ROOM TO GROW
West’s new college-based alumni chapters off to a fast start

Graduates of West campus programs have seen a dramatic evolution in their alumni chapter representation in the last year, with the birth of eight new chapters representing a shift from a campus-centric chapter model to one centering on individual schools and colleges.

The eight chapters represent a variety of schools, colleges and departments at the campus, including the School of Global Management and Leadership, the West campus MBA program, the College of Teacher Education and Leadership, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice and Criminology, the Department of Social Work, the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, and the Recreation and Tourism Management program.

According to Bobbi Magdaleno, director of alumni and community relations at the West campus, the current model delivers ASU President Michael Crow’s vision for the New American University, which emphasizes the importance of schools and colleges. Magdaleno engaged campus chapter leaders in dialogue about ASU’s college-centric vision and explained the opportunity to form new school-based chapters. The response to the proposed transformation was positive.

Finding potential leaders for the new chapters was a strategic process of building rosters of active alumni association members who demonstrated a passion for the university and who possessed the necessary skills needed to run each board, said Magdaleno.

“It wasn’t hard because we approached paid members, and we asked them to be leaders,” she asserted “They’re paying for a reason — these are alumni who understand what an alumni association is and does.”

A key challenge for Magdaleno and her staff has been logistical — providing administrative and moral support to the chapters. Also crucial has been ensuring that each new chapter board is connected with their respective college. The fledging chapters have worked to build a strong bond with the dean’s office or department chair of each program, according to Cathie Rubins, a program coordinator for the alumni office at West campus.

“The chapters that have really taken off have been the chapters that have fully understood the vision of the dean and department chairs,” she said.

In the next year, Magdaleno said, the chapters will be working on building board leadership skills, growing an alumni membership base that allows new leaders to fill the shoes of founding board members, and engaging alumni members with their schools and colleges. Over time, she said, many chapters will develop the infrastructure to have annual signature events such as banquets or mentoring programs, create and administer scholarship funds, and conduct successful fundraising activities.

Dan Turbyfill, Recreation and Tourism Management chapter president, said that in spite of what he termed “incredible” response to the formation of his chapter, he wanted to stay focused on building a sustainable group that would be around in the future.

“We need to maintain the momentum we have now,” he said. “We want to lay a foundation for the chapter to grow … and to foster future leaders.”

Alumni involved in the emerging chapters report that the experience has been unlike any other community leadership experience they’ve had. Dave Benner, a board member for the Criminal Justice and Criminology chapter, said he found the directness of the chapter board process refreshing.

“You get to work with line-level staff (on the chapter boards), getting things done … I like it. It’s grass roots level,” he said. “You see results immediately for your efforts.”

—By Liz Massey