Alumni & Memorial University Engaged Community. Shared ...€¦ · The 2016 review of Memorial’s External Relations portfolio pointed to a new opportunity for Alumni Affairs and

Alumni & Memorial University

Engaged Community. Shared Success.

Alumni Engagement Strategy

Memorial University 2018 – 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.Alumni Engagement at Memorial University a. Engaged Community. Shared Success. b. Finding Synergies c. History and Context

2.Thinking Back, Looking Forward a. Research. Debate. Dialogue. b. An Integrated Strategy i. Vision ii. Values iii. Goals and objectives

3.Plans and Projects

4.Priorities, Resources and Impact a. Measurement and Evaluation b. Building Momentum (Pan-University) c. Next Steps for Alumni Engagement d. Conclusion

5.Appendices

1.A – Engaged Community. Shared Success.

There are many things that make Memorial University stand out from the rest. It starts with the reason why we’re here. We are a living memorial to the people of this province who were lost on active service in the First and Second World Wars, circumstances that define our special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We strive to have national and global impact, while fulfilling our mandate to provide access to university education for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and to contribute to the social, cultural, scientific and economic development of this province and beyond.

As Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university, we have a unique responsibility to people and place. For us, this responsibility has always been our opportunity, and this truth is fully realized in the work of Memorial’s students, faculty, staff, and public partners. Unique to universities in Canada, Memorial’s Public Engagement Framework establishes public engagement as a core priority at Memorial as emphasized in the university’s mission.

Our history of collaboration and partnerships with those outside the university goes back to the very beginning. We continue to pursue an environment where students, staff and faculty are responsive, collaborative and respectful of the needs and contributions of the public and look to the knowledge and resources of our broad community.

The latest evolution in our work as a publicly engaged university is to consider new and exciting ways to build our relationships with alumni. Our greatest ambassadors, Memorial alumni are a worldwide community of almost 95,000 strong who advance the reputation of our university and give back in countless ways. Memorial needs their help. But, we can also help them realize incredible success. That responsibility to people and place goes both ways. Together, it’s our opportunity.

Alumni Engagement at Memorial University

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY I MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY 1.

1.B – Finding Synergies

In the fall of 2016, Dr. Gary Kachanoski, Memorial’s President and Vice-Chancellor, commissioned a review of the university’s External Relations units that report directly to him. This included the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD), the Division of Marketing and Communications, and the Office of Public Engagement, which, in addition to serving as steward of the Public Engagement Framework and leading strategic external relations, includes the Harris Centre, Battery Facility, Newfoundland Quarterly and Memorial University Botanical Garden. Recommendations from the review included: increasing the alignment of the portfolio with the academic mission of the university, creating a singular focus on fundraising in the Development unit, linking Alumni Affairs and Public Engagement to maximize collaborative opportunities between alumni, Memorial, and its various stakeholders, and achieving greater integration, operational efficiency and impact across the external relations units.

The process undertaken was highly collaborative, and involved senior leadership and managers within all the units involved. One of the key outcomes of this review was that the Alumni Affairs unit within AAD now report to the executive director of Public Engagement, while continuing to maintain a strategic connection with Development.

This recommendation was approved by the Board of Regents, with the transition made official on April 1, 2017. At that time a strategic planning process was initiated to better understand the current strengths and relationships between and among Memorial and its alumni, and to explore innovative ways that alumni can contribute their expertise and benefit from their connection with the university.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY I MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY2.

1.C – History and Context

Memorial University Alumni are defined as follows:

Alumni of Memorial University are those who have received a degree, diploma, post-graduate certificate, or certificate requiring undergraduate or academic admission from Memorial University of Newfoundland including Memorial College, the Marine Institute, Grenfell Campus and all predecessors. In all cases, the program of study must have been approved by the Senate of Memorial University or the Academic Council of the Marine Institute (or their predecessors).

This definition of alumni is strictly applied for the purposes of anti-spam and privacy legislation, and for select activities that include Board of Regents alumni nominations and voting, and Alumni Tribute Awards eligibility. Otherwise, the Memorial University community is expansive in scope, including a broad group of stakeholders, as well as resident and ex-patriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who we describe as ‘friends’ of the university.

