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The above mission, directions, and strategies were developed as part of a
planning process that began in June 1996. Before the committee could
determine what it thought the Alumni Association needed to do in the
future, it was essential to gain a common understanding about what the
Association is today, the environment in which it operates, and the opinions
of its members and participants. The planning committee was charged with
collecting and analyzing information and using it as the backdrop for
determining those actions that would best help the Association achieve its
mission.
The full planning committee met six times over the course of ten months,
supplemented by several more meetings of a sub-committee (Tom Martin,
John Morrier, John Riley, Maureen Foley Rousseau, and John Wissler) to
refine the work and draft the plan. The work was guided by management
consultants Jane Fisher and Elaine Kuttner of Ampersand Associates.
Steps in the process included:
- Meeting 1: The committee did a brief situation scan, assessing the Alumni
Association's strengths and weaknesses as well as significant trends in the
environment. In addition, an information gathering program was
designed, including both interviews and focus groups with members.
- Information Gathering: Over the summer, committee members carried
out individual interviews with a sampling of alumni chosen to represent
alumni of different ages and backgrounds from across the country. The
consultants conducted two focus groups, one with a group of AHANA
(African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) alumni in the
Boston area, and the second with representatives of the New Jersey
regional club.
- Meeting 2: The second meeting was devoted to presentation and
discussion of these information gathering activities, as well as input to the
content of a member survey. Appendix A includes some key themes from
the interviews and focus groups.
- Survey: During October a member survey was sent to approximately 6,000
alumni (see Appendix B). 1175 completed surveys were returned, for a
20% response rate. This input was shared with committee members at a
later meeting to help guide their thinking.
- Meeting 3: The next meeting included a preliminary discussion of the
Alumni Association's mission and the development of a definition of a
shared future vision for the Association.
- Meeting 4: This meeting focused on the survey results and preliminary
definition of strategic directions.
- Meeting 5: A full-day meeting was devoted to discussing the mission and
developing strategic directions and strategies.
- Sub-committee meetings: The sub-committee met twice to draft, review,
and refine the strategic plan in preparation for review by the full
committee. Between meetings, individual members also contributed to
the draft.
- Meeting 6: This meeting concluded the process with a review and
acceptance of the strategic plan and agreement on a communications and
dissemination plan. Following this session, the full committee had the
opportunity to comment on the revised plan, which was then finalized by
the sub-committee.
- Preparation for Board presentation: The committee chair prepared a
presentation for the Alumni Association Board; the sub-committee
reviewed and helped shape the presentation.
The process was one of building from one meeting to the next, of actively
using the information developed to guide the definition of the directions and
strategies. As the process continued, committee members expanded their
understanding of the Alumni Association, its relationship to Boston College,
and the challenges it faces. The final product represents the consensus of the
group, arrived at after much in-depth discussion and considerable analysis
and questioning.
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