansas Networks
This year’s Hawk Days of Summer included several events throughout the state. Many of those events
were located in communities that have our strongest volunteer boards. We wanted to get out into the
communities and share news and answer questions regarding the University and the Alumni
Association.
The summer stared out with the Smoky Hill Golf Tournament. This year we had another great turnout
of teams, our usual delicious pig roast by Butch Billips, and our featured guests were former basketball
players Jeff Hawkins and Aaron Miles. Presidents Club members from the area enjoyed a reception the
night before at downtown hotspot Gella’s.
The Salina Steak Out was a bit earlier this summer, taking place the last Friday in May. We had over
120 Jayhawks attend. Our speakers for the evening were KU Football Head Coach David Beaty,
Executive Vice Chancellor of the KU Medical Center Dr. Doug Girod, Dean of the School of Education
Rick Ginsberg and former KU basketball great, Alonzo Jamison. Those in attendance enjoyed getting an
update on the Schools of Medicine and Education and gave Coach Beaty a standing ovation as he left
the stage. It was a great event full of Jayhawk pride!
“Unite Jayhawks” was a theme we used for several events throughout the state. Jayhawks are known for
their loyalty and pride in supporting the University of Kansas. This event connected alumni, donors,
fans, students and volunteers to celebrate KU, strengthen the local Jayhawk network and create a
positive impact for the University. These events were held in Oberlin, Hays and Kingman.
We currently have 15 billboards throughout western Kansas with the newest addition being in my
hometown! It has been a great addition to the area that is otherwise fairly purple! It is always a great
feeling driving through western Kansas and seeing those Alumni Association billboards along the road.
National Networks
Nationally we had networks that turned out great numbers for informal happy hours and alumni
receptions at local spots throughout the country. Many alumni had questions regarding the football
team, the incoming freshman class, and all of the construction taking place on campus this summer.
Our Tampa Bay Network had a “fill the walls” event where locals brought KU gear to the watch site and
decorated the corner that has been designated as a spot for KU alums to gather on game days! It was a
unique event and the wall at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is now FULL of KU gear!
The Baltimore network held their annual summer BBQ at the home of Chuck and Pam Hewitt.
Although it was hot, guests cooled down with refreshing drinks and plenty of Jayhawk company! The
Baltimore group also did a “Night at Camden Yards” when the Royals came to town to take on the
Baltimore Orioles. We had a large group attend----some wearing Royals gear and some wearing Orioles
gear, but ALL sporting something KU!
With summer coming to an end, we look forward to getting out both across the state and nationally for
fall events. Network meetings will be planned to work with local volunteer boards on upcoming events.
While fall brings watch parties and events, we also plan to focus on growing our volunteer base,
identifying Presidents Club prospects, student recruitment and legislative advocacy. No matter where
you are in our Jayhawk network, we hope you are able to take part in the wonderful things we have
going on here at the KU Alumni Association! Rock Chalk!
Kelsey Hill, d’12
Coordinator of Alumni Programs
KU Alumni Association National Board Report
Coordinator of Alumni Programs
Jayhawk Boulevard’s construction has completed another phase, two new dorms have invited in new
students, and school has officially begun here again at The University of Kansas!
Internship Program:
As the school year begins we also get to welcome back our student interns. It is really exciting to
manage the internship program here at the Alumni Association. Each semester I get the privilege of
working with new students who blow me away with their knowledge and abilities and this year did not
disappoint. We have had students with great interest in politics, diversity, and higher education. Caleb
Bobo, returning from a summer internship in Washington DC, has been a great asset to the team this
past spring semester, especially with various research projects, and we are lucky to have him join us
again this fall semester. He has collected quality data for us on topics from networks, reunions, events,
and much more. Autrin Naderi is a senior studying Journalism and has been working with us since the
beginning of the summer semester and will continue through fall. She is a very bright young lady who is
very active in our student programs as well as serving as a Student Ambassador for KU Admissions. We
also welcomed two new interns, Jillian Johnson and David Brandenburg, to our staff this semester.
Jillian is from Wichita and is going into her senior year in Communications Studies and David comes to
us from Houston and is starting his freshman year studying Architecture. We have a great batch of
interns this semester with a wide span of interests that will aid both us and them during their time
working with us here at the Association.
Networks and Watch Sites:
I have had the pleasure of managing 21 of our national watch sites that mainly gather for watch parties
for basketball and football games. Just in the past year, two of my watch sites this have flourished
enough to become full-fledged Networks. Along with the watch sites, I have recently started to manage
17 of our national networks. My new networks consist of Ann Arbor, Boston, Cleveland, Columbus,
Indianapolis, Nashville, Boise, Charleston, Des Moines, Albuquerque, Hartford, Richmond, Milwaukee,
Portland OR, NW Arkansas, and Central Arkansas. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that we put
together will definitely aid us all in this transition, indicating what areas are strong in each network and
what goals we need to target. I am very excited to work with all of these networks and for this new
adventure in growing the Jayhawk tradition across the nation.
