Miller College of Business Alumni Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Hall of Fame Room—Whitinger Building

Members Present: David Abernathy, Bernie Boldt, Jenny Budreau, Dave Heeter, Michael Earley, Lynn Johnson, Michelle Johnson, Todd Johnston, Jeff Klee, Ray Montagno, Lynne Richardson, Sue Taylor, Kevin Walbridge, Tiffany Westfall

Guest: Tammy Estep

Heeter called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. The Board unanimously approved minutes from the February 5, 2007 meeting.

Alumni Council Report

Budreau provided brief highlights of the last Alumni Council meeting on January 13. A discussion was held regarding the value of the Ball State Alumni Association to the University and the level of alumni participation with regard to giving. Currently only 14% of alumni donate to Ball State, a downward trend resulting from the emphasis on major gifts. Ball State will embark on a pride and image campaign aimed at increasing giving and the percentage of alumni who contribute. A resolution was drafted and approved stating that the Alumni Association and Alumni Council would strongly encourage "successful and increased alumni involvement and giving participation while maintaining its current successful events, programs, and communications." The Council will continue to fully support the concept and direction of a capital campaign by Ball State University and will fully endorse the proactive steps the University is taking to increase pride and participation from its alumni.

Heeter asked whether the resolution is a signal that alumni and development are working together on fundraising, and then commented on a Wall Street Journal article describing the nature in which some colleges or universities have been counting their gifts. Richardson elaborated that one example was a senior gift made in one year, and the college had counted the donor in each of three years by dividing the gift into thirds, although it had actually all been paid in one year. Richardson and Taylor stated that this is not the manner in which Ball State gifts are tabulated and reported.

The next meeting of the Alumni Council will be Saturday, April 28, 2007.

Dean's Report

Richardson reported on the launch of the MCOB E-News in January 2007. The college is trying to work with 5,000 emails to establish a database. E-news is distributed on the 12^th of each month.

The Living/Learning Community in Knotts/Edwards Hall was a big success this year. Forty-six students and seven chaperones visited New York City in January. The program won an award for Student Affairs. Alumni Ken White and Kay Endress greeted students who viewed a panel about working and living in NYC.

Students and faculty visited India during Spring Break. Montagno and Richardson traveled to Brazil in April to create future study abroad opportunities and visit with alumnus Tony Smith. Trips are planned this summer to London/Versailles and Turkey.

The University is considering a change in the core curriculum. There will potentially be a one-hour fiscal wellness requirement for all Ball State students, taught in the MCOB and in the FCS programs.

As of March 31, 2007, the MCOB had raised $1,966,857.35 of a $2 million goal in the 2007 fiscal year. The Lilly match generated a total of $1,090,250.68 in additional dollars. MCOB garnered approximately 33% of the university's available dollars from the Lilly match challenge on campus.

Entrepreneurship hosted The Ascent, a black tie event held at the Conrad, on March 3, 2007. The winner was Michael Biddle of MBA Polymers. The Nascent 500 was held on March 23, 2007. It was won by the University of Manitoba.

Ball State Business magazine will be out in two weeks, featuring articles on entrepreneurship, ethics education, and immersive learning.

Action plans are being written for the University's strategic plan. MCOB is creating more immersive learning programs for its students, as are many areas on campus. Immersive learning opportunities possess the following characteristics:

• Carry academic credit
• Engage participants in an active learning process that is student-driven, yet guided by a faculty mentor
• Produce a tangible outcome or product, such as a business plan, policy recommendation book, play or DVD
• Involve a team of students, often working on a project that is interdisciplinary in nature
• Include a community partner and create an impact on the larger community, as well as on the student participants
• Focus on student learning outcomes

One of the student projects regarding business ethics included interviews about cheating on campus. The students conducting the survey reported that 60-70 % of students cheat and don't feel badly about it. The dean reported that cheating is rampant on this campus. Ethics Week was conducted the week of April 16, 2007, and included several campus-wide programs and presentations, including Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom Whistleblower, speaking about her experience to an audience following this meeting.

Old Business

Dialogue Days, March 6-7, 2007 gave 100 alumni an opportunity to speak in 165 classes. This was the largest participation in Dialogue Days to date. Estep reported that board member Jim Ittenbach made a tremendous impact on the success of Dialogue Days. His company helped determine the interest areas from students. The college received good feedback from alumni and most of them expressed an interest in becoming more involved. Most students had two to four speakers each. Next year's Dialogue Days will take place the week before Spring Break.  

Updates – 2007 Alumni Board Initiatives

Alumni Awards Dinner--Westfall reported on plans for the 4^th Annual MCOB Alumni Awards Dinner, which will be Friday, October 5, 2007. The sponsorship levels are platinum - $3,000; gold - $2,000; silver - $1,000; bronze - $750. A goal was set to reach $25,000 in sponsorships. (Last year totaled $22,000). The event has been sold out all three years. The award recipients for 2007 include Hall of Fame—Carl George ‘70MA71; Award of Distinction—E. Renae Conley ‘80MBA82, Jack Campbell '67, Mark Holden '81, Jim Wainscott '79; and Award of Achievement—Katherine Arbuckle'80, Wayne Dunham, AA82 BS87,   J. Robert Haecker '96, Jim Micklos '75, Mike Newbold '76.

Alumni Connections

Heeter reported that Carl Davis from Development is working on some dates for alumni events. The events will be located in Jeffersonville, Evansville, Elkhart, and Fort Wayne. The goal is to get alumni together in various parts of the country.

Palomba Fund

The fund was established by alumni in honor of former Dean Neil Palomba. The committee that established the fund determined that a permanent plaque or other means in his honor, as well as the opportunity of a speaker/lecture series, would be the purpose of the $44,616in the fund currently. Richardson said that this board needs to takeover this initiative and establish a usage for the funds. Walbridge suggested renovating a room in the Whitinger Building and naming it after Palomba. A plaque would be hung in his honor. Richardson will establish a list of which rooms need the most improvement. Walbridge and Montagno will spearhead the committee.

Board Recruitment

Heeter reported that the board will work off a list from the previous meeting. He said that there is interest in adding younger alumni, minority alumni and those who have an entrepreneurship degree. He stated that it is a challenge to reach out geographically. A few alumni have already been approached by Richardson and Heeter about their interest. Additional names were suggested from the board.

Richardson asked if the board would prefer to meet two times a year instead of the current frequency of three or four times. She suggested that video conferencing might help reach out to those who cannot attend in person.

Richardson reported that she is taking a new position at Mississippi State University's College of Business and that her last day at Ball State is July 13, 2007. Westfall volunteered her office in Chicago for the next board meeting or having a farewell for the dean in Chicago.

Important Upcoming Dates

• Entrepreneurship Day, May 1, 2007
• Spring Commencement, May 5, 2007
• 4^th Annual Alumni Awards Dinner, October 5, 2007
• Homecoming, October 13, 2007