In 1965 Memorial University’s first Alumni Association was formed, started by a small group who drafted a constitution and initiated an organizing conference in St. John’s that was attended by representatives from across Newfoundland and Labrador. Later that year, President Gushue and the Board of Regents endorsed the group as a body representing alumni of Memorial University of Newfoundland. That humble beginning was the seed of an Alumni Association that eventually became legally incorporated. Through various iterations over a period of four decades, the association evolved. Memorial also grew its complement of program and administrative staff to support a broader portfolio described as university relations.

The Office of Alumni Affairs and Development was created as a separate entity in 1984 when the functions were amalgamated as one office. The unit was again restructured in 2006 in an effort to further establish the Alumni Affairs role in the office. Around that time, it was recognized that the Alumni Association Board, while functioning, did not have a true mandate from the alumni body due to limited electoral participation. The board was disbanded in 2008 to clarify both its mandate and integration with the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.

The 2016 review of Memorial’s External Relations portfolio pointed to a new opportunity for Alumni Affairs and by extension, the way we work with alumni and friends. This opportunity will also inform a new approach to supporting a self-organizing and self-governing alumni body.


Thinking back, looking forward.

Acknowledging that Memorial University’s Public Engagement Framework, supported by the Office of Public Engagement, is unique in Canada, the review revealed natural synergies that could be achieved by formally combining the efforts of Alumni Affairs and the Office of Public Engagement to restructure the portfolio, and create a truly focused approach to the way universities engage with their alumni.

Public engagement at Memorial can be defined as:

Collaborations between people and groups within Memorial and people and groups external to the University – i.e., the "public" – that further Memorial's mission. Drawing on the knowledge and resources brought by all involved, public engagement involves mutual respect, mutual contributions and mutual benefits for all participants.

The two-way nature of public engagement means that as Memorial and the public collaborate to share expertise, knowledge and resources to address public opportunities and needs, both are enriched and advanced by the practical perspectives, knowledge and experience gained. Merging the concept of public engagement as a principle for fostering connections with alumni and friends, the focus has evolved. While continuing to provide strategic support for fundraising, the goal of alumni engagement is also to realize the potential for other relationships of mutual benefit and contribution between Memorial and its alumni. These initiatives, specifically linked to teaching and learning, research, scholarship and creative activities, are consistent with Memorial’s mission as a public university.

In the very early stages, this planning process demonstrated the tremendous possibilities of the combined strengths and potential for Public Engagement and Alumni Affairs to create a new vision, now refocused as Alumni Engagement.

2.A – Research. Debate. Dialogue.

The creation of this new strategic plan has been a reflection on our history and present, an exercise in weighing the accompanying successes and challenges – and contemplating the future. Through extensive consultations and intensive research, we were excited and emboldened by the feedback and input from alumni, friends and stakeholders. Healthy exchanges among our constituents weighed reservations and aspirations, while considering achievements and improvements.


Initial consultation sessions

Led by the steering committee, first steps included establishing an internal working group (Memorial faculty, staff and students from various units and campuses), an external local advisory group (alumni participants residing in NL), and an external ‘away’ advisory group (alumni participants residing outside NL). Multiple consultations, including a combination of in-person and teleconference meetings occurred with these primary groups to determine the consultation process, identify priorities within that process, and to deliberate on the strategy itself.

These consultations began in the fall of 2017, and over 200 participants contributed to the first round of discussions. The advisory group sessions noted above were complemented by an additional series of open and focused, high-level sessions that included:

• Ottawa - Focus Group • Toronto – Focus Group • Halifax – Focus Group • St. John’s – Open Session • Memorial University (St. John’s Campus) – Open Session • Marine Institute – Open Session • Grenfell Campus (Corner Brook) – Open Session • Alumni Affairs staff – Focus Group

Options were also provided for the entire Memorial community to participate in the above via teleconference or submit feedback online.

