1 of 15

Alumni Engagement Toolkit�Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Foundation at UWSP

6/6/22

2 of 15

3 of 15

Topline

  1. Alumni Engagement (AE) Committee was a “chartered” ad hoc committee by the Executive Committee on Dec 3, 2020
  2. AE Committee has identified 3 key areas to improve alumni engagement
  3. AE Committee has developed a “toolkit” of items that can be used by an individual to champion engagement with the program

4 of 15

AE Committee Members

Gregg Aiken (gaiken@uesp.edu)

Sheryle Tepp (stepp@uwsp.edu)

Edwin Buehler (epbuehler@charter.net)

Don Guay (Don.Guay@ahlstrom-munksjo.com)

Mark Hassman (mark_hassman@ktgusa.com)

Chris Satori (csatori@kcc.com)

Jason Zblewski (Jason.Zblewski@pixelle.com)

5 of 15

3 Key Areas

  • Class Champions - Bring together natural community of alumni from same graduating class and foster engagement with UWSP PS&CE program
  • Company Champions – Build community of alumni that span many graduating classes within a given company and foster engagement with UWSP PS&CE program
  • Establish & Sustain Champion –Identify key Champions and ensure they have the tools they need to be successful

Foster an engaged alumni community – make it personal!

6 of 15

Alumni Engagement Toolkit

  • The Toolkit is a document that details key engagement areas for a class or company champion
  • Document location
    • Alumni Tab @ Foundation website for public access (Google Doc)
    • Donor Relations Committee Chair (MS Word & PPT versions)
    • Foundation Executive (MS Word & PPT versions)
    • AE Ad Hoc Committee (MS Word & PPT versions)

7 of 15

Alumni Engagement Toolkit Contents

  • Key Activities & Initiatives List
  • How to Setup a LinkedIn Group
  • Semi Annual Fact Sheet
  • Alumni Engagement Happy Hour Invitation
  • Class Engagement Letter
  • Company Champion Engagement Letter
  • Ad Hoc Committee Charter

8 of 15

Key Activities and Engagement Opportunities

  • LinkedIn/Facebook Groups – Great way to use social media to reconnect and to stay connected. This is a way to update your class on current events, career changes, activities at the university and opportunities to engage with the program.
  • Semi Annual Fact Sheet – Mailer for an at-a-glance update on the program, statistics and upcoming events
  • Alumni Happy Hour – Holding a happy hour with your UWSP network is a fun and casual way to get together, get caught up on current events and reminisce about the good old days in Point. This is also a great ice breaker to discuss upcoming engagement activities, program happenings or news. See example invitation below.
  • Class Champion and Company Champion Engagement Letter – Sending out a class letter to reconnect or as a call to action is a good way to get engagement from your class. Opportunities…be related to donating to the program, as an individual, corporate donations or simply a reminder to reconnect and get engaged with the program.
  • Alumni Data Base – Resource for contact information, available upon request from Angie Hauer (715-346-4817) or the Executive Director

9 of 15

Other Engagement Opportunities

    • Academic Advisory Council/Guest lecturer/ Senior design project participation
    • Sponsor a Facility Tour
    • Board participation/non-voting recent graduate
    • Golf outing
    • Awards banquet/Presenting of scholarships for high school recipients
    • Recruiting company seminar or info night
    • STEM Career fair for recruiting of Co-ops, Summer Interns or Graduates
    • Materials/Financial support
    • Foundation Public Meeting
    • UWSP Homecoming or PS&CE Event
    • Class Reunions – Re-engage with your graduating class, reconnect and find opportunities to engage with the program

10 of 15

Semi Annual Fact Sheet

11 of 15

Alumni Engagement Happy Hour

What: UWSP Paper Science Networking Happy Hour (Buy Your Own Beer)

Where: TBD

Why: Networking across COMPANY NAME HERE-UWSP Paper Science alumni, share information on recent UWSP Paper Science recruiting efforts, program updates and a good excuse to take some time for a beer amongst friends

Outcome: Make new/renew old connections in the COMPANY NAME HERE -UWSP Paper Science alumni community and identify opportunities to improve recruitment and retention of UWSP Paper Science students and alumni!!!

 

Legal disclaimer: This is obviously not an official company sanctioned event, attend and participate as your best judgement dictates!!!