Jayhawk Roundup:
In my role of assisting our Assistant Director of Wichita Programs, Danielle Hoover, we are well under
way in getting ready for this year’s Jayhawk Roundup. So far we have sold nearly 30 sponsorships,
bringing in over $32,000 from sponsorships alone. The invitations were recently mailed out and are
rapidly bringing in individual ticket purchases daily. Danielle and local volunteers have done a great job
of getting the word out about this year’s Roundup!
Rock Chalk!
Emily Ellison c’11
KU Alumni Association
Affinity Chapters and Reunions Board Report
September 11-12, 2015
Affinity Programs
Band Alumni Network: The Band Alumni Network will be holding a reunion over Homecoming
weekend, October 30-31. Several of the reunion festivities will include the Alumni Band participating in
the Homecoming parade on Friday, October 30 and a halftime performance at the KU Football game
versus Oklahoma on Saturday, October 31.
Black Alumni Network (BAN): The Black Alumni Network Reunion Committee has been working hard
on plans for the 2015 reunion scheduled for September 25-27. Keynote events include Networking and
Professional Advice for African-American students in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, a showing of
the film “Jayhawkers” followed by a panel discussion led by movie director, Kevin Wilmott, a tribute to
the late Mike Shinn, e’66, and the Leaders and Innovators Awards Banquet.
The African American Leaders and Innovators Award committee selected 12 honorees to receive the
2015 award. Recipients include:
Mickey Brown, c’59, g’65
Nedra Patton Bonds, c’70
Bertram Caruthers Sr. (deceased), c’33, g’35
Ralph Crowder, PhD’95
Nathan Davis, d’60
Cynthia M. Harris, c’78, g’82
Alferdteen Harrison, PhD’71
Erica Hawthorne-Manon, j’02
Julie Johnson Staples, j’78
Audrey B. Lee, j’76, g’78
Alversa Brewster Milan (deceased), f’55
Evelyn Sebron Welton, c’49, c’51
For more information on the KU Black Alumni Reunion or the African American Leaders and
Innovators Award please visit www.kualumni.org/kublackalumni.
Veterans Alumni Network (VAN): The Veterans Alumni Network will be hosting their third Veterans
Meet and Greet in September for all students, alumni, and faculty and staff who are veterans. This meet
and greet will feature the seven Wounded Warrior Scholarship recipients for the 2015 fall semester.
General Chuck Boyd, a Distinguished KU Alumni in 2013, hosted the KU Veterans Alumni Network
Board of Advisors in Washington, D.C. at the Center for National Interest on July 8. VAN president,
Mike Denning, and VAN secretary, Randy Masten, prepared a detailed briefing book of all the activities
and plans to support student veterans. They also presented a video about the Wounded Warriors
Scholarship. Wounded Warrior Scholarship recipient Josh Blake was in attendance to share his story.
Josh is 34 and an engineering major with four children. Barb Head represented KU Endowment on the
trip, and Tom Jindra from the business school shared information on the leadership seminars that the
business school conducts in partnership with Ft. Leavenworth. The July Senior Advisory Board meeting
will take the place of the Veteran Alumni Network’s annual November Senior Advisory Board meetings.
Reunions
Upcoming
September 25-27 – Black Alumni Reunion
October 29-31 – School of Journalism J-School Generations Reunion
October 30-31 – Band Alumni Reunion
Class of 1966 50-Year Reunion:
The Class of 1966 will be celebrating their 50-year class reunion from April 14-16, 2016. Bob Woody of
Arlington, Virginia was the class of 1966 president and will be assisting in the reunion planning efforts.
We will promote the 50-year reunion through email until January when registrations will be made
available.
Gold Medal Club
The Gold Medal Club Reunion will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Roger D. Warren, c’54, m’57,
from Hanover, KS is this year’s Gold Medal Club president.
Rock Chalk!
Jacey Krehbiel, d’12
Legacy Relations Update
Board of Directors Meeting of the KU Alumni Association
September 11 – 12, 2015
Current Snapshot
A record-high 183 incoming Jayhawk Generations recipients paid their enrollment deposit for this fall.
They are on Jayhawk Boulevard as part of a 4,000+ freshmen class. Some of these students moved into
the two newest residence halls on campus – Self and Oswald. This year’s student body will watch the
completion of the new School of Business, the third phase of the Jayhawk Boulevard beautification
project and the opening of the DeBruce Center. These new campus attributes are terrific selling points
as we embark on the 2015-2016 recruitment cycle. It’s a great time to be a Jayhawk.
