(06-08-2022 10:38 AM)Claw Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:20 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:13 AM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:07 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  There was never serious consideration for an on-campus football facility.

Obviously not. An OCS from the perspective of our university was a no-brainer but history continues to repeat itself over & over with city control & ownership winning out on the back of our university for the $$ & our university paying the rent as a simple tenant.

Have they released any of the plans considered for the OCS other than it was based off of the Colorado State stadium & then doubled? Which sites were considered & how did they differ in costs? The Heery Report listed several workable sites for an on campus facility. How would they work around the master plan? What criteria was used to arrive at the inhibitive cost? Was any of that covered?

They haven't even released any plans for what they ARE going to do.

We have a bunch of blind, mindless zealots that are supporting something without even knowing what it is.

And an equal number of blind, mindless zealots that are against something without even knowing what it is.

(06-08-2022 10:44 AM)aardWolf Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:38 AM)Claw Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:20 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:13 AM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 10:07 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  There was never serious consideration for an on-campus football facility.

Obviously not. An OCS from the perspective of our university was a no-brainer but history continues to repeat itself over & over with city control & ownership winning out on the back of our university for the $$ & our university paying the rent as a simple tenant.

Have they released any of the plans considered for the OCS other than it was based off of the Colorado State stadium & then doubled? Which sites were considered & how did they differ in costs? The Heery Report listed several workable sites for an on campus facility. How would they work around the master plan? What criteria was used to arrive at the inhibitive cost? Was any of that covered?

They haven't even released any plans for what they ARE going to do.

We have a bunch of blind, mindless zealots that are supporting something without even knowing what it is.

And an equal number of blind, mindless zealots that are against something without even knowing what it is.

AH! But we know what it IS NOT! And that is our issue with it.

What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

I think you dismiss the impact of on-campus facilities way too easily.

If we had a venue on campus, state-level politicians would see our campus when they came to events. If it was new, they would all be there. You know they would.

If we were hosting concerts and other events in it, a large cross-section of the surrounding area would see our campus.

If we had our own graduations on campus, the families of our graduates would see our campus. This one is just shameful. We can't even host our own graduations.

Our football fans would see our campus. The cameras covering the games would too.

The high school students attending The Bandmasters Championship would see our campus.

What happens when you pump four hundred thousand or so more people through your campus every year? They'll spend money. They'll talk about their experience. They'll bring more people next year.

You want to land a few more big-time donors? Bring a half million people a year to campus. You will dramatically increase your odds of getting more big-time donors.

It's a numbers game. It really is. At 40,000 a pop, the numbers pile up quickly.

Once our two big donors said "not sure" on $ 50M each, the decision was easy.

Yes, OCS was considered heavily - all based on the above.

(06-08-2022 12:24 PM)griffin Wrote:  Once our two big donors said "not sure" on $ 50M each, the decision was easy.

Yes, OCS was considered heavily - all based on the above.

Did they say they "were sure" about contributing to the renovations?

(06-08-2022 12:16 PM)Claw Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

I think you dismiss the impact of on-campus facilities way too easily.

If we had a venue on campus, state-level politicians would see our campus when they came to events. If it was new, they would all be there. You know they would.

If we were hosting concerts and other events in it, a large cross-section of the surrounding area would see our campus.

If we had our own graduations on campus, the families of our graduates would see our campus. This one is just shameful. We can't even host our own graduations.

Our football fans would see our campus. The cameras covering the games would too.

The high school students attending The Bandmasters Championship would see our campus.

What happens when you pump four hundred thousand or so more people through your campus every year? They'll spend money. They'll talk about their experience. They'll bring more people next year.

You want to land a few more big-time donors? Bring a half million people a year to campus. You will dramatically increase your odds of getting more big-time donors.

It's a numbers game. It really is. At 40,000 a pop, the numbers pile up quickly.

Are you kidding? You dismiss the impact of the donors not wanting to pay for all of it, knowing that the average fan won't contribute much.

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

I've never had a direct response to direct questions about on campus sports facilities that I have solicited in writing from the AD or the president in any of the administrations dating back as far as Spook Murphy & C. Humphries. It's as if there is some secret contract between the city & the university where the university has agreed to subjugate its interests to those of the city. I've decided it's simply a matter of weak administrations that just don't want to deal with the risks of thinking big & long term for the university. Instead they settle for the safe & business as usual, don't buck the system, don't make waves. Just another version of keeping the university on the plantation. And it is very frustrating.... and BTW I've been a substantial donor & long time season ticket buyer in both MBB & FB.

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 11:09 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  What I know is…
the disconnect between alumni & the school will continue…
…the alumni giving percentage will remain among the lowest in the country
…developers vested in Liberty Park will be enriched by the university’s investment
…the school will dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a facility it does not own or control.
…we will never know the plans used to ruled out an OCS.

What I know is I saw this same type of public/private boondoggle extract millions from the university some 30+ years ago into what is now a Bass Pro Shop. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 15k seat on campus basketball facility right now? Broke folks make rich folks… rich.

College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

I forget the term, first-time family graduates? Something like that. Because we are turning out the first family members to get degrees, it is VITAL that we TEACH them that alumni giving is part of earning a degree. I don't think we do that. I don't know how we do that. But our students are not going to learn that at home. We have to foster it.