Theme sessions

Additional, targeted theme sessions were also held to concentrate on areas of existing and anticipated strategic importance, drawing on essential sub-groups of constituents as well as individuals with specific expertise whose input was highly valued in this process. The theme sessions were:

• Changing demographics of students/alumni • Faculty engagement with alumni • Connecting alumni through outreach systems • Individual alumni as a resource for students • Organizations with alumni as a resource for students • Local alumni engagement • Student experience as a foundation for alumni engagement • Alumni and university governance/self-organization • Alumni engagement and strategic link with Development (fundraising)


Alumni engagement survey

An alumni engagement survey, conducted by Engagement Analysis Inc. (EAi) was also undertaken in late 2017 as part of the strategic planning process. Distributed via email and conducted online, the survey was sent to 39,630 alumni and it garnered 3,539 responses. A similar version of this survey distributed in 2010 and 2014 was also reviewed for benchmarking purposes. Compared against the 2017 data, the earlier iterations provided useful context in light of the added, customized section that included new questions on the potential for public engagement-related activities.

Draft strategy follow-up sessions

A second series of consultation sessions took place throughout February and March of 2018, designed to present the Alumni Engagement draft strategy that resulted from the research and consultation work in 2017. Follow-up sessions in Ottawa and Toronto invited previous participants to return and review the draft document, while opportunities for review and further input were also provided in a series of open sessions for alumni, friends and Memorial stakeholders in St. John’s, at the Marine Institute and in Corner Brook.

These follow-up sessions were accompanied by the ongoing work of the internal working group, external local advisory group and external ‘away’ advisory group. In all cases, options remained available for online feedback or remote participation through teleconference.

Through the extensive consultations, in-depth theme sessions and the revision/review of the draft strategy, there was diverse representation from both inside and outside the university. Input was garnered from faculty, staff and students across Memorial’s campuses, and alumni and friends in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada and beyond were actively involved in all facets of development. Throughout the process various elected alumni representatives on Memorial’s Board of Regents also provided input and feedback. Totalling the touchpoints that occurred in-person and online, the strategy reflects the contributions of over 4,000 individuals.


JULY 5, 2018Strategy presented to

Board of Regents

FALL 2016 External relations review,

recommendation to link

Alumni Affairs and Public

Engagement

APRIL 1, 2017Recommendation

approved by Board of

Regents, strategic planning

process begins

FALL 2017Advisory groups and

consultation sessions,

research, EAI survey

FEBRUARY -MARCH 2018

Follow-up consultation

sessions, draft of Alumni

Engagement Strategy

presented

MAY 15, 2018Strategy presented to

Vice-President’s Council

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY – TIMELINE

2.B An Integrated Strategy

The overarching goals of the strategy were reflected in the consultations, meetings and many conversations that drove this process; that is, to actively engage alumni in a strategy that represents and is informed by them, and will guide our work in alumni engagement. We believe the vision, values, goals and objectives of this strategy represent the voice and sentiment of a Memorial alumni community that stretches across the globe.

This strategic plan will provide guidance for all units and campuses of Memorial University. The new alignment with public engagement provides potential for innovative engagement opportunities that will advance the university’s core academic mission, while enabling alumni to contribute to and benefit from the university and its broader communities in new and exciting ways. A new perspective for alumni engagement also seeks to create the conditions for alumni to self-organize and ultimately play a direct role in the governance of their own groups and across the institution.

This strategic plan will guide our alumni engagement work until 2025. The seven-year time frame takes into account the duration required to address goals that require pan-university adoption and action over the long term. We are aware that this work, particularly in those cases where we are pursuing a culture shift, may not yield tangible results in the short term. In addition, previous metrics that reflect a more focused support of development work need to be addressed, with new measurables created to ensure impact of alumni engagement is properly evaluated. The culmination of this strategic plan in 2025 will also coincide with Memorial’s 100th anniversary, a significant milestone to appropriately mark a new era for alumni engagement.

During the second round of consultations, the vision, values, and original three overarching goals and accompanying objectives were widely accepted, with suggestions for some changes in wording to ensure intent and meaning was appropriately represented. A fifth value was created to better reflect the importance of the relationship between alumni and the academy, along with an amendment to add a fourth goal arising from a recognized need to focus on students as future alumni.

The overall consensus was that the spirit and intent of the contributors was well represented in the plan’s fundamental elements, that the goals and objectives aligned with the initial consultation feedback, and together provided a comprehensive and robust Alumni Engagement Strategy.

The Alumni Engagement Strategy, like other focused strategies at Memorial, flows from the overarching mission, vision and values of Memorial University. (see Appendix A.)


Vision: Memorial and its alumni actively engage through the people and work of the university for personal and collective benefit.