Coach Self recruitment message
When Coach Self gave his “proud member” testimonial, he also made a few comments that we plan to
weave into a student recruitment message to seniors in high school this fall. “The thing that I think is
so different about this place than any other school I’ve been at, is I’ve had a chance through the time
that I’ve been here to ask kids a lot of times, “What your experience was like at Kansas?” and I’ve
never had one person ever say anything less than it was the best experience of their life. And I’ve had
two children go through it, too, and they feel the exact same way.” “Congratulations on being
admitted to KU, and you may not realize it right now, but you’re getting ready to have
the time of your life.”
Sophomore Jayhawk Legacy Event
Registration for this year’s event is looking good at 50 students + 96 guests registered as of Friday,
August 21st. Legacy sophomores were invited to “Go to the source of your #JayhawkLegacy” by
attending the event. As in years past, the event includes a guided tour of campus, a bbq
lunch/presentation/prize giveaway at the Union and tickets to the KU vs Memphis game that night.
When the students check into the KU Visitor Center, they’ll see the end-product of this summer’s
renovations. The KUVC now features the words of Topher Enneking c’08 on the walls – “Welcome to
KU. Where questions rest, in stacks of answers from the past. Where dreams crawl out of bed and
learn to walk…So stand tall, wrap your arms around this crowd, sing our alma mater and sing it out
loud…”
Also in the works
We will be attending the Preview KU events in Wichita (9/8/15) and Kansas City (9/10/15), as well as
the Sophomore Jayhawk Legacy event (http://admissions.ku.edu/visit/sophjayhawk) on 9/12/15,
Shawnee Mission East College Clinic (10/14/15), and a reception in our building specifically geared
toward prospective students from Minnesota on 10/16/15. I plan to target top-notch legacies in Kansas
City and Wichita with KU balloons, delivered during the day, to congratulate students who have been
admitted and perhaps entice a few others to scramble before the November 1st scholarship deadline.
These were well-received last year, and specifically in Wichita, gave our network leaders the
opportunity to help with the recruitment process. Our multi-faceted communications plan geared
toward all admitted legacy students will begin in November. SALB members will also be doing another
“Thankful for KU” mailing at this time, while KC Network Board members write to individual students
with similar degree program interests. KU Winter Reception events will be coordinated again for the
early part of January when KU students are still on break.
Fall “Visit KU” mailing
Seniors on my top-notch legacy list (approximately 125) will receive an “I am Crimson and Blue”
basketball luggage tag in October with the message to visit KU. Jayhawk cell phone screen cleaners will
replace the March Madness luggage tag campaign that we’ve done over the past two years. These will
be sent to 2300 admitted legacy students in March.
I am also well on my way to mailing out 150 individual packages over the coming year. Should you have
any referrals of rising seniors in high school who are applying to KU (or maybe should apply to KU)
please let me know at jmaxwell@kualumni.org.
Thanks & Rock Chalk!
Kansas Honors Program
It’s KHP season again and we are already in full swing. Invitations are going out and student rosters and
donations are coming in.
We have had some volunteer turnover this year due to some long time volunteers “retiring” from their
positions, which is bittersweet. I am sad to see such great supporters step down, but it’s always great to
get more people involved in the program.
I recently received the matriculation numbers from the Office of Admissions. This fall, 522 of the 3,461
Kansas Honor Scholars are attending The University of Kansas as freshmen. That is 15.08% of the
2014-15 Kansas Honor Scholars which is slightly up from last year. KHP scholars make up 20.49% of all
incoming KS freshmen, which is also slightly up from last year. The 3 programs with the highest rate of
matriculation are: Lawrence (33.33%), Southern Johnson County (23.39%) and Shawnee Mission
(22.70%). The 3 programs with the lowest rate of matriculation are: Oberlin (2.63%), Beloit (4.00%)
and Wellington (5.26%).
The 2015-16 schedule for the Kansas Honors Program is:
Date
16-Sep
16-Sep
23-Sep
28-Sep
30-Sep
30-Sep
30-Sep
7-Oct
7-Oct
7-Oct
8-Oct
14-Oct
19-Oct
21-Oct
26-Oct
2-Nov
2-Nov
3-Nov
Program
Wellington
Leavenworth
McPherson
Sedgwick
Hutchinson
Lawrence
Dodge City
Garden City
Salina
Shawnee Mission
Hays
Ottawa
El Dorado
Southern Johnson
County
Emporia
Wichita
Manhattan
Topeka
Rock Chalk,
Michelle Lang
Director of Alumni & Kansas Honors Programs
Date
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
9-Nov
10-Nov
11-Nov
1-Feb
8-Feb
10-Feb
10-Feb
22-Feb
24-Feb
24-Feb
25-Feb
30-Mar
6-Apr
6-Apr
7-Apr
Program
Independence
Liberal
Chapman
Johnson County Blue
Valley
Kansas City
Winfield
Pittsburg
Fort Scott
Great Bend
Mound City
Beloit
Holton
Atchison
Washington
Neodesha
Medicine Lodge
Goodland
Logan
KU Alumni Association
Membership Board Report
September 11, 2015
The following is a summary of the membership numbers as of August 31, 2015 compared to August 31,
2014.
