Celebrating the past, embracing the future
Case unites all of its alumni groups into single organization
July 15, 2005 | For more information: Laura
M. Massie (216)-368-4442
In an effort to strengthen services and outreach to its more than 100,000 alumni around the world, Case Western Reserve University has created a unified alumni association encompassing the more than 25 existing school and university-based alumni associations and affinity groups within the university.
Now identified as the Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University, the new group is one alumni organization that will be inclusive of all alumni, provide opportunities for alumni to engage in strategic university planning efforts and play an important role in the university's mission, says Lara A. Kalafatis, vice president for university relations at Case whose responsibility also includes oversight of the university's office of alumni relations, programs and events.
"The vision put forth by our board of trustees and president includes the goal to create 'one' university," Kalafatis said. "Now we have a single alumni association that fosters a lifelong relationship of mutual and enduring benefit between all present and future alumni and the university. The formation of our new alumni association will prove to be one of the critical elements in the continued transformation of Case to national prominence and international stature."
The university's board of trustees approved a resolution recommending the creation and support of the new association, which became effective July 1. An executive board of the alumni association has been established and will be working toward developing strategic goals over the next several months, Kalafatis said.
John Massie (CIT '66) is now serving as the interim chair of the new association.
Elections of officers are expected to take place this fall.
Since its start in the fall of 2003, the Alumni Task Force, made up of about 30 alumni from across the country, as well as staff from Case's Office of Alumni Relations, Programs and Events, met by conference call for several months to help the university establish the new alumni organization. Led by Laura John Nosek, a graduate of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, and Case trustee and alumnus Harold McRae, the Alumni Task Force created an organizational model based in large part on feedback received following an Alumni Forum held in the summer of 2004.
"The alumni who attended the forum wanted the new organization to be alumni-driven," Nosek said. "President [Edward] Hundert has said that he values the alumni and their ideas. He wanted to be able to draw from their expertise and go to them for counsel, but he couldn't do that with more than 20 different alumni stakeholder groups."
The more than 100 participants in the forum made it clear that they want to be active partners in a vibrant, relevant organization that contributes to the growth of the university and to their own professional and personal development, Kalafatis said. They also indicated that they want to be involved in helping Case attract students with potential to provide superior leadership in a wide range of professional fields. Most importantly, they want the world to know about the university and the quality of education they received.
"The task force used information harvested from these discussions to drive the decisions regarding all facets of the new alumni organization," said Kalafatis. "The name choice reflects several key considerations, including the need to have a name that embraces all of the past, present and future alumni."
To help develop the appropriate organization model, the task force formed five work groups: organized and affiliated alumni groups; local and regional alumni groups; and governance, leadership and communication.
"This has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences that I've ever had, and this includes my professional career," said Nosek. "The level of dedication and commitment on the part of the task force and involved alumni was terrific. It is our hope that the alumni will realize that this is their organization, and that the organization will work for them and in partnership with the university."
McRae emphasized that it is important that everyone involved in the process of creating the new alumni organization become ambassadors and spread the word about it.
"I hope the alumni will embrace this concept, participate in the new organization and realize they have something to contribute, as President Hundert says, to help make the university one of the most powerful learning environments in the world."
The 15 members of the executive board of the new Alumni Association of Case
Western Reserve University are:
Charles Ault, ADL’48, LAW’51, Tucson, AZ
Nancy Fink Ceccorulli, BA, ’73, Columbia, MD
Gordon Daily, ENG’00, 01, Solon, OH
Ka-Pi Hoh, CIT’84, GRS’87, ’89, Concord Township, OH
Eric Keene, MGT’94, Chicago, IL
Evan Lim, CIT’71, Sunnyvale, CA
Michael Magness, ADL’70, LAW’73, Brooklyn, NY
John Massie, CIT’66, Chagrin Falls, OH
Rebecca Montague, MGT’88, ’98, Sandusky, OH
Laura John Nosek, R.N., NUR’61, ’81, GRS’86, Auburn, OH
Kenneth Roberts, GRS’84, Highland Hills, OH
Tammie Rupnik-Hagenaars, ENG’98, The Netherlands
Joy Shefter, FSM’66, Beverly Hills, CA
James Treleaven, CIT’69, GRS’90, Glen Ellyn, IL
Eric Yasinow, M.D., MED’83, Highland Heights, OH
For more information about the new association, alumni and friends can visit
the Web site of the Office of Alumni Relations, Programs and Events at http://www.case.edu/alumni/.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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