The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(09-28-2012 07:04 PM)JHoover Wrote:  DIALING FOR DOLLARS

Apparently, there are three position openings in the
Office of Development and (Lack of) Alumni Relations.

If one has significant experience resting money from people, this could be you.

In each job description, the emphasis is on getting money from Alumni and other unsuspecting targets.

In each job listing there is not a mention of establishing or conducting Alumni Informational Events, Alumni Chapters nor improving deteriorating
Alumni Relations.

Surveying the targets of these activities, Alumni and others, as to their interests, and opinions of how they wish to be "treated" would go a long way in
avoiding the negative backlash currently underway.

Being "socially engaged" as opposed to a "confrontational / telephone solicitation" tactic, would probably be more beneficial, and cause less alienation
in the long run.

I saw four available, and you are 100% correct. This might be your most cogent post yet.

LOYALTY HAS ITS LIMITS

It may have occurred to some readers of this web site that my purpose in continuing to post to this thread is to raise the awareness of the disrespectful attitude and activities directed towards WMU Alumni. You would be correct.
My postings are not to provide entertainment for the self appointed literary critics of my writing skills. (It's a little attempt at humor)

Hopefully, someone of importance, prominence,and influence, will be able to direct changes in the current administrative attitude and practices.

Bringing in persons to WMU who are not alumni, those loyal to their manager and hiring authority, but who have no loyality to Western Michigan University is causing a great deal of damage and alienation to Alumni Relations.
If you recall, the previous University President insulted enough people that she eventually went, bye, bye.

"We don't care. We have a job to do. We're on a mission from God."

As a former University Administration employee, although many years ago, I suspect some of the smugness that I observed back then still exists.
"You couldn't possibly understand what goes on here, this is academia!", prevailed in many corners of the University.
Or, there was the very popular attitude that "We hang out with smart people, so this means were smart too!"
"Not really!", many of us unenlightened thought,
"What could they be compensating for?"

So if someone asks, why you're not making a donation, buying tickets, giving, giving, giving, you might ask why there isn't an Association of Alumni.
Perhaps, we should give up on the giving, until someone figures it out.


"You boys have filthy mouths,
and baaadddd attitudes!"

----------------Sister Penguin

Nice use of Blues. She had me scared, but I was still young then.

DID ANYONE EVER THINK OF...............

establishing an Alumni Association Chapter in Kalamazoo?
Was there ever a Kalamazoo Alumni Association Chapter?
Perhaps, this could give someone organizational and management experience in
setting up functioning Alumni Chapters beyond western Michigan.

BTW, my friends tell me that this thread is really "making the rounds", and some readers may
be afraid to post a comment because of the fear of recriminations.
I am also informed, that I may be confronted by a "mob" at the Homecoming Gathering this Saturday.
Probably, not the Welcome Wagon, they have cautioned me.

Well, there's nothing like a little collateral damage to scare people into submission.

What do you think?

I would love to work for WMU Alumni Relations. My application and resume haven't been well-received though. Maybe they don't have a lot of confidence in their MBA program.

Working for the Gary Fund would be the coolest.

Only 2 or 3 people 'work' for the Gary Fund. The rest volunteer.

Please kill this thread, it's full of innuendo and doesn't shoot straight. He has become what he professes to hate.

(10-03-2012 07:05 PM)JHoover Wrote:  DID ANYONE EVER THINK OF...............

I am also informed, that I may be confronted by a "mob" at the Homecoming Gathering this Saturday.
Probably, not the Welcome Wagon, they have cautioned me.

Well, there's nothing like a little collateral damage to scare people into submission.

Did you survive the mob today?

(10-06-2012 08:56 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  Please kill this thread, it's full of innuendo and doesn't shoot straight. He has become what he professes to hate.

Well said. Last post, I swear.

THE MOB DIDN'T MATERIALIZE............

unless it was those guys over there with the torches and pitchforks.
Everyone was very polite and gracious.
One would expect that from the Bronco Faithful, always a class act.

BTW, since there are over 8500 "hits" on this thread, one might conclude that there is some interest in the opinions and innuendos express concerning having a functioning Alumni Association.

As far as working in the Department, it's certainly commendable to have an MBA to enhance your employability.
However, sadly, academic achievement may not trump the need for an employee who follows orders, is passive, not assertive nor ambitious, and accepts the logic that "you're not paid to think, you're paid to work!"
Bon Chance, mon ami!