August 31,
2015
August 31,
2014
+/-
%
Annual Regular
10,029
10,055
(26)
(.3%)
Annual Jayhawk Society
2,906
3,258
(352)
(11%)
Life Regular
18,815
18,258
557
3%
Life Jayhawk Society
1,472
1,396
76
5.2%
Student Alumni
Association
1,306
1,271
35
3%
Senior Class (KUEA Gift)
6,520
6,780
(260)
(4%)
Future Jayhawks
1,177
1,214
(37)
(3%)
42,225
42,232
(7)
(.02%)
Membership Type
TOTAL
Additional data comparison for the last seven months:
Membership
8/31/15 7/31/15 6/30/15
Type
5/31/15
4/30/15
3/31/15
2/28/15
Annual Regular
10,029
10,068
9,980
9,891
9,942
9,995
9,839
Annual Jayhawk
Soc.
2,906
2,927
2,920
2,962
2,998
3,048
3,020
Life Regular
18,815
18,813
18,766
18,698
18,609
18,562
18,529
Life Jayhawk
Society
1,472
1,473
1,437
1,413
1,417
1,420
1,427
SAA
1,306
1,409
1,409
1,408
1,408
1,404
1,402
Senior Class (KUEA
Gift)
6,520
6,398
6,416
6,685
6,730
6,739
6,742
Future Jayhawks
1,177
1,204
1,232
1,240
1,273
1,213
1,193
42,225
42,076
42,160
42,297
42,377
42,381
42,152
TOTAL
We are continuing our focus on filling the pipeline of annual members. We’ve experienced a slight
decline in Jayhawk Society members as a result of our recent “Upgrade in June/July” promotion. We
continue to see a steady increase in Life members.
Membership Revenue Trends – Annual comparison (budgeted FY16 Dues Revenue goal $1,431,000)
FY16
Thru
Aug.
FY15
Annual
25,450
412,430
Jayhawk Society
Future Jayhawks
22,275
2,365
Life Membership
SAA
Membership
Type
TOTAL
FY13
FY12
FY11
435,236
457,388
530,400
530,187
610,519
682,560
380,825
18,045
407,435
16,710
395,957
14,460
398,833
10,155
413,915
6,955
434,088
7,140
446,685
5,275
36,925
1,875
567,224
27,565
572,401
26,896
481,250
40,931
351,584
41,662
398,487
27,821
371,741
31,956
403,095
32,436
$88,890
$1,406,089
$1,458,678
$1,389,986
$1,332,634
$1,377,365
$1,455,444
$1,570,050
FY14
FY10
Our summer “Join/Upgrade in June/July” promotion, which launched the last week of May, featured a
set of two glasses with the 1912 Jayhawk as the incentive. We targeted lapsed, never and recent grad
groups, as well as members for upgrade options. Please see below for the full report of numbers and
response rates for the summer promotion.
Audience
Direct Mail Group
Lapsed/Never Group
Recent Grad
TOTAL JOIN
Annual Member
Upgrade
JHS 2-4 Year Upgrade
JHS Single 5+ Year
Upgrade
JHS Joint 5+ Year
Upgrade
Life Single Upgrade
Life Joint Upgrade
TOTAL UPGRADE
Reach
26,892 postcards
14,599 – emails
45,641 emails
14,918 emails
87,451
1,341 emails
147 emails
304 direct mail
219 emails
146 direct mail
187 emails
6,067 emails
2,790 emails
10,795
Results (#) As
of 8/6/15
401
Results (%) As
of 8/6/15
1.5%
226
104
731
58
.5%
.7%
.8%
4.3%
19
33
13%
11%
36
19%
45
38
229
7.4%
1.4%
2.1%
FY09
We continue to focus on annual member recruitment with the Brazen Careerist Online Networking offer
to non-members, special magazine promotion on social media highlighting the upcoming article on The
Wheel and KU football ticket offer for Homecoming.
In addition to the regular alumni promotions, we also spent the months of June and July participating
in the freshmen and transfer student orientation information fairs to recruit members for the Student
Alumni Association (SAA). Please refer to Paige Hofer’s report for additional details.
We conducted our member retention Summer Reading program for Future Jayhawk members during
the month of July. As of August 26, we received 190 completed sheets vs. 174 last year. The 0-5 age
group continues to be the most active in this program. We also worked with Linda Mullens, Endacott
Society, to recruit new members from the group of new KU faculty and staff retirees.
