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December 12, 2006 Subj: Leadership Report; December 2006 Refer to: Central Region Letter 11-06 ********* Dear Central Region Alumni:
As I pointed out in my other Newsletters, my duty to communicate with you is made clear by the Alumni Association Bylaws/Operating Manual: “…being a Trustee of the Association involves serious responsibility...Of utmost importance is the responsibility to communicate effectively in explaining to our individual constituencies about issues, initiatives and activities of the Association.” **************** This Newsletter covers the Leadership Update promulgated by George Watt ‘ 73, the President of the Alumni Association. It is presented verbatim. *************
Leadership Update December 2006 The fall season is a very busy time at the Naval Academy and especially at the Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation. The past few months have seen numerous football games home and away, many visits with our alumni chapters and parent clubs, class reunions during all but one home game weekend (with a big Homecoming 2006), the “30 Years of Women at USNA” conference, countless social and other events at historic Ogle Hall, a well-attended and highly energized President’s Circle Donor Society gathering on the west coast, a successful and mission focused Admissions Outreach Conference, the semi-annual business meeting of the Athletic and Scholarship Program Trustees, recent Alumni Association and Foundation board meetings, and lest we forget, the fifth straight victory over Army in Philadelphia!!! And, all of that merely scratches the operational surface here.
Fiscal year 2007 began on 1 July 2006 and as the members of both of our boards know, I’m quite proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far (soon to be available on the website). December will be typically intense as we anticipate a month of possibly record gift receipts and as we prepare for a fourth consecutive post-season bowl game (more on that later). This edition of Leadership Update will be somewhat brief. As always, we’ll begin with a review of our financial status. Financial Results and FY06 AuditThe 2006 fiscal year audit is complete and was accepted by the Joint Finance and Audit Committee on 24 October 2006. The audit went to the Foundation Board at its 27 October meeting and was presented to the Alumni Association Board of Trustees on 30 November 2006 – both boards formally accepted the audit. Although few organizations choose to celebrate an audit, we’ve had another great one. Once again we received an unqualified opinion (that’s the best that can be given) with no audit adjustments (a source of great pride for the treasury staff). This means the auditors from McGladrey & Pullen, LLC accepted and approved the financial statements as we presented them and found no reason during their examination of the hundreds of accounting transactions to make any changes. When one considers the incredible number of journal entries made during the year and the extensive report list the auditors ask us to have ready for their review, it is simply remarkable that they found no need to make any adjustments to our financial statements. Of course, prior and professional preparation is the key and the treasury team was well prepared thanks in very large part to the extraordinary effort by Gerrie Farmer (Comptroller), Lisa Strobel (Director, Treasury Operations) and Mike Mundt (Director of Investments). Our CFO / Treasurer (Hank Sanford) and I want to especially thank Lisa for her role as lead for the audit … she pulled it together and ensured everything was prepared exactly as requested. The audit report will be included in our 2006 Annual Report due out to board members and our volunteer leaders in early January. At the same time, we’ll put the audited financials on the website for all to see.
In the meantime, I’d like to highlight just a few things in order to reinforce our financial strength, viability and progress toward our ultimate goal of “financial prowess”:
In summary, since the formal amalgamation (31 December 1999) we have nearly doubled our net assets (growth of $78 million), added another $59 million to our investment portfolio, raised well over $265 million in total gift commitments and provided nearly $130 million in direct financial support of the margin of excellence at the Naval Academy. These accomplishments are unprecedented and should be a source of pride for all of us – volunteers and staff.
Development Operations
The single highest strategic area of focus for the Foundation Development organization and for the Foundation Board of Directors is “enhancing the core” of our giving. In other words, we intend to grow our base of support while increasing the absolute value of the Naval Academy Annual Fund. Therefore, we are closely tracking participation of our donors, specifically alumni participation. For the twelve months of calendar year 2005, we realized a 25.7 percent participation rate among our alumni. This was actually lower than the previous year. To assist us in providing an incentive to all to participate with a gift each year, a member of the Class of ’77 has agreed to donate $200,000 to the Naval Academy Foundation for every one percent increase in alumni donor participation over the CY05 rate. Additionally, the challenge includes another $5,000 to the Foundation for every graduated class that exceeds the Class of ’77 in the 2006 donor participation percentage. At the close of November, our CY 2006 donor participation rate was 23.9% with one month to go. The good news is we are ahead of where we were at this time last year. But, we need to get to 31 percent if we hope to maximize the potential of the Challenge of ’77 (e.g. $ 1 million!). This is an area where leadership will matter; where everyone can take part in the effort; and, where everyone can be a philanthropist. The final results will be in an upcoming issue of Shipmate magazine.