I suspect that this thread will end, when the interest in the discussion ends.



"I don't know, the bell rang!"
....Ralphie Parker

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES

My friends and I have noticed the large numbers listed on the University Events web site under Alumni.
Check that out-zero, nada, nothing.
It's been almost a year since the very informative meeting at Groves High School in Berkley. Of course,
the elusive "Big Plans" never materialized.
What's next?

Several of us with Business School background wonder if someone is "calling the shots" based on the 80%/20% Rule. Twenty percent of your sales prospects (the major donors) give you eighty percent of your sales income (the BIG BUCKS). This appears to be where the attention is focused. Let's give the attention to the big donors, and ignore the residual. We'll call them Outstanding Alumni, and they'll kick in some more cash.
Could many of us (the 80%) have unknowingly become part of the 47%

With a drop in enrollment one might consider encouraging Alumni to refer prospective students to consider
their Alma mater, Western Michigan University.
However, shabby treatment of ignoring The Faithful Bronco Alumni, probably isn't going to encourage referrals to assist in increasing either enrollment or monetary donations. But then. if they're a part of the
80% residual (47%?), I guess that doesn't matter to some of the decision makers.

Perhaps, all this cash collected is being put aside for the Annual Winter World Tour to exotic locations
in Florida, California, Arizona, Mexico?, and other venues.

What do you think?


"We're all in this together!"
------Red Green

(10-10-2012 03:42 PM)JHoover Wrote:  ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES

With a drop in enrollment one might consider encouraging Alumni to refer prospective students to consider
their Alma mater, Western Michigan University.
However, shabby treatment of ignoring The Faithful Bronco Alumni, probably isn't going to encourage referrals to assist in increasing either enrollment or monetary donations.

Fantastic point.

Regarding the suggestion that alumni contact prospective students, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. They have a program in place for that. They will periodically mail you a list of 10 interested prospects, along with 10 stamped postcards. You can then write personalized notes to the prospects encouraging them to consider WMU for their college selection. My wife and I have done hundreds of these postcards. Please consider participating in this program.

EAST OF KALAMAZOO
---------there's another world out there !
That's a great idea, if there was a functioning Alumni Association with Chapters, Officers,
meetings, speakers from the University, promoting these recruitment and other WMU activities.
Once again, activities for the University of western Michigan still seems to be the attitude in Kalamazoo.
I'm sure if there was a functioning Alumni Association this is a program that could be promoted.

(10-11-2012 08:41 AM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Regarding the suggestion that alumni contact prospective students, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. They have a program in place for that. They will periodically mail you a list of 10 interested prospects, along with 10 stamped postcards. You can then write personalized notes to the prospects encouraging them to consider WMU for their college selection. My wife and I have done hundreds of these postcards. Please consider participating in this program.

I did that for a few years. Suddenly they stopped mailing things out to us volunteers. Still not really sure why...

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

I hope everyone is on the "do not call" list given the job description listed openings for the Collection Agency, that's replaced the Alumni Association.
WOW! You should read the job descriptions. They're more intense than the preperation for a WWII Bond Drive!
(If you don't know what that is, ask around, someone probably remembers)

The next thing you know, THEY'LL be passing the collection plate at athletic events.
That will be great for attendance.

Apparently, those in control at WMU have some inside knowledge that the economy is making a recovery quicker that most of us realized!

But of course, as evidenced by some recent comments from former students, if one of the Target Groups is Alumni with significant student loan balances, there is certainly a lack of foresight and insight into the realm of reality and the economy.

There has been some some concern expressed in other threads about the student attendence at football games, and the attendence in general being less than hoped for over the last few years.
Why alienate the Alumni, and drive them away by ignoring them, except for besieging them for money?
Then in protest, they can stay decide to stay home from football games, and the south side of Waldo Stadium will look empty too.

This looks like a train wreck wainting to happen, as the train heads over the cliff into the Valley of Alienation.


"Round up the usual suspects!"
---Vichy Captain Louis Renault

MISSION STATEMENTS
(Everyone should have one, even if they don't mean anything)

My collegues and I have reviewed, with great interest, the Department Mission Statement.
Although well written, but rather verbose, we are having a problem with the terms ENGAGMENT and SERVICE, and the lack of a connection with the Alumni, without a functioning Alumni Association.

Soliciting money, in return for verbiage is hardly adequate.