Values: Celebrating diversity, equity and accessibilityCelebrating diversities of engagement is to actively build a culture of access and openness, enabling all alumni and friends of Memorial University to engage.

Pursuing positive changeFulfilling Memorial’s special obligation to the people and province of Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond, positive change is about making a real difference in the communities we share.

Advancing academic connectionsStriving to engage alumni with Memorial’s academic mission for the benefit of all.

Honouring shared responsibilityA responsibility to people and place is Memorial’s opportunity, and it reaches across borders, genders, races, religions and socio-economic status.

Inspiring pride and spiritInspiring positive feelings and motivating people to become engaged is reflected in our strong, emotional expression of pride and spirit.


Alumni Engagement Strategy Vision, Values, Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives are the building blocks that guide actions by individuals and units across the university. The four goals of the strategy, and their related objectives, are:

Goal 1. Mobilize Memorial to engage with alumni

It starts with creating a culture of engaging alumni across Memorial. Crucial to this goal is the involvement and support of faculty, staff and students as they leverage relevant existing programs and activities, establish new ones, and enhance the connections between Memorial and its alumni. Key internal university stakeholders and groups will work to support opportunities for engagement through collaboration and focused outreach.

Objectives

1.1 Build a culture of engaging alumni across MemorialA cultural shift requires a new way of thinking and behaving, and this is advanced through a number of actions. The development of a range of programs and supports that reflect varying stages of alumni engagement as well as the different needs across all faculties and units is critical. The implementation of robust information management systems and information sharing processes is also a cornerstone of this objective.

1.2 Leverage existing programs and activities across Memorial to engage alumniAn inventory of current programs and initiatives is the first step toward strengthening existing outreach, and considering new ways to leverage that success. A particular focus on facilitating alumni-student connections to enhance the student and alumni experience is key to this objective.

1.3 Establish new programs and activities to engage alumniOpportunities exist to establish mentoring programs, communities of practice and other initiatives that engage alumni in new and different ways. Building channels for sharing expertise and supporting teaching and research will enable mutual benefits for Memorial and our alumni.

1.4 Work collaboratively with Development to enhance engagement opportunitiesFormal guidelines for information sharing and collaboration with Development will better enable fundraising and alumni engagement goals, along with supporting Development through key activities that help foster philanthropy for Memorial. Integrating alumni engagement goals with university fundraising campaigns is also an important part of this objective.


Goal 2. Empower alumni to engage with Memorial

Clearly communicating the current opportunities to engage is fundamental to this goal, but equally important is the message that Memorial is embracing new ways to engage. By creating these new pathways, alumni and the university together can build programs and opportunities that reflect the diversity of alumni interest and abilities. Related to this is our ability to recognize and celebrate engaged alumni – which includes enhancing what we do and finding new ways to highlight their achievements and express our pride and gratitude for their many and varied contributions.

Objectives

2.1 Communicate current opportunities to engageThis objective will be advanced by making connections and sharing information to ensure alumni and the organizations they represent are aware of ways to engage with Memorial in areas that include course work, research, work terms and internships, and to facilitate hiring opportunities for new graduates.

2.2 Create new pathways to engageEstablishing obvious pipelines and recurring opportunities for engagement includes high quality physical and digital collision spaces (e.g. Signal Hill Campus, Yaffle), as well as resources that alumni can use to lead the process of engagement.

2.3 Create and communicate programs and opportunities that reflect the diversity of alumni interests and abilitiesCritical to this objective is offering events, programs, benefits and services tailored to different groups, hearing directly from alumni on how they prefer to engage, and creating an accessible environment that recognizes a broad range of alumni needs and abilities to engage.

2.4 Build on existing, and establish new ways, to recognize and celebrate engaged alumniExpanding the current suite of alumni awards across all campuses and creating special recognition for those alumni who support Memorial’s academic mission, as well as those who best represent success in alumni engagement, are some of the ways we can strengthen our ability to celebrate engaged alumni.

2.5 Work collaboratively with Development to create communication tools to promote alumni engagement opportunities to alumni and donorsThis objective will be supported by processes, information sharing and collaboratively creating tools that Development staff can use to identify and promote alumni engagement opportunities with donors and alumni, while also fostering an environment that enables fundraising initiatives.


