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Strategic Plan - Next Steps
The goals of the Alumni Council shall support the Mission of the College and thereby fall under these two major categories: Non-Fiscal and Fiscal, or more specifically, Outreach and Philanthropy.
OUTREACH – Represent and Promote ICO to Alumni, Students, and Prospective Students
| Goal #1 |
Promote the profession of optometry/ICO to potential students |
| Objective/Action: |
Alumni Mentor Program |
Description: The Alumni Mentor Program shall be a pilot program beginning with current Alumni Council members as the initial mentors. The primary outreach will be to prospective students, ICO applicants, and current students. Alumni Mentors must be prepared to answer the following questions: “Why choose optometry?” and “Why choose ICO?” The Alumni Relations Office will provide resource materials for mentors to answer questions more readily and accurately. Responsibilities include:
| 1) Prospective Students: |
a) attend career fairs at local schools
b) distribute ICO literature
c) distribute business cards
d) record prospective student contact information
e) contact prospective students following fair
f) invite to office to shadow |
| 2) Accepted Applicants: |
a) provide Alumni Council contact information
b) take calls/emails
c) schedule office visits |
| 3) Current Students: |
a) provide Alumni Council contact information to all students at beginning of every year
b) take calls/emails from students
c) schedule office visits
d) provide resources for students
e) be accessible and approachable |
| Goal #2 |
Promote leadership opportunities to students/alumni |
| Objective/Action “A”: |
Institute program whereby alumni recognize other alumni achievements |
Description: This program shall be led by Alumni Council members. Responsibilities include: reading state newsletters and regional journals, looking for achievements by ICO alumni, sending a personal congratulatory note on behalf of the Alumni Council, and forwarding the achievement notice to the Alumni Director for inclusion in ICO Matters. The Alumni Director shall keep a record of all alumni achievements for accreditation purposes. The Alumni Director will also look into the costs of printing Alumni Association note cards and envelopes.
| Objective/Action “B”: |
Consider hosting a Leadership Day on campus to showcase ICO alumni who have achieved leadership status within the profession |
Comment: Showcasing ICO leaders to students in this way can be very beneficial but can have many challenges and may only provide limited interaction between students and alumni. With consideration for limited budgetary and human resources, other options will be explored (such as an ICO Hall of Fame) to meet these challenges and maximize the exposure of our national leaders to students. Investigation into the feasibility of this objective will continue.
| Goal #3 |
Increase connectedness between students/alumni/institution |
| Objective/Action: |
Outreach at ICO Exhibit Booths |
Description: This form of outreach shall entail Alumni Council members scheduling time to co-man the ICO exhibit booth at various local, state, and national conventions, namely, Midwest Eyecare Congress, AOA, IOA, and possibly adding Heart of America and the Michigan Optometric Association Convention. Responsibilities include: contacting the Alumni Director of times available, attending booth at scheduled time, promoting the profession and ICO at booth, and distributing literature at booth. Other opportunities are available on campus during the Practice Opportunities Symposium and Capstone Program.
| Goal #4 |
Increase opportunities for non-fiscal participation that lead to fiscal support for the ICO Mission |
| Objective/Action: |
Develop non-fiscal opportunities for alumni participation beginning with regional meetings |
Description: This shall be a pilot program in which Alumni Council members connect with 2-10 alumni in their area on a regular basis to network and share ideas. Responsibilities include: contacting alumni in the area and setting up monthly or quarterly meetings or office visits to discuss various topics related to the profession. These small group meetings can occur at various locations, such as in the home, office or in a restaurant. The result of building and strengthening these relationships will be mutually beneficial and will gradually progress to stronger positive feelings about ICO and eventual stewardship. The Alumni Director will provide lists of alumni from different geographical locations for the Alumni Council’s use.
| Goal #5 |
Provide “added value” to alumni |
| Objective/Action: |
Investigate alumni email service |
Comment: This action has already begun by continuing students’ “eyedoc” email accounts after graduation. Because of ongoing server capacity issues, the broadening of this service remains to be further planned. The Information Systems Department is currently addressing concerns related to this email service, and it is exploring if email accounts can be offered to all alumni in the near future.
| Objective/Action “B”: |
Investigate web page to make resources available to alumni, such as practice management advice, etc. |
Comment: Adding services to our website has already begun (online giving is now possible; online directory information is being developed), and while we would eventually hope to establish more resources for alumni, there are many factors involved in order to initiate, maintain, and update such a project. Due to issues pertaining to liability, server capacity, content management, and oversight, this objective is beyond the scope of the resources that are available at this time.
Objective/Action “C”: Investigate options for an alumni list serve
Comment: With the recent addition of online giving and online alumni directory modules (Net Solutions), the focus will be on maximizing the potential of those modules to the benefit of ICO and our alumni before taking on any new ventures. It is proposed that the online alumni directory be password protected and available free for alumni who have purchased a hard copy. Access would be available for a fee for those alumni who have not previously purchased an alumni directory. Details regarding this proposal will be discussed further. Exploration of list serve offerings as a service to alumni will continue, thereby enabling our alumni to have interactive discussions online.
PHILANTHROPY – Support the Mission of the College by raising funds for the College
The single most important aspect of maintaining and strengthening the quality of education at ICO is to have the funds to support the advancement of our educational programs. Recruiting and retaining the best possible faculty, providing a state-of-the-art learning facility, and providing services that go beyond the four walls of the classroom are all essential for the future health and vitality of this institution and the future of the profession. Fund raising is vital for the growth of the College.
| Goal #6 |
Investigate web page to make resources available to alumni, such as practice management advice, etc. |
| Objective/Action “A”: |
Develop personal philanthropy of all Alumni Council members |
Description: By setting an example for other alumni to support the College through the Alumni Council members’ own personal philanthropic efforts, increased financial support for the College will result. Each Alumni Council member shall support the College fiscally according to their means. Eventual attainment of 100% membership in the Leadership Circle shall be desired (excluding student representatives).
Objective/Action “B”: Encourage/recruit alumni to support the College fiscally
Description: Each Alumni Council member, through example, shall recruit one other alumnus each year to support the College. If the Alumni Council member is a Leadership Circle member, recruit one other member per year. If the Alumni Council member supports the Annual Fund, recruit one other alumnus to support the Annual Fund per year. The Alumni Council has been provided with “giving” resource materials by the Development Office that address the various methods and giving programs available. The Development Office shall serve as an ongoing resource to support the fund raising activities of the Alumni Council members.
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