One possible cause for this lack of direction, or mis-direction, was the combining of the fund raising function, and Alumni Relations.

We are in agreement, that if these responsibilities were seperated, and a Director of Alumni Relations was hired by President Dunn and the Alumni Board, reporting to the President and the Board, sanity and a functioning Alumni Association could be restored.
Further, the Alumni Board should author an Alumni Bill of Rights, to off-set this over emphasis on the solicitation of money under the guise of engagment and service to Alumni.

BTW, there are over 400 "hits" on this thread since my last posting.
I guess someone's reading this with a sense of interest and concern over what's NOT going on with engagment and service to Alumni.

What do you think?


"Hold On Tight To Your Dreams!"
--------- ELO

THE ROAD TO MEDIOCRITY
(No, I don't mean Bronco Athletics)

Since the last posting, there have been over 500 viewers to this thread.

The last posting was also sent to President Dunn. Although I didn't receive a response, which I did not expect anyway, the concern continues.

Perhaps the commentary has been taken into "advisement", or perhaps it was "screened out" of the collection of e-mails he receives, but never sees, or is not worthy of comment.........

I am reminded, the University is not a place for "risk takers", but a haven and safe place to stay in a "survival mode". Change is not a constant, but a threat to survival.

If you promote change and risk taking, you might fail, and be found out.
OR, you could hang on to what you have, and either move on (get promoted within), leave for a promotion outside--before they come for you, or survive until retirement. But don't take chances.

Perhaps, if President Dunn was inundated with letters of application, and resumes for the position of Director of Alumni Relations, he might take notice and ask, "What's going on?"

I'm sure that many of you reading this would do an excellent job of creating and directing a vibrant, functioning Alumni Association beyond western Michigan for all WMU Alumni, not just a few.

BTW, did you ever wonder why the fund raising function was ever combined with the Alumni Association?
Several of us have come up with a couple of speculations, and they aren't very pretty.

What do you think?


Jack Lint: We've always been close, haven't we?
Sam Lowry: Yes, Jack?
Jack Lint: Well, until this blows over, just stay away from me.
_______Brazil (the movie)

IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST

Why should I give money to Western Michigan University?

Most of us, most of the time, do business with people we know and/or trust.
However, while WMU is not a business, it has business management activities.
WMU is a government entity, supported by all the tax payers of Michigan, not just by a few and for a few Alumni.

Doing business with people that offer you a "Hearty Handshake", as WC Fields once put it, if at times somewhat disingenuous, at least offers an opportunity to develop
trustful relationships.
Instead, the handshake is extended for a donation?

There doesn't appear to be a change in the direction to the relationship of the WMU Administration and WMU Alumni.
While admittedly, I enjoy the Internet, substituting the Internet for more personal relationships with Alumni, does pose the threat of the further depersonalization and
erosion of these relationships.
And, not everyone is "attached" to the Internet, nor do they have access to a computer.

This depersonalization, and over reliance on the internet, by the WMU Administration, I'm afraid, is an effort to keep those pesky Alumni at bay.
The results in an Internet based one-way communication stream, that is not communication at all, but a blatant attempt at self-promotion and justification.

Why should I give money to Western Michigan University?

Why should I give money to people I don't know, or possibly shouldn't trust?

Since the last posting to this thread, there have been over 400 views noted.

What do you think?



Arresting Officer: This is your receipt for your husband,
and this is my receipt for your receipt.

----Brazil (the movie)

THE DEPARTED

Working in any organization has it's rewards and risks.
If your lucky, and good at what you do, and choose to stay safe,
you might survive until your retirement.

However, should the wind blow from a different direction, with a less than positive
environmental result, the effect beyond the immediate vicinity, impacting others not
seemingly directly involved, most assuredly will occur.

People with long tenures especially, establish relationships both within the immediate
work location, throughout the organization, and outside of the organization.

To a great extent an organization's Reputation and Community Persona is reflected in the
actions of it's employees, and also reflected in how the organization treats it's employees.

Given some of the comments in earlier threads, that also reflected these concerns, I'm
surprised that someone hasn't been more forth coming with even more anonymous
comments, about people leaving.
Is this what's referred to as "collateral damage"?

It certainly sounds like management by intimidation.

BTW, what ever happened to the "Family Deal"?

This just gets better and better.........

There have been over 500 visits to this thread since the last posting.

What do you think?




"i have seen the light!"
_______Jake Blues