h3. Name of concept: RIT Alumni Center


h3. Overview of idea:

Rochester Institute of Technologyís alumni constituency has grown increasingly important to the Universityís advancement efforts. The alumni share of total gift support has been rising, and plans call for alumni fundraising efforts to expand aggressively through this decade. Alumni today play important volunteer roles in admissions, career planning and placement, and in student life. With RITís alumni population over 104,000 and growing by 3,500 each year, the time has come to recognize and provide for the needs of this significant constituency.

RIT's Development and Alumni Relations Division has strengthened its efforts to engage alumni. Increased resources have been dedicated to Alumni Relations programming, which has increased more than ten times the programming offered 8 years ago. Staff have been added, operating budgets have been enhanced, and activity is up in all areas. The next natural step is to address the need for space. The present Alumni Relations office, located in a hallway of the Crossroads food court, can in no way be viewed as an "Alumni Center."

h3. How this idea leverages current areas of RIT expertise:

With the growth of focus on the RIT alumni population and potential they represent, an Alumni Center is recommended to achieve the University's commitment to enriching relationships with alumni, government, business and the world community. A new facility will align critical programmatic functions and maximize current capabilities to realize a successful program for today and the future.

In addition to the RIT Alumni Center serving as home for returning alumni, it will also serve as a campus-gathering place for faculty, staff, students and visitors.  Space in the Alumni Center will be used by these groups for meetings and other functions, including continuing education courses, preparation for institute-wide activities, events, volunteer training and alumni career assistance. The Alumni Center will be home to events such as alumni reunions, board of directors meetings, awards banquets, volunteer leadership conferences, and student alumni network activities.

h3. Identify the main RIT on-campus champion(s) for this idea:

Kelly Redder, Assistant Vice President for RIT Alumni Relations

Lisa Cauda, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

h3. Identify additional on-campus champions willing to collaborate with this individual and take a lead role in driving the idea:

Christine Corrado, Director of College Alumni Relations; Jon Rodibaugh, Director of Chapter Programming; Peggy Glitch, Director of Alumni Benefits and Communications; Rob Grow, Director of Reunions and Affinity Group

h3. Identify the potential off-campus individual, organization, company or government entity advocate(s):

TBD (but could/should include Alumni Association Board of Directors, alumni members of the Board of Trustees, chapter volunteers)



h3. Is there potential off-campus advocacy and support for the idea?

Yes

h3. Are you aware of another university that is working on a similar idea?

A majority of our peers already have an Alumni Center in existence.

h3. Explain how you envision this idea advancing RIT's national or global stature in an important or emerging field:

We have only begun to engage an enormous population, who for the most part, have been disengaged from the University for decades. Their services were cut off upon graduation and now we anticipate asking them to close philanthropic gaps in all areas of RIT, both academic and cultural.

The construction of an Alumni Center will meet several pressing needs. First, alumni need a facility where they can come and go with ease, where they can ìcome homeî and interact informally and socially with one another. At present, RIT does not have such an inviting, centralized, easily accessible meeting place for this valued constituency. An Alumni Center will provide a comfortable environment which alumni can call their own - no matter where in the world they come from. An Alumni Business Center will provide the ever increasing services required for graduates to identify and reach their career aspirations.

The Alumni Center will also provide much-needed meeting and banquet facilities for the Association and the Institute. Throughout the year, space for alumni and campus activities is at a premium. Current community and campus facilities cannot accommodate the quantity and variety of alumni events we currently host and hope to offer in the future.

As more RIT students become alumni, Alumni Association programs and staff will need to grow to meet the new challenges and demands of increased population. The Center will be designed to accommodate this anticipated and necessary growth.

h3. Explain why you believe RIT has a unique opportunity or an ability to differentiate itself through this idea:

The irony is that we do differentiate ourselves from others by not having this basic and necessary facility for our students and alumni.
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