Summary of Upcoming Membership Promotions
Program
Details
“Step up your sock
game” Fall Promotion –
Lapsed and Never
Member recruitment
and Member Upgrade
retention

2010 Recent Grad
promotion
(recruitment)




Member Benefits

(recruitment/retention)
Promotion will launch in mid-September
and run through late November. We will
employ all marketing avenues: direct
mail, email, video, website, social media,
network volunteers, events/tailgates,
advertising and phone calls.
Incentive to join – Pair of exclusive
designed socks featuring the history of
the Jayhawk.
We will use social media and send
targeted emails to the class of 2010 nonmembers (~5,000) to remind them they
have until 12/31/15 to take advantage of
Recent Grad rates.
Promotion will run Oct. – Dec.
Incentive to join – exclusive pair of
socks.
Adding two new benefits this fall:
- Alumni Access – turnkey member
discount program for local, regional
and national companies.
- ESPN Magazine – discount
subscription rate, plus access to two
special publications: College Football
Preview and Fantasy Football
Preview.
Results
Program
Details
Updated Member
Renewals (retention)

We will update all renewal notices to
align with the new brand positioning
communications to ensure consistent
messages from the Association.
Life Members
(retention)

All Life members will receive a year-end
solicitation with personalized Jayhawk
labels to make a tax deductible Jayhawk
Society contribution.
Give the Gift of

Membership
(recruitment/retention)
Future Jayhawks

(recruitment/retention)

Target all members and non-members to
purchase a membership as a holiday gift
and receive an exclusive holiday
ornament that will feature the 1920
Jayhawk.
Promote at all members-only and
Presidents Club tailgates with a display
in the lobby featuring activity sheets, face
tattoos, candy bags, etc.
Include Future Jayhawks in the Gift
promotion.
Results
KU Alumni Association
Student Alumni Association Board Report
September, 2015
Member Recruitment
Summer was a busy recruitment time for student members. We participated in all of the freshmen and
transfer student orientation information fairs (23 total), where we had the opportunity to interact with
approximately 10,000 students and parents. We encouraged students to join through optional campus
fees, online and at the information fair. We used key chain lights as an incentive to collect interested
student’s e-mail addresses and sent personalized follow-up messages to ask them to join and consider
applying to serve on the Student Alumni Leadership Board (SALB).
Additional member recruitment strategies:






E-mails were sent to all one-year, 2015-2016 SAA members who had not renewed their
membership before the start of classes.
Messages continue to be delivered on Facebook and Twitter
Advertisements were placed in the UDK Back to School Edition, along with the week following.
The Student Alumni Leadership Board members recruited members during Hawkfest and
gathered over five pages of e-mails that have received a follow up message about joining.
We will table at all Home Football Fridays to continue to recruit new members.
We added tabling on campus for the first two days of school this year, which proved to be a great
idea. We handed out member gifts, but were also there to promote SAA and gather names and
emails. I followed up with an email and join form to approximately four pages of student names
(100-150 students). Being on campus helped kick start our new campus strategy.
Member Programs
We continue to work on programming to provide numerous unique opportunities that will enhance
their college experience. We will maintain our partnerships (WEFU, Kaplan, University Career Center)
and also work to develop other partners on campus. Events we have presented this semester or are
upcoming:



Hawkfest—presented in partnership with Office of First Year Experience and Student
Involvement and Leadership Center—approximately 4000 students come through on their way
to Traditions Night to learn about SAA and the more than 150 student organizations they can be
involved in, along with free ice cream and pizza, watch a performance by the Spirit squad, enjoy
the ROTC climbing wall, a DJ and a photo booth. Coach Beaty and his football staff attended
this event as well. It was a success!
Home Football Fridays—SAA hosts a student tailgate the Friday before all home football
games. Our first one will be Friday, September 4th. We usually serve lunch to 500 students and
provide giveaways for SAA members.
Networking Events--we will have a Networking event in October and are planning on
working with the Engineering and Business schools for this first one. Again, we will be working
on our campus strategy of building strong relationships with various departments campus wide.



Behind-the-Scenes Tour—In partnership with KU Athletics/WEFU, we will host a behindthe-scenes tour of an athletic venue and hear from a coach.
Watch Party—we will host a watch party for an away KU Basketball game at the Adams
Alumni Center, for all SAA members to come and cheer on the Jayhawks and have a social
opportunity to meet other SAA members.
Finals Dinner and Quiet Study Space—a favorite for many of our members. SAA Members
can bring one guest and enjoy a catered dinner, massage therapists for 10-minute shoulder
massages, and therapy dogs to help students de-stress. We also provide quiet study space with
free wifi and snacks throughout the week of finals. Last spring, the Pub was full almost every
day.