Goal 3. Facilitate connections among alumni

Creating tools and programs to connect alumni with each other is critical to this goal. We want to support opportunities for alumni to connect and self-organize, through networks that are in-person and online. This includes enhancing and endorsing alumni participation in alumni and university governance, planning and strategy, and tapping into established social and professional groups where alumni are actively engaged. Strengthening affiliations among alumni who connect in the interest of Memorial, or through their shared identity as graduates, builds a sense of pride in each other and the university.

Objectives

3.1 Create tools and programs to connect alumni with each other Advancing this objective requires providing flexible tools and a range of networks for virtual and direct connections among alumni, key groups that can build support for the university and the province.

3.2 Enhance opportunities for alumni to participate in university governance, planning and strategyIdentifying and strengthening alumni participation in university governance (e.g. advisory boards, ad hoc committees, etc.) is a key component of this objective.

3.3 Create opportunities for alumni to self-organizeThis objective is moved forward by providing venues for alumni to self-organize, leveraging existing, successful alumni groups that are already engaged, and encouraging others to focus their activities to engage with Memorial. Vital to progressing and evolving this strategy is enabling possibilities for an alumni guiding body, one that is formed and governed by alumni who will further inform this strategy and generate their own ideas to move Memorial and its alumni forward.

3.4 Enhance affiliation and pride as Memorial alumniAffiliation and pride is foundational to involvement and engagement. Progress on this objective is supported by highlighting accomplishments of the Memorial community, growing student and alumni participation at events and reunions, celebrating a shared identity through various cultural and social affiliations, and providing opportunities to share positive memories of student and alumni experiences.


Mobilize Memorial

Empower Alumni

Facilitate Connections

Inspire Students

Goal 4. Inspire students to become engaged alumni

Engaged students become engaged alumni. Fostering a natural transition is enabled by creating a shared understanding of what it means to be a lifelong member of the Memorial University commu-nity through a range of supports, opportunities, and touchpoints during the student experience. It is important for us to empower students to make a lasting impact and recognize the diverse and changing composition of Memorial’s student population.

Objectives

4.1 Create a shared understanding of what it means to be a lifelong member of the Memorial University communityWorking together, we will ensure students understand that a long-term relationship with Memorial comes with mutual benefits. This sets the stage for strong alumni engagement. We will work to leverage existing programs, activities and student groups for affinity-building opportunities, and empower students to self-organize and create new engagement focused programs.

4.2 Create opportunities to build pride, spirit and reputationCreating opportunities to build pride, spirit and reputation includes finding new ways to foster a shared identity, which includes celebration of the arts, culture, innovation, excellence in teaching and learning, research, athletics and social affiliations.

4.3 Empower students to make a lasting impactWorking with students, we will advance this objective by building opportunities for leadership and civic engagement that reflect student interests, provide opportunities for students to engage in alumni activities and celebrate student contributions and commitments to social responsibility, innovation and sustainability.

4.4 Respect the diverse and changing composition of Memorial’s student population in all that we doAdvancing this objective requires an understanding that Memorial’s student population is diverse and always changing. The overall proportion of students at the graduate level is increasing, and we are also seeing greater enrollment at the graduate and undergraduate levels for international students, who bring varied backgrounds and experiences to Memorial from all over the world. This should be top of mind when communicating and creating programs to support alumni engagement.

A summary of the Alumni Engagement Strategy can be found in Appendix B.



Plans and ProjectsThe fundamental elements of the objectives that support the goals of this plan came from many alumni and stakeholders, internal and external groups, at every stage of the strategic planning process. The Alumni Engagement unit will also develop a strategic action plan to specify its actions and programs. The Alumni Engagement unit will serve as steward for our pan-university strategy and work with units across the university to assist them in identifying relevant actions and programs.

Several initiatives have already been launched to advance the goals and objectives of this strategy.

Memorial Alumni Mentoring Program A consistent theme in our research that has been reiterated by alumni, faculty, students and staff at our campuses, faculties and schools is the need for alumni mentoring programs. Done properly, this would be a central tactic to advance the goal of mobilizing our university to engage alumni in a tangible way. Led by Student Life with Alumni Engagement as a supporting partner, an internal working committee has already been formed. This will eventually lead to the formation of an external committee and a formal plan going forward.