12 of 15

Class Champion Engagement Letter

Dear Class of ’97 Alumni,

Time really flies and suddenly we’re only 2 years away from our 25th graduation anniversary!

The UWSP Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Department is going strong and continues to turn out great students and great talent for the industry. This has been the case for over 40 years and is even more important today with the “silver tsunami” and the shortage of engineering graduates. With the addition of a Chemical Engineering Major, the UWSP Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Department is growing rapidly and continues to attract outstanding talent. This growth has increased the demand for a healthy Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Foundation to fuel scholarships for these future engineers.

You might be aware that we have an endowment fund for our class, which currently sits at $3,500 after the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

It’s time to get this fund to the fully endowed level of $10,000. With a group effort, matching funds, and some tenacity, this goal is within reach. Again, spreading this effort makes lifting the load a lot easier. With great participation, we can achieve this goal for our 25th anniversary. That would be awesome!

If you are willing and able, please consider a donation to the Class of 1997 Endowment for the University of Wisconsin Paper Science Foundation. Please seek out corporate matching funds to make your donation go even further. This is a great way to cement our legacy at UWSP and leave a lasting impact!

Please feel free to contact us, or Gregg Aiken, Foundation Executive Director, with any questions.

Best Regards!

13 of 15

Company Champion Engagement Letter

Dear UWSP Paper Science Alumni,

 I am sending this request on behalf of the Paper Science and Chemical Engineering Foundation at UWSP.  This message is going to 44 of our alumni that are currently team members within our Mill/Company Name Here operations.   If you look at the attached listing, this is a pretty impressive group of talent within our mills.

 Please consider a personal contribution to the UWSP Paper Science Foundation before the end of our fiscal year on 6/30/21.  We probably have one of the larger percentages of alumni in our mills and while the program continues to do well, the demand for scholarship support from the Foundation is needed now more than ever.   Additionally, you can direct your contribution to an endowment fund of your choice such as one for your graduating class.

 Enrollment is up and the interest in the program continues to grow.  Total program enrollment is around 90 students, but the incoming freshmen class looks to be in the range of 40-50 based on accepted applicants.  The challenge is that the foundation is having to dip into the general fund of unrestricted dollars to fund scholarships.  We will cover this during the budget discussion at the upcoming board meeting this month, but at the pace we are pulling the unrestricted fund could be drained in 5 years if we do not get more funds or get more endowments to maturity so they can begin funding scholarships. 

 Adding Chemical Engineering has been wonderful for the program and the majority of the students double major in Paper Science.  Every little bit counts, and donating is easier than ever (See link on the papersciencefoundation.org website below).  There  is also an option to donate every month automatically through PayPal which makes it really easy on the budget and this can then be set up as a continual giving without the need to renew each year.  With enrollment up, the need is greater now than it was several years ago. 

 Additionally, there is an opportunity to participate if you would want to in the virtual Academic Advisory Meeting on May 21, 2021 which includes participating in the student reviews of their senior projects.   Registration link is below for this Zoom meeting.

Enter Names Here and I are currently on the board of directors for the Paper Science Foundation.   Know that Mill/Company Name Here also supports the program with a $XYZ donation to our endowment for each of the last two years ($XYZ from each of our XYZ mills).

 Please also share this message with any other alumni from your class or other alumni friends.  Thanks in advance for helping support our students.

Thanks in advance for your support

 

14 of 15

AE Committee Charter - Dec 3, 2020

The Paper Science and Chemical Engineering Department has been graduating highly skilled engineers for over 45 years. The alumni base is near 800, however only a small proportion ~7% support the program with financial gifts to the Foundation. Program growth and the escalating cost of attending UWSP create an ever-increasing need for program and student support. Support of both financial and time resources are needed.

15 of 15

AE Committee Charter

The purpose of this Ad Hoc Committee is to:

  1. Develop a list of potential activities/initiatives to engage alumni with the program.
  2. Prioritize and investigate the top 5 items.
  3. Identify champions/leaders for the top 5 items.
  4. Coordinate with Donor Relations Committee activities that are solely focused on financial engagement.
  5. Upon review/approval of the executive committee, execute the top 5 items.
  6. Provide update on progress at full Board of Directors Meetings.