Student Alumni Leadership Board
Last year, we increased our SALB Board to its maximum allowable number (according to by-laws)
because we had so many quality applicants. This proved to be a good decision. The individuals on the
Board are an outstanding group of students that help us plan and execute all of our SAA events. They
will also be looking forward to going to KHP’s, tabling at senior days, volunteering to help when legacy
students visit campus, working the Chancellor’s tailgate, and volunteering at Alumni events. With
graduating seniors and a few other commitments, it looks like there will be 10-12 spots available to fill
this year. After our SALB Information meeting, I feel like there are plenty of quality applicants. It is
going to be a great year.
Rock Chalk!
Paige Hofer
Coordinator of Student Programs
KU Alumni Association
Flying Jayhawks Board Report
Tegan Thornberry – September 2015
Summer 2015 was a busy one. As mentioned in the May board report, we had a number of host
throughout the world. First up we had Michelle Lang hosting our Cuba land program, she turned some
of the Texas Tech passengers into Jayhawk fans! Stefanie Shackelford hosted the Swiss Alps and Italian
Lakes trip and made lasting friendships and memories. Danny Lewis toured the Pearls of the
Mediterranean and shared the trip with a number of Jayhawks and even a family of Jayhawk legacies.
Tyler Rockers enjoyed ‘sundowners’ with his passengers on a Botswana Safari. Kelsey Hill and I hosted
the Great Journey through Europe and hosted a reception with local KU alumni living in France,
Germany, and England who made their way onboard the ship while in Strasbourg. Danny is hosting the
Coastal Maine and New Brunswick with Jerry and Kay Jennett who are on their 20th Flying Jayhawks
trip. This December, Paige Hofer will be our host on the Holiday Markets trip and hosting a reception at
the hotel for our local Jayhawks in Paris.
We are continuing to utilize the earned hosts on trips for member and donor stewardship. The
majority of our passengers this summer were repeat travelers with us. I think all our staff would agree,
but we’re competitive with the other Alumni Associations that share our departure dates and want to be
the best hosts in the market. We receive higher reviews on hosted trips based on the personal
relationships and the instant customer service we are able to provide. One of the couples from the Great
Journey trip Kelsey and I hosted, already invited us and another couple to their home for dinner.
There’s already a plan to share photos and have a German themed Oktoberfest for the next get together.
We love being able to build relationships and connect other Jayhawks together while traveling the
world.
Up next, we have exciting trips left on our 2016 schedule. Dale and Marianne Seuferling will be
hosting our Tanzania Safari Migration in late January-early February. The Chancellor and her husband,
Shade, will be hosting the Baltic Sea cruise in June, which is already building momentum before the
brochures are even released. Newly added to our schedule, we are going back to Cuba. As Michelle and
Danny will attest, the infrastructure in Cuba is still something to be desired. Hotel space is limited and
the quality is not the same as the US chains. Our newly added Cuba Sojourn trip will be on the Saint
Laurent ship. This way travelers see more of the island without the long bus trips, have the convenience
of unpacking once, and the luxury and comforts of the ship.
This fall we’ll have our annual meetings with our tour operators to map out our 2017 schedule.
The next season always seems to be right around the corner. Stay tuned for more exciting destinations
with the Flying Jayhawks.
Internet Services & Marketing Board Report
September 2015
It’s been an eventful summer for us, with several new projects and initiatives, opportunities for training
and professional development along with ongoing support for alumni events and communications. I’m
fortunate to work with a great team made up of Debbi Johanning, Kara Schwerdt and Mike Wick.
Brand Positioning and Key Messages
Since the May board meeting, we have developed the Key Messages that will support our Brand Pillars.
These will join our Mission, Vision and Values in a new document distributed to all staff and volunteers.
Staff members all contributed Talking Points to articulate the value of each of our activities. These
Talking Points will be included in a supplemental document updated more regularly.
Conference Participation
In July, Debbi Johanning joined Paige Hofer and me in Memphis for the Council of Marketing &
Membership Professionals (CAMMP) conference. Our Proud Member campaign was recognized as a
best practice, and our creative marketing materials stood out with the very best among our peers. More
than 70 alumni associations attended. New revenue programs were a hot topic this year, as associations
look for alternatives to offset declines in membership revenue.
Later in July, our digital media team attended the iModules national client conference in KC, where
Debbi and I presented on our virtual networking events with Brazen. Although we learned new
techniques for taking advantage of iModules, such as mobile-friendly email coding, we’re proud that the
KU Alumni Association continues to be recognized among iModules’ most advanced users.
Planning Retreat
Our digital media team retreat in August covered topics that included a review of print and digital
advertising rates, mobile email templates, website enhancements, featured content and more.
