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Subj: December 2003 Board of Trustees Meeting
Report The winter meeting of the USNA Alumni Association BOT was held on December 5, 2003. As your elected Central Region Trustee, this is my report to you of the events that transpired.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
VADM Rod Rempt ’66 addressed the BOT and I’ll highlight his remarks below: · He is very pleased with the USNA faculty, but needs to increase its size · He’s also very pleased with the experienced and dedicated staff at USNA o Strong combat leadership experience; a career mindset; and, inspirational mentors to the Midshipmen · A very strong profile for the entering Plebe Class of 2007 o 1315 SAT average; 80 % in the top fifth of their HS class; 89 % HS varsity athletes; 87% dramatics/public speaking; etc., etc. · Midshipman retention rate is very high; 4330 total Brigade; Male 85%; 22% minorities · Hurricane Isabel damage recovery cost even higher than originally thought o $70MM funded by Congress but need $81MM more o Heat and normal electricity was fully restored just recently o Mids were used in the emergency cleanup · Facilities renovation report: o Luce hall complete o Michelson Hall underway; to complete 6/04 o Chauvenet Hall scheduled for 6/04 to 6/05 o Robert Crown Sailing Center to complete Spring 04 o Commodore Levy Center & Jewish Chapel construction, with complete renovation of Mitsher Hall, to complete 4/05 o Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium almost complete – need more funds for Phase III · USNA sailing program will get strong emphasis in future; all Mids will participate and become proficient; YP program will also be emphasized as part of small group leadership training · Much emphasis on moral development of Brigade o Reviewing how best to teach honor principles · Mental development of Brigade proceeding well o No grade inflation, but average is 2.97 o Four Rhodes finalists o Several scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge to ’03 grads · Physical development also going well o 73% varsity win percentage in Fall sports – remarkable o Woman soccer made NCAA appearance for 1st time ever o Water Polo 25-8 record o 7-4 football record (became 8-4 the next day with win over Army) · Professional development getting renewed emphasis o Leadership review underway on how to improve focus on developing combat leaders; Brigade graduates right into wartime environment o New seamanship and navigation simulator o Introductory flight training on simulators (to lower dropout rate in flight school) o Electronic classrooms · Summer training will be expanded for sea leadership (small unit operations in YP and sailing craft); better fleet experience is being sought · Alumni should “get over” female Mids – hurts Brigade morale when it filters back; 28 years by law now and will not change; women grads serve honorably · Three things are at top of his concern and watch list: o Sexual misconduct; Drug/alcohol abuse; Honor violations · Need alumni help in paying for Midshipmen tickets for Houston Bowl and providing them with housing
PRESIDENT/CEO REPORT George Watt ’73 provided a comprehensive written and oral report to the BOT on implementation of the Plan 2010 which was set in 5/01, and on the fund raising efforts: · Membership goal is 60K – now at 50K · IT investments now paying off in improved services to alumni · Communications survey showed alumni want to retain 10 annual Shipmate issues and it will be so; Shipmate is the primary communications vehicle for many alumni; It will be kept looking first class, but classes will edit their sections from now on and Alumni Association staff will put more time in other sections of Shipmate · Fundraising at $170MM, near the $175MM goal · Alumni Register will be issued in 1/04 and contain 34,232 alumni · Association support of Naval Academy includes: o $4.5MM for Glenn Warner Soccer Center o $4.5MM for Robert Crown Sailing Center o $450K for squash courts in Halsey Field House o $30MM of $40MM goal raised for Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium o $1MM+ for Memorial Hall o $5.5MM raised for renovating USNA museum in Preble Hall o Many other items · Association needs to turn its attention and $$ to renovating Ogle Hall (i.e., Alumni House)
CHAIRMAN REMARKS ADM Trost made several points to the BOT: · Plans to use Executive Committee as a sounding board, not a substitute for BOT decision-making o No actions will be taken separately from the BOT · Plan to sell 243 King George St. property as recommended by the BOT House Committee and use proceeds to renovate Ogle Hall with BOT pre-approval · Two Rivers Project: Association will only “listen” but will not sell our name and will keep the BOT advised of developments · An ad hoc Strategy and Planning Committee will be formed in 2004 for the purpose of renewing the Association’s strategy; (the old S&P Committee was voted to be inactivated by the BOT at its May 2003 meeting) · He is satisfied with the low BOT representation on the main Foundation Board and believes that the main Board will support the Alumni Association
JOINT FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT Vice Chairman, Corbin McNeil ’62, made a comprehensive written, audiovisual, and verbal report to the BOT: · Good audit results from KPMG – unqualified opinion on 2003 consolidated financial statements – no material weaknesses in internal controls · Unrestricted assets decreased from $4.9 to $2.0MM from 2001 to 2003; will add $800K of Stevens gift to restore unrestricted funds (and also hope that market upturn will also replenish the remaining amount)
JOINT INVESTMENT COMMITTEE REPORT Chris Poindexter ’60, the Chair of this committee, gave a comprehensive written and verbal report. · The market drop from Mar2001 to early 2003 impacted our portfolio value; some adjustments have been made and the portfolio value is increasing again o Returns are just short of targets but improving
HOUSE COMMITTEE REPORT Bob Stevenson ’60, the Western Region Trustee, also chairs this committee and has been doing an excellent job of monitoring the condition of Association-owned property and the actions needed to restore/sell/ or otherwise act on their findings.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Bernie Maguire ’64 reported on the alumni Shipmate survey. The results are presented on the Association’s web site, http://www.usna.com. The Association will respond to the alumni’s needs for Shipmate (see Watt’s remarks above).
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE · 632 Associate members have been approved.
CLASS PRESIDENTS REPORT · Recommended more balance between number of Chapter and Class Trustees but no action was taken
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE · RADM Snyder ’50 recommended 2 changes to Bylaws and 5 changes to the Operating Manual; hard copy was given to the BOT and an electronic vote will be taken in March 2004; there was no discussion, so any discussion will be by electronic means prior to then o I intend to share these changes with you in a separate Newsletter and obtain your input prior to the 3/04 vote
NEW BUSINESS · ADM Vern Clark and Gen Jim Jones were made Honorary members of the Alumni Association by a vote of the BOT · Three geographic new chapter requests were approved for Austin, TX, Frederick, MD, and Cape Fear, NC. · A special interest chapter request, for the USNA-OUT chapter was discussed and rejected by unanimous BOT vote o I intend to issue a separate Newsletter on this discussion and vote because of the volume of emails I received prior to the BOT meeting and the controversial nature of the special interest request.
NEXT MEETING
BEAT TEXAS TECH IN THE HOUSTON BOWL ON DECEMBER 30, 2003!!!
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*** Central Region: |