Information Management Systems Led by the Office of Development, the existing donor and alumni database system is dated and requires replacement with a modern information management system. This is a vital mechanism to advance alumni engagement and fundraising objectives at Memorial. Research is currently underway to complete a needs assessment and also understand the various options currently available before proceeding to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage. The ability to record and share relevant information, feedback, and preferences of alumni and donors is critical to communicating with our audiences and creating opportunities for engagement.

Outreach and Systems Strategy When we facilitate connections between and among alumni and Memorial, we create incredible opportunities for our graduates, our university and our province. We heard loud and clear in many different ways that alumni want to, “… help the university, help the province.” We want to better enable alumni to take an active role in that pursuit, and to demonstrate how alumni can also help each other and themselves. We also recognize a related opportunity for alumni to act as a conduit for connecting key groups back to the university and province, including expatriates and others with an interest in Newfoundland and Labrador (whether they attended/graduated from Memorial or not), and families of international and graduate students who move to Newfoundland and Labrador to complete their programs.


Other suggestions for projects that support our strategy goals include establishing Communities of Practice, Alumni Ambassadors, and an Alumni Associates Program.

Communities of Practice Communities of Practice could create formal and/or informal groups in a range of areas and topics with possibilities to include varying combinations of prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external partners. Creating toolkits and training students and/or alumni as facilitators, as well as putting out an Expression of Interest for content experts, are some of the ways we can begin to formalize mechanisms to access the mutual benefits of knowledge-sharing and support. Memorial is fortunate to have www.yaffle.ca as a pre-existing, online tool that can assist with this initiative.

Alumni AmbassadorsMaximizing reach wherever possible can be facilitated through alumni as Memorial’s greatest ambassadors. This could involve targeted participation as guest speakers or representatives at events such as conventions, business forums, and trade shows, as well establishing recurring roles as Memorial champions within their industry groups, professional associations, and government departments.

Alumni Associates ProgramProposed as a way to better connect with friends of Memorial, a new designation for this group of highly engaged, non-alumni would formalize an important category of relationships for our university. Membership could be targeted at those who completed a portion of their studies at Memorial, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador expatriates and other non-alumni who have existing ties and/or engagement potential with Memorial and/or Newfoundland and Labrador. As members of the Alumni Associates Program, individuals could take advantage of a range of benefits and services currently available to alumni, and have preferred access to other communications, events, and programs.


Priorities, Resources and Impact

The vision, values, goals, and objectives of the Alumni Engagement strategy will be rolled out, with a focus on prioritization and resourcing. Our inventory and evaluation of current programming, research findings, and consideration of program implementation versus potential for impact, will all inform how to best reflect the needs of alumni as we steward this strategy. The unit level Alumni Engagement strategic action plan will also establish key performance indicators to help illustrate how we support the mobilization of this pan-university strategy.

Early phases of implementation may be incremental or modular, in which a base service or resource is established and can be customized to meet various needs.

5.A – Measurement and EvaluationMeasuring alumni engagement is inherently challenging as it is not always possible to produce tangible results when charting the status of relationship building. That said, ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the strategy will be critical to understanding success, as well as informing changes when and where they are necessary. Some of the ways that success can be measured include both qualitative and quantitative methods that will help translate outcomes numerically.

The ability to benchmark progress and review longitudinal data collected through the EAi survey is particularly useful, and it will be ongoing with new questions related to programs and related uptake as per our goals and objectives (considering both level of participation and quality of participation outcomes). Data collection can also take the form of surveys, questionnaires and small focus groups as we work through the strategy and implementation process. Broad based measurements include the total connections (numbers of alumni contacted/engaged) via communications and programming.

5.B – Building Momentum (pan-university)The Alumni Engagement Strategy 2018-2025 provides pan-institutional direction on high-level aims which should be used to inform/guide other campuses, academic/administrative units, and university-based organizations.


5.C – Next steps for Alumni Engagement Based on ideas coming from the strategy, there are a number of ways we can take early action to support all four strategy goals. An important start is the unit-level action plan referenced above, with a focus on faculties and units to explore how we can enhance connections with alumni.

Guidance from deans and other leaders at Memorial will also help to initiate preliminary tactics and resources across the university to support this strategy. There is also opportunity for early progress through partnerships, both internal and external, that enable or enhance alumni participation with the university and require minimal effort and resources.

