Members Present:  David Abernathy, Bernie Boldt, Jacquie Downey, Michael Earley, Ray Ferguson, David Heeter, Steve Imler, Jim Ittenbach, Jeff Klee, Lynn Johnson, Ray Montagno, Lynne Richardson, Sue Taylor, Tiffany Westfall, Jenny Budreau (via telephone)

Guests:  Tammy Estep, Michelle Johnson and Ben Hancock

The meeting was called to order at 3:40 p.m. by Heeter, who asked the board members to introduce themselves.

Vice President for University Advancement, Ben Hancock, provided remarks on his background and initial experience at Ball State, and said he is excited to be part of our university because of the numerous energetic people with whom he has been in contact. He believes Ball State's vision and strategic plan will continue to evolve and that the new marketing slogan, "Education Redefined" will better inform the public of our mission and niche in the marketplace. He also said that he believes in collaboration and loves to raise money.  He complimented the Ball State Advancement Staff. Additionally, Hancock spoke of the Indianapolis Center and efforts for outreach in that area.

The Board unanimously approved minutes from the February 22, 2006 meeting.

Alumni Council Report
Jenny Budreau reported by telephone on the Alumni Council meeting April 29, where President Gora was present. There is a great commitment to Ball State as evidenced by the 2007 stadium campaign, communications building and residence hall projects.  Budreau also spoke of the Liberty Mutual insurance offering and the Ball State Federal Credit Union partnership extension.  She indicated that on the Legacy Scholarships awarded on behalf of Ball State and the Alumni Association.  The next Alumni Council meeting is Saturday, September 9 at the Alumni Center, followed by the BSU-IU football game.

Dean's Report
Richardson noted that Janice Replogle had retired June 30 after 21 years of service, and that MCOB student services has been restructured. An outreach coordinator, Angie Crabtree, has been hired for the H.H. Gregg Center for Professional Selling, and an experiential learning/immersion coordinator, Angie Cravens, have been hired in the MCOB Student Services area.

Five new tenure track faculty positions were filled. MCOB is currently recruiting for 2007-2008 positions in accounting, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales. 
Regarding initiatives, Richardson spoke of events to connect with alumni and students in Evansville, Kokomo and Elkhart over the summer; and said that the MCOB staffed a booth as part of Ball State University Day at the Indiana State Fair. She noted that the new Indianapolis Center will have an insurance presence, and that Steve Avila had been awarded a grant to teach high school teachers in summer 2006. Six MCOB faculty participated in a Faculty Internship Program over the summer. Global activities included the dean's February 2006 trip to India, which resulted in partnership opportunities with four universities; a study abroad trip to India in March 2007; Brien Smith's visit to Delhi University in December 2006, and Ray Montagno and Doug Naffziger's visit to Germany in September 2006. 

A Student Advisory Board will be selected in September.
The Advanced Professionalism Certificate kickoff is August 30 with alumnus Craig Dunn speaking in WB 144 at 3 p.m.  The Scholarship and Donor Recognition Brunch will be December 2 at the Alumni Center. Dialogue Days were moved from October to March 6-7, 2007.  She distributed a list of advisory board meeting dates and monthly speakers slated for the year's Distinguished Speaker Series. Most are CEOs or senior administrators in their organizations.

Richardson reported that total gifts to the MCOB during the last fiscal year approached $1 million, when including a gift redirected from the previous year, and that the Lilly match initiative is currently underway.
The 3rd Annual Alumni Awards Dinner is Friday, September 8. Award recipients include Hall of Fame--Paul Parkison and Tony Smith; Awards of Distinction-- Doug Bowers, Sheryl Conley, Ken DePaola and Terry Walker; and Awards of Achievement --Greg Beyerl, Ron Brumbarger, Mary Frances Luce and Jim Stratman. The MCOB donor recognition wall has been installed and will recognize MCOB cumulative giving.

Westfall asked how colleges receive rankings, Richardson replied that the U.S. News and World Report, the most prestigious, is compiled from survey information that they receive.
Downey circulated a Sales & Marketing Magazine which mentioned Ball State and its H.H. Gregg sales center.

The MCOB alumni board raised $20,000 in sponsorships for the annual Awards Dinner and anticipates that 225 will attend. Estep requested the Board's reservations. Board members were assigned to host honorees during the reception.

Professionalism Certificates were discussed. The MCOB wants to include more students and better promote successful graduates.

A "pride" exercise was discussed by Heeter to reenergize the group.  He asked if there were any new initiatives to engage the Board.

There were a few ideas generated on how to link BSU faculty expertise with alumni business owners, and how to give real world business problems to faculty who would then engage current students and alumni in resolving them.  Ittenbach suggested that this would engage alumni, link faculty to business owners, increase recognition for the college, and provide more alumni with the potential for awards and honors. Heeter said that there will be a "champion" designated for each of these areas and discussed in future meetings.

Estep will be the contact for Dialogue Days.

Next meeting date is scheduled for November 16th at the Indianapolis Center at 3:30 p.m.  Dinner will follow at the Columbia Club in downtown Indianapolis. 

Election of officers and the possibility of increasing the number of members on this Board will be further discussed at the November meeting.