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 12:00 PM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  College football attendance is dropping at most college schools. The disconnect you reference has been building for several years. The solution is NOT a $400M stadium that is squeezed into an empty lot on campus. It's much deeper than that.

Do you give annually to the school?

Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

(06-10-2022 09:18 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

If you're graduating less than half of your freshman, some 4 yr stats I've seen show 30% rate then you're putting stress on your small alumni base. The more alumni, the more giving.

You most certainly have to take into consideration how much graduates make. If your grads make less than other institutions, alumni maybe can't give as much.

On campus sports don't help folks graduate and earn a higher living.

(06-10-2022 09:34 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:18 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

If you're graduating less than half of your freshman, some 4 yr stats I've seen show 30% rate then you're putting stress on your small alumni base. The more alumni, the more giving.

You most certainly have to take into consideration how much graduates make. If your grads make less than other institutions, alumni maybe can't give as much.

On campus sports don't help folks graduate and earn a higher living.

I understand your point, but I am simply referencing the extremely small percentage of alumni of the school who actually donate.
97% of alumni of the University of Memphis do not donate a nickel. Im not referencing donation amounts or levels… I’m talking donating anything.

(06-10-2022 09:18 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 07:27 AM)tigerfan39 Wrote:  

(06-08-2022 01:09 PM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  Yes. My wife & I are both alumni & we give, which is why I know our alumni giving percentage is extremely low & it has been extremely low for the entire 2.5 decades we’ve participated.

If this university wants to reverse that trend, then they must develop connection between alumni & the school. They’ve traditionally been absolutely dreadful.

What do you recommend? I've reached out to Tammy Hedges several times with my ideas. She's responded to me each time I've emailed her.

1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

BTW... the average alumni give rate is ~8%
Why do you say 'if students don't graduate, then they don't qualify as alumni'?
Who is considered an alumni?
An alumnus (masculine, plural alumni) or alumna (feminine, plural alumnae) is a former student or pupil of a school, college, or university. Commonly, but not always, the word refers to a graduate of the educational institution in question.

(06-10-2022 09:53 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:34 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:18 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 08:54 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  1. The school must become more greek friendly. In my opinion, the U of M has has treated their greek system as a necessary evil… something they’d prefer would wither away. Yet, study after study show greeks to be the most active alumni and represent .75 of every dollar donated to their school. The disconnect at Memphis starts as a student & a healthy active greek system is more important at a school like Memphis than at a more traditional university.

2. They have to bring either basketball or football on campus. It’s obviously not going to happen in my lifetime but tailgating at Tiger Lane does ZERO for the university. Alumni that are disconnected because of their “commuter” status stay disconnected because they experience nothing more than parking tickets & mile long walks to classes. There is no reason to spend any more time than absolutely necessary at the school. Sports on campus change that… hell, move baseball over from Siberia & put it on the main campus. Give students a reason to spend more time there.

3. Hammer home to existing alumni & graduating seniors the importance of giving something, even if its just $50 per year. The giving percentages impact school rankings our giving percentage is just 2-3%. Supporting the school that provided the education & means to earn a living should be an obligation, but Memphis cannot create the emotional relationship with is alumni, who treat college like HS.

Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

If you're graduating less than half of your freshman, some 4 yr stats I've seen show 30% rate then you're putting stress on your small alumni base. The more alumni, the more giving.

You most certainly have to take into consideration how much graduates make. If your grads make less than other institutions, alumni maybe can't give as much.

On campus sports don't help folks graduate and earn a higher living.

I understand your point, but I am simply referencing the extremely small percentage of alumni of the school who actually donate.
97% of alumni of the University of Memphis do not donate a nickel. Im not referencing donation amounts or levels… I’m talking donating anything.

Maybe to UofM graduates it's more of a means to improve life than it is the college experience you're talking about? I guess I can see your perspective better now. Change the mindset to the college experience and get more fruitful giving alumni.

I know the college experience was a big reason for my higher education choice.

(06-10-2022 09:59 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:53 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:34 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:18 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(06-10-2022 09:09 AM)poppaslaw Wrote:  Don't you think graduation rates and income earned from degree makes an impact on alumni giving?

I do not think income earned should play into the percentage, but higher earners are surely higher profile targets for the school.
Too, if students don’t graduate, then they don’t qualify as alumni & wouldn’t factor into the alumni giving percentage.

If you're graduating less than half of your freshman, some 4 yr stats I've seen show 30% rate then you're putting stress on your small alumni base. The more alumni, the more giving.

You most certainly have to take into consideration how much graduates make. If your grads make less than other institutions, alumni maybe can't give as much.

On campus sports don't help folks graduate and earn a higher living.

I understand your point, but I am simply referencing the extremely small percentage of alumni of the school who actually donate.
97% of alumni of the University of Memphis do not donate a nickel. Im not referencing donation amounts or levels… I’m talking donating anything.

Maybe to UofM graduates it's more of a means to improve life than it is the college experience you're talking about? I guess I can see your perspective better now. Change the mindset to the college experience and get more fruitful giving alumni.

I know the college experience was a big reason for my higher education choice.

Thats my thought… the school needs to better provide a lifetime connection with its alumni. When I travel to see the Tigers play or go to our tailgate spot on Tiger Lane, I continue to see the same faces I saw when active in Greek life at Memphis. Those groups who established friendships & connections during college are still connected now, some 30+ years afterwards. The problem at Memphis is there are far too few.