5.D – ConclusionThis Alumni Engagement Strategy marks a new beginning in our work to build strong relationships between Memorial and its alumni. We are excited about the opportunities to connect people and place, to foster growth and prosperity for all involved.

Our university is a public institution serving the public good, and we want to fully realize the incredible potential of our entire Memorial community. Together, Memorial and its alumni can achieve incredible success, serve the many communities we share, and work toward a prosperous future for Newfoundland and Labrador.


Appendix A: Memorial University’s Vision, Mission and ValuesVision:Memorial University will be one of the most distinguished public universities in Canada and beyond, and will fulfill its special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mission:Memorial University is an inclusive community dedicated to innovation and excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, creative activity, service and public engagement.

Memorial welcomes and supports students and scholars from all over the world and contributes knowledge and expertise locally, nationally and internationally.

Values:Excellence Encouraging and promoting excellence through innovation and creativity, rigour and pragmatism.

Integrity Being honest and ethical in all interactions, maintaining the highest ethical standards in teaching, research, public engagement and service.

Collegiality Engaging others with respect, openness and trust in pursuit of a common purpose, having regard for individuals, ideals and the institution as a whole.

Inclusiveness and diversity Embracing and acting on responsibility to guarantee diversity and equity.

Responsiveness Being receptive to individuals and communities.

Accountability Accepting responsibility for achievement of common goals and objectives.


Freedom and DiscoverySupporting the freedom to pursue knowledge that is based on individual and collective intelligence, curiosity, ingenuity and creativity.

RecognitionAcknowledging, tangibly, all aspects of university enterprise including teaching and learning, research, scholarship, creative activity and public engagement.

Responsibility to placeValuing and fulfilling the special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador by supporting and building capacity for excellence that:

• addresses needs and opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador; • engages the university community on matters of national and international significance; • produces and delivers academic programs of national and international calibre; and, • recognizes the dynamic opportunities presented by a multi-campus institution.

Responsibility to learnersRecognizing students as a first priority and providing the environment and support to ensure their academic and personal success.

Interdisciplinary collaborationSupporting overarching themes in all pursuits that cut across academic units and address significant opportunities and challenges for which Memorial is particularly well positioned to build nationally and internationally recognized capacity.

SustainabilityActing in a manner that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable in administration, academic and research programs.


Goal 1 - Mobilize Memorial to engage with alumni 1.1. Build a culture of engaging alumni across Memorial 1.2. Leverage existing programs and activities across Memorial to engage alumni 1.3. Establish new programs and activities to engage alumni 1.4. Work collaboratively with Development to enhance engagement opportunities

Goal 2 - Empower alumni to engage with Memorial 2.1 Communicate current opportunities to engage 2.2 Create new pathways to engage 2.3 Create and communicate programs and opportunities that reflect the diversity of alumni interests and abilities 2.4 Build on existing, and establish new ways, to recognize and celebrate engaged alumni 2.5 Work collaboratively with Development to create communication tools to promote alumni engagement opportunities to alumni and donors

Goal 3 - Facilitate connections among alumni 3.1. Create tools and programs to connect alumni with each other 3.2. Enhance opportunities for alumni to participate in university governance, planning and strategy 3.3. Create opportunities for alumni to self-organize 3.4. Enhance affiliation and pride as Memorial alumni

Goal 4 - Inspire students to become engaged alumni 4.1. Create a shared understanding of what it means to be a lifelong member of the Memorial University community 4.2. Create opportunities to build pride, spirit and reputation 4.3. Empower students to make a lasting impact 4.4. Respect the diverse and changing composition of Memorial’s student population in all that we do

Appendix B: Memorial University Alumni Engagement StrategyMemorial University Alumni Engagement Strategy 2018-2025

Vision: Memorial and its alumni actively engage through the people and work of the University for personal and collective benefit

Values: • Celebrating diversity, equity and accessibility• Pursuing positive change • Advancing academic connections

• Honouring shared responsibility• Inspiring pride and spirit

Alumni Engagement, Office of Public Engagement

Phone: 709-864-2313Email: [email protected]

mun.ca/alumni

Documents

Alumni & Memorial University Engaged Community. Shared ...€¦ · The 2016 review of Memorial’s External Relations portfolio pointed to a new opportunity for Alumni Affairs and