Advancement(and many others)@work

With the closing of the Institute’s fiscal year on June 30th, Institutional Advancement also marked the end of its FY09 fundraising efforts.  While the economic downturn did present significant challenges, there are several bright spots to report:

The number of faculty/staff donors grew from 44 at the close of FY08 to 52 at the close of FY09 (18% increase)

The number of alumni donors grew from 131 at the close of FY08 to 162 at the close of FY09 (24% increase)

Overall cash received grew from $5,315,554 million in FY08 to $5,355,569 million in FY09 (a slight, slight increase)

While Institutional Advancement is the hub of these efforts, we could not have reached any of these results without the help of many across campus.  Special thanks to the Digital Media Commons for their help with our digital solicitation and stewardship pieces, Recruiting and Student Financial Services for providing us with many compelling student stories, and to the members of the academic leadership and faculty who have spent time with both our prospective and existing donors.  We look forward to, hopefully, even better results in the coming year! 

Alumni Relations Launches New Alumni Website

Campus Invited to Open House

Alumni Relations is pleased to announce the launch of the new MIIS alumni website!
Check out the new site (some areas are still under construction) at http://alumni.miis.edu and please remember to pass the site address along to any alumni you may connect with over the summer.

To introduce the site to the campus community, please join us at the Kade Center’s TLC main area (2nd floor) on Wednesday, June 10th, from 3:30-5:00 p.m., for light refreshments and an overview of the site. It’s because of the hard work and effort of many staff that the site is complete, and we want to take a moment to thank these individuals for their support!

Add to your collection of MIIS logo items!

All staff and faculty are eligible for a 10% discount on MIIS merchandise purchased on-campus at the Simoneau Alumni House.  MIIS merchandise makes a perfect gift for campus visitors, graduating work-study students, and other colleagues and friends.

Apparel items include polo shirts, short and long-sleeved t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and fleece-lined vests.

Logo items include baseball caps, glass and plastic mugs (perfect for Happy Hours), lapel pins, and tote bags.

Simoneau Alumni House is open for merchandise sales Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Additional Administrative Reorganization Decisions Announced

For the last few months, we have focused our discussion about the reorganization of the Institute on the creation of two new graduate schools and a new dean of advising.  However, several other changes are occurring to facilitate a better flow of communications and services to our faculty, staff, students, and the external community.  In some cases these will affect supervisory responsibilities and lines of reporting.

Last September, the Office of Alumni Relations was moved into the Institutional Advancement Office.  A new Executive Director of Communications position was also established and subsequently, Jason Warburg was hired into that position.  Recently, Anne Marie Steiger, the Institute’s webmaster, has been moved, so that she now reports to Jason.

We are also combining those activities related to a student’s enrollment at the Institute.  As part of these changes, the Financial Aid Office will join with our Admissions Office and Enrollment Management Office to become the Office of Admissions, reporting to Jill Stoffers, Director of Admissions.  These moves will become effective as of March 1, 2009.

Finally, in a move designed to strengthen the services provided to students during their time at the Institute, the Dean of Advising, Careers, and Student Services will oversee three areas:  Records, Office of Student Services, and a new Academic and Career Advising Center.  The goal of this consolidation, which will become effective as of June 1, 2009, is to provide our students with enhanced services, especially those involving academic advising and career assistance, so that students engage a seamless support system during their time at the Institute.

Name That Web!

The alumni office will launch a new, interactive website for the alumni in late spring 2009. The site will offer a searchable database of alumni (great for students and alumni seeking mentors or networking opportunities), RSS feeds, online event registration, enhanced volunteer and career resources, social network site links and much more.

While the services and resources are great…..the name is not!  “The MIIS Alumni Online Community” needs a new name.  We have the Communiqué magazine, the “Connections” e-newsletter, and ……? Please send in your suggestions (alumni@miis.edu)  for a name that truly represents our alumni community—diverse, engaged, forever on the move, and making a difference today!

On Your Next Trip, Reconnect with MIIS Alums

Attending a conference this semester? Heading to a global summit? On the road for personal travel and willing to help out?

The alumni office is in the final stages of planning spring 2009 alumni receptions and happy hours, and seeks your help!  If you are traveling and have a spare 2 hours one evening, please consider hosting an alumni reception.  The alumni office looks at the total number of alumni in a given area (and occasionally works with the enrollment department to co-host events for prospective students) and the last time an event was hosted in the area as part of the decision process.  Your effort is minimal, but has a tremendous impact—2 hours of time, attention and resource dissemination to our great, globally-dispersed alumni!  All arrangements are handled by the alumni office.  For additional information, or to pass along your travel schedule, please contact alumni@miis.edu

Advancement Announces Reorganization

The Office of Institutional Advancement is pleased to announce some organizational enhancements designed  to build an even more effective division working to support the Institute’s goals.

Tony O’Brian has agreed to take on the position of director of advancement information services.  In this expanded role, he will provide leadership for ongoing business process analysis and other advancement services integration initiatives with Middlebury.  We have all benefited from the great skill and energy he brings to his responsibilities, and we are fortunate that he has agreed to take on this position.

To better reflect the demands of building a robust event program for both advancement and the Institute as a whole, Linae Ishii-Devine’s role will shift from manager of events and advancement services to manager of events and administrative services.  In addition to her leadership in the events area, Linae will partner with Beth McDermott on identifying and implementing continuing education opportunities for the group, the first of which is the guest speaker series at bi-weekly Advancement staff meetings.  Her organization, enterprise, and institutional knowledge have been and will continue to be key components of our success.

Finally, at the end of this month, Leah Gowron and alumni relations will shift their reporting from the provost’s office to institutional advancement.  This move will enable us to more effectively strengthen our ties with alumni and other constituencies as we build broad-based support for the Institute.  We are lucky to have had Leah as one of our closest campus partners, and look forward to all that we will accomplish in the years ahead.

–from the Institutional Advancement Office

Traveling? Connect with MIIS Alums and Prospective Students

Traveling for work this semester?  Interested in spending an evening with fascinating people?  If so, please contact Leah Gowron, Director of Alumni Relations, or Jill Stoffers, Director of Admissions, regarding your travel schedule!  You can make a tremendous contribution to our recruiting and alumni affairs efforts with a very small invstment of your time.

The Alumni Office regularly coordinates alumni reception and happy hours in conjunction with faculty and staff travel.  Fred Wehling (Vienna), Ed Laurance (New York), Laura Burian (Beijing) and Lynn Goldstein (Portland & Seattle) helped host events over the summer, and  there are many more events planned for Fall 2008.  We are particularly interested in adding European cities, locales in the Middle East, and Korea to our Fall event schedule.

Hosting a reception is easy, and only takes two hours of your time.  All arrangements will be managed by the Alumni Office; your role is to “host”, communicate the many exciting changes and activities on campus to the attending alumni, and collect business cards/contact info. Occasionally supplemental travel support can be provided if scheduling a reception requires an additional night’s stay.

Current alumni events can be viewed here.

The recruiting staff can also use your help recruiting future classes for MIIS. There are several ways you can help:

  • • Meet with prospective students for drinks or coffee. With enough notice, we can set this up in your hotel.
  • • Take MIIS recruiting material to your contacts. Let us know and we’ll give you a small supply before you leave!
  • • Give a substantive presentation on a topic in your area of expertise or information session about MIIS. In some cities, we have concentrations of students who would love to learn more from you.

Depending upon the location, the Recruiting Office may be able to help with some of your expenses. Please notify contact Jill Stoffers or work directly with an Enrollment Manger. Thanks for thinking of ways to help!
–from the Alumni Affairs and Admissions Offices