Speaking of the recent meeting of the Foundation Board of Directors, the members unanimously adopted and approved a list of post-Campaign fundraising priorities, which match up with the highest strategic priorities as determined by the Superintendent. This list includes the afore mentioned Naval Academy Annual Fund, the Fund for Athletic Excellence, the Brigade Sports Complex, the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the expansion and enhancement of the Columbarium, the Academic Center, International programs support, the Center for Ethical leadership, the Naval Academy Museum, continued expansion of Max Bishop Stadium/Terwilliger Brothers Field, new international squash courts, continued private support for distinguished and visiting professors in selected disciplines, renovation of chapel pews, among other purposes. In total, over the next three fiscal years (including this one) we will need to identify and raise more than $70 million in total commitments to meet the strategic requirements at the Naval Academy. Alumni Association – Alumni & Member ServicesMembership
Business Operations
Chapters, Classes & Clubs
Career Services
Ogle Hall Expansion and Enhancement
Following the board’s approval of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades and enhancements to historic Ogle Hall (aka Alumni House), we held an informational reception for our Annapolis neighbors and local and state officials to inform them of the scope of the project. I pointed out that while our historical status makes us completely exempt from ADA compliance, we feel that providing improved access to Ogle Hall is the right thing to do so that all of our alumni, their guests, and the public can enjoy the welcoming elegance of our ancestral home. We received a very nice mention in the Ward One of Annapolis newsletter that expressed appreciation for our efforts and for communicating our intentions. We expect to break ground in early 2007, and will provide project updates on our web site.
New Website Service / Online Community ™
The USNA Alumni Association & Foundation launched its new web site on 13 November. The site includes enhanced graphics, easier navigation and expanded functionality. The original site launched in 1995, and while informative, it lacked the sophistication and functionality of a strategic communications tool. The redesign became necessary to not only support organizational goals, but meet emerging technical and web-enabled requirements.
While we seek to enhance the web experience with all visitors, the most powerful area of the site is behind the login. If you haven’t signed up for online community, I encourage you to do so today. Registered users have access to more information and more functionality including updating profiles, and access to class and chapter information. Alumni (grads and non-grads), parents and friends are all eligible to sign up regardless of Alumni Association membership status. Our goal for the site is to be timely with updates and feedback, relevant to the visitors and registered users, and personal with the content provided.
The new site will prove to be a much more valuable tool for content management and data collection, as well as a more pleasurable experience for all of our visitors. However, our work is not yet done. Based on feedback to date and a phased rollout of the site, the Information Services and Communications team will continue to upgrade the site.
The Way Forward – Plan 2010 and the Alumni Association
Under the leadership of Dan Lear ’68 and Perry Martini ’71, the comprehensive review of our Plan 2010 strategy (and mid-term results) has progressed and provided us some exciting findings. Dan and Perry presented an overview of their findings first to the senior leadership team and then to the Board of Trustees. While the Board will review the recommendations and revisit the opportunities at the May ‘07 meeting, I wanted to share some of the highlights of the survey results with you in this report:
However, we still have work to do:
This last item is one that I take very seriously and I know our Chairman does as well. While this issue is clearly the purview of the volunteer leadership and affects “board effectiveness”, we require a strong, informed and involved Board of Trustees in order to accomplish our mission.
Thanks again to Perry and Dan for their work on the project and the recommendations provided by the Plan 2010 Committee. I know we have a lot to do to reach the stretch goals outlined in Plan 2010, but I am confident that we are on course, headed fair.
Bowl Bound
After the win over Army in Philadelphia, the Navy football team is now 9-3 for the season and heading to Charlotte, NC, to play Boston College (also 9-3) in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on 30 December. Our communications and alumni operations teams are working closely with the Naval Academy and our partners at the Athletic Association in promoting the bowl to alumni, parents, midshipmen, friends, and military commands on the East Coast. As a coordinated team, we have been very successful in the past three years in making each bowl game look like, and feel like, a Navy home game. This year we’ll need to work harder as we head down to the heart of ACC territory and take on a team with the third best regular season record in the entire conference! There are more than 55,000 alumni, parents and members of the Extended Brigade living in the corridor between Boston and Jacksonville. We need every one of them to fly, drive or take the train to Charlotte to cheer on the NAVY team and fill the stadium with Blue & Gold!
Navy and Boston College are very similar in values and as institutions of higher learning. Interestingly, we rank #1 and #2 among all 2006 bowl bound teams in the NCAA academic progress rate. This will be college football as it was meant to be and although the opposing head coach is a former Navy football player, a Naval Academy graduate and a former Navy assistant coach, we don’t expect him or the Boston College Eagles to give us any slack. We have set a goal to sell 30,000 tickets for this game and we need your help as leaders to accomplish the task.
Additionally, I ask each of you to donate tickets – whether you are attending or not – and to ask your classmates and colleagues to do the same. We want to get as many members of the Brigade of Midshipmen there as possible. Excess tickets will be provided to service members (officer and enlisted) in bases and posts throughout the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia so that they can root for Navy. Visit www.usna.com to find out how to purchase and donate tickets, book your travel and sign up for the tailgate. We expect to fill the stands with Navy fans, we expect to travel well, and, in the words of Navy’s Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk, we “expect to win.”
In Closing… As you can tell from this update, we have been busy growing and nurturing the Extended Brigade and facilitating moral, mental, physical (and fiscal) support for today’s Brigade. Our success is due largely to the leadership and support you provide. Therefore, it is critical that we work with you to keep you informed so that you may continue to act as advocates for today’s Naval Academy and for the Alumni Association and the Naval Academy Foundation in the communities where you live and serve. Go to our new website at www.usna.com, read Shipmate from cover to cover, and continue to stay connected to us here in Annapolis. Should you have any questions about the information and results in this edition of Leadership Update, send them to me. In the meanwhile, have a safe and joyous holiday season. I look forward to seeing most of you in Charlotte at the end of the month. BEAT BOSTON COLLEGE!!! Go Navy! George George P. Watt, Jr. President and CEO U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation 410.295.4090
120 Years of Service to the Alma Mater and its Alumni
Visit us at www.usna.com
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*** Central Region: |