New Revenue Opportunities
We’re investigating an advertising/affinity partnership with Fanatics.com, the largest single online
retailer of collegiate licensed merchandise, that would generate revenue for sales we drive. We’re also
evaluating a proposal for sponsorship asset valuation that you’ll learn more about at the board meeting.
Online Enhancements
We’re testing a new WordPress platform for our website that will give us additional flexibility and
control. Our new 3-year agreement with iModules began July 1, 2015, so we are now pursing several
projects we’ve mentioned before, such as membership and event forms that can prepopulate with
alumni data.
Communications Report
September 2015
Issue no. 5 of Kansas Alumni will go to the printer Sept. 9, marking a pivotal transition: After more
than 30 years, the Class Notes and In Memory sections (the first sections readers turn to) are now
written by a full-time staff member. Heather Biele, who joined our team last January as
communications coordinator and became staff writer in July, has successfully taken over this
substantial task from Karen Goodell, our longtime freelance contributor who began her career as a fulltime assistant editor for the magazine in the late 1970s.
In 1984, Karen resigned from the full-time staff to stay home with her young sons, but she continued
writing Class Notes and In Memory items for us, and we were fortunate to rely on her experience and
talent through the years. This summer, Karen retired from her second career as a reading teacher in the
Lawrence public schools and moved to the state of Washington to begin her third career as a bookstore
owner. She and Heather spent many hours together to ensure a smooth handoff, and Heather has done
a terrific job. Moving this important duty in-house also makes the collaboration with the records staff
(Linda McCaffrey and Helen Meseraull) and our magazine design team (Susan Younger and Valerie
Spicher) much more efficient.
Another transition occurred in the realm of Jayhawks for Higher Education. Kelly Reynolds joined the
KU Office of Public Affairs as the new director of state relations, succeeding Lindsey Douglas, who
resigned in January. We were part of the search process, and Kelly was our top choice. A 2005 KU
graduate and Wichita native, Kelly most recently worked as assistant government relations director for
Wichita State University. She will meet with the JHE Steering Committee in November, and she plans
to attend the January Board meeting.
To celebrate KU's Sesquicentennial, the Association is working with artists to create three unique
fiberglass Jayhawk sculptures. The Jayhawks will go on display on the lawn of the Adams Alumni
Center early next year and will remain until fall 2016 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of KU’s first
day of school. Three alumni artists are part of the project:
Steven Johnson, an internationally known illustrator and sculptor, is creating a lively, abstract design
representing the dynamic energy of a world-class university.
Cathy Ledeker, a well-known local artist, created two birds for the 2003 Jayhawks on Parade. Her bird,
“Rock Hawk,” honors KU architecture and features limestone details along with a “red tile roof” for the
Jayhawk’s head.
Our own Susan Younger, who designed three birds for the 2003 Jayhawks on Parade, will create “KU
Songbird.” She will incorporate the words of the Alma Mater in a mix of painted design and mosaic
tiles, arranged to resemble a bandana as a nod to KU’s Midwest heritage.
The sesquicentennial also will inspire the Jayhawk Roundup, “Happy Birthday, KU,” set for Oct. 3 in
Wichita. We are collaborating with volunteers on decorations and staging, and we have had several
workshops in Wichita this summer. Be sure to check our website blog for a story on a giant mural that
will be part of the event. Coach Bill Self and Coach Ted Owens will celebrate with us, and we hope to see
you there!
Jennifer Jackson Sanner
Susan Younger
Senior Vice President for Communications
Creative Director
Editor, Kansas Alumni
KU Alumni Association
Hospitality Services Board Report
Bryan Greve, Senior Vice President for Hospitality
Banquet Services
We are very satisfied and excited about the positive direction our marketing efforts are taking us! We
have been discussing this plan with you for the last several months, and for good reason. The results
have us feeling very optimistic that our next fiscal year, will begin to take us out of a recently dry and
lackluster financial period. The first example is the number of events held THIS June compared to last.
In this first fiscal month of June, the combination of events surrounding weddings/socials were Seven
this year, compared to One, in last year’s fiscal month of June.
As part of the promotional strategy, we have been reevaluating and determining priorities for facility
usage. It became clear that the board room was undoubtedly underutilized. So as a part of the strategic
marketing plan, we have removed the large conference table from the Phillips Board Room. Now we can
“open up,” the first floor to a number of room combinations; allowing flexibility and increased sales. We
will also continue to use the facility to strengthen friendships, and when appropriate we will discount
rates, and use autonomous bargaining to increase traffic.
We’ve also continued working to enhance our social media presence. Literally all of our post-event
surveys have returned with positive comments from our recent guests. Many have answered; word-ofmouth or web site as “how did you hear about us?” With the help of our communication department,
we’ve added a flikr page specifically to help promote events in the building. Establishing relationships
with local vendors has also aided our effort, by being tagged or mentioned in various posts.
