Building and Sustaining an Alumni Advisory Board Eta Upsilon Chapter – The University of Texas at Arlington Andy Axsom, Chapter Advisor (Rockhurst, Kappa Epsilon ’98) Grant Cowan, Recruitment Advisor (Missouri, Alpha Nu ’00)

Eta Upsilon – At a Glance Chartered in 1973, closed in 2000 (hazing, low membership, etc.) Re-colonized in 2004 with Colony Advisor (Andy) and 8 Advisors (all but 2 were UTA alumni) Undergraduates – Good, but not great –40-50 man chapter, Good Tier II Fraternity –Known for Campus Involvement, Sorority Relations Alumni – Good, but not great –Involved alumni from mid-80s to mid-90s

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Made large push to get chartered, then advisors vanished (call me if you need anything) Number of engaged advisors dwindled from 8 to 2 Tone of the chapter was quickly turning away from Fraternity’s Core Values Had to deal with a recruitment infraction that resulted in the Chapter losing their fall pledge class (first insight into the ramifications of having poor University relations)

Refocusing the AAB Purged the roster of advisors who had moved on Focused on recruiting those who 1) would get involved, 2) had time to devote, 3) espoused Fraternity values Recruited 5 advisors from different chapters and 5 from UTA, all with varied backgrounds Made concerted effort to engage recent alumni who were Re-Founding Fathers Assigned them to officer(s) and put them in front of the Chapter at retreats, meetings, events

Organization & Communication Advisors were put into specific roles because of 1) career field, 2) held that office as an undergrad, 3) desire to assist in that area, 4) chapter deficiency in that area Quarterly meetings (July, October, January, April) –Agenda ed at least 3 weeks and 2-3 days prior –Minutes ed within 1-2 weeks of meeting –Varied meeting places (conference rooms, prior to chapter retreat, meeting with Chapter Consultant, casual dinner, recruitment events, etc.) Each advisor provided a list of duties and expected time commitment and asked to sign a commitment form

Advisors by the Numbers Fall ‘04 Spr. ‘05 Fall ‘05 Spr. ‘06 Fall ‘06 Spr. ‘07 Fall ‘07 Spr. ‘08 Fall ‘08 UTA Alums Non-UTA Alums Total

Post-Chartering Lull – Men were unmotivated and not upholding Pike values Development of a Strategic Plan to combat this –Set minimum expectations and hold men accountable –Being proactive rather than reactive –SWOT Analysis to critically assess state of Chapter –Help undergraduates develop comprehensive programming so as to not reinvent the wheel –Develop Chapter Vision, Mission and Core Values Fall 2007 Eliminating the Country Club

Distributed Leadership –4 VPs to 2 VPs –Gave everyone a position Used Alumni as Academic Coaches –2.36 Fall GPA meant there were 16 men below the minimum standard for membership –Instituted weekly meetings to discuss academic progress, study skills, time management Awarded $800 in scholarships (Pike U Scholarship Account) to send 26 men to Dallas Leadership Summit Spring 2008 Overhauling the Infrastructure

Chapter Outcomes in /3 of the Chapter have participated in at least 1 Pike U event (33 went in ) 69% increase in initiations (13 in , 22 in ) 0.12 increase in GPA (2.36 in Fall 2007 to 2.48 in Spring 2008) through our Academic Coach Program Increase in Alumni Programming and Participation (Pike Shrimpfest, Golf Tournament, Recruitment, Football Watching Parties) Discussions about building a house

Top 10 Ways to Build and Sustain an AAB 10. Leverage Technology to maximize AAB 9. Utilize Campus & Fraternity Resources 8. Use Goals as the Universal Language 7. Account for 50% Participation by AAB 6. Put Alumni in front of Chapter early and often 5. Revisit the Structure and Makeup of the AAB 4. Protect the “Pike Brand” but recruit externally 3. Groom Young Alumni for participation 2. Allow for Test Drives before Purchase 1. Set specific time and involvement expectations

Challenge Involve at least 3 new people in advising this fall –1) Trusted Pike, 2) Young Alum, 3) Non-Pike or Campus Resource or Female Provide alumni speakers for: 1) Recruitment Event, 2) Pledge Education Event, and 3) Continuing Education Event on Career Development Spend less time managing (working on the house, mitigating conflict, etc.) and more time helping the Chapter develop goals, action plans and long- range planning

Questions? Andy Axsom – Grant Cowan –