We are looking forward to your visit! We can’t wait to provide you with the hospitality you deserve!!!
KU Alumni Association
Finance Board Report
September 11-12, 2015
The accompanying financial statements reflect results as of and for the year ending June 30, 2015. The
statements show a modified cash-basis loss from operations of $57,173 compared to a budgeted profit
of $50,000 before capital expenditures – a negative variance of $107,173. FY15 capital expenditures of
$33,901 are favorable compared to the budgeted capital expenditures ($50,000). This leaves an overall
year-to-date loss from operating activities of $91,074.
Total net assets increased by $317,181, compared to a $2,596,995 increase in FY14. This increase
reflects all year-end adjustments necessary to match our audited financial statements presented in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. These are non-cash adjustments including
but not limited to depreciation, unrealized loss on long-term investments, membership dues deferral
[to recognize income over the actual periods of membership participation], and restricted gifts and
pledges.
The negative operating budget variance of $107,173 relates to a negative revenue variance of $102,868
and a negative expense variance of $4,306. Contributing factors include:
REVENUES






Membership dues were $130k behind budget because Annual and Jayhawk Society
memberships fell short of expectations. In hindsight, the FY15 budget was admittedly ambitious,
having been based on our 2014 results, our best dues year since 2009.
Royalties exceeded budget by $63k due to better than projected license plate revenue.
Sales and commissions were behind budget in several areas (Flying Jayhawks; Banquet Services
and Advertising) – about $75k in total.
Investment earnings exceeded budget mostly because we purposely did not budget for earnings
received from endowed gifts if some portion of the underlying pledge remains unpaid. Rather,
we’ve generally reinvested these earnings as principal until the underlying gifts are fully
endowed to create a buffer against market fluctuations.
Two fundraising events, Rock Chalk Ball and Wichita Roundup, performed better than 2014 but
fell short of the 2015 budget.
Unrestricted contributions (mostly Presidents Club) again hit high mark, exceeding both budget
and last year.
EXPENSES


Public Relations/Auxiliary Events – Public Relations and Auxiliary Events should be viewed on
a combined basis. Auxiliary events are events where a registration fee is charged, and we strive
to break-even on those events. The “net” income is shown on the Auxiliary line and was
separated from Public Relations on the internal financials this year to allow for better analysis.
For budget purposes these are often combined, and while there was a negative budget variance
for FY15, there was improvement over FY14.
Travel – FY15 was less than budget and FY14 and relates to continued efforts at more deliberate
travel planning, somewhat reduced travel in the last quarter of FY15, and realignment of staff at
beginning of FY15. Staff have been encouraged to plan travel such that maximum “touches” can
occur on a single trip, reducing “in and out” trips. This may include scheduling multiple
meetings and events on a single trip or swing, perhaps even flying out of a different city from the

initial arrival city.
Printing and postage reflect a combined favorable budget variance of $48k. Variances occurred
in several departments but the most significant was in Membership printing, part of which was
offset by increased supplies/give-away expense and part of which relates to deferral of a planned
membership card design.
Rock Chalk!
Jodi Nachtigal
Controller
Resources
Dwight Parman
Senior Vice-President for Finance and Human
Report to the Board of Directors
Information Systems and Alumni Records
September 2015
Our biggest focus over the last couple of months has been working on testing and customizing a new
version of our alumni database software. While we will basically continue the same processes and
procedures for maintaining data that we use now, the interface is very different and there are some new
features for the Alumni Records staff to learn. We’ve spent many hours going through the different
biographical and membership data entry screens, removing and rearranging fields to maximize our
efficiency and accuracy.
The Class of 2015 received their first issue of the magazine over the summer and we’ve seen very few
returns due to bad mailing addresses. This is due in part to the increased number of e-mails we send to
graduating students asking them to update their profile with current address information, and in part to
our process of obtaining quarterly address updates from the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA)
database. The latter process typically updates over 5,000 addresses in our database each quarter.
While we still encourage alumni and members to provide us with updates to their full record (including
family, employment, and other contact information), the NCOA updates help ensure that we stay in
touch with alumni even if they don’t let us know they have moved.
We are also working on implementing a new e-mail “tracer” program. Over the course of the year we
hope to send all alumni who have email addresses a message that shows the data we currently have in
their records and asks them to provide updates. We believe seeing that we have outdated information
on file will encourage alumni to complete and correct their records.
We’ve received several new coding projects from some groups on campus that weren’t aware that we
could help them maintain their lists for them. One is the
Global Awareness Program and another is a group within Education called Professional Development
Schools. Once we complete the coding in our database they will be able to start contacting their alumni
and also work with KU Endowment on fundraising endeavors.
Stefanie Shackelford
VP for Alumni and Membership Records
Bill Green
Sr. VP for Information Systems and Service