McGILL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014 – 2015 PRESENTED ON THE OCCASION OF THE 158TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HOTEL OMNI MONT-ROYAL, MONTREAL MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 Welcome to the McGill Alumni Association’s 158th Annual General Meeting May 11, 2015, 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, 1050 Sherbrooke St. W. AGENDA Call to Order ..............................................................President, Alan Desnoyers, BCom’85 Notice of Meeting and Minutes of the 157th Annual General Meeting ..........Secretary, Luciano D’Iorio, BA’99 President’s Report .....................................................Alan Desnoyers Executive Director’s Report .....................................Gabrielle Korn Treasurer’s Report and Appointment of Auditors ...........................................Inez Jabalpurwala, BA’89, MA’91, MBA’01 Report of the Nominating Committee and Election of Members of the Board of Directors.........Tina Hobday, BA’88, BCL’93, LLB’93 By-Law Amendments ................................................Tina Hobday Termination of Meeting ............................................Alan Desnoyers Sponsored in part by: Official provider of the McGill Alumni Association REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE McGILL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION This past year was marked by a difficult financial environment for the entire higher education network in Quebec. McGill was not spared by the government’s attempts to achieve a zero deficit for the fiscal year. For a fourth consecutive year, McGill felt the pinch of a substantial decrease in its funding allocation. In April, the government announced a cut for universities of approximately $70 million of which McGill’s share was estimated at close to $11 million. While the University had already made provisions for substantial cuts to the FY16 budget, the announcement of additional cuts part way through the fiscal year made the exercise all the more challenging. Only later in April did McGill learn that its projected $7 million deficit in FY15 would take a slight turn for the better when Quebec admitted that it owed McGill over $12 million following a reassessment of the University’s full-time-equivalent student count from the previous year. As a result, the modest $4.3 million surplus will be automatically used to help pay down McGill’s accumulated deficit that stands at just less than $100 million. … the role and leadership of McGill’s global community of more than 250,000 alumni, parents, friends and supporters is more important than ever. With further cuts on the horizon, the role and leadership of McGill’s global community of more than 250,000 alumni, parents, friends and supporters is more important than ever. Alumni are an invaluable resource in helping McGill achieve its strategic objectives, and can play a vital role in helping the University enrich the student experience, offering an education that will prepare students to compete, succeed and thrive in all their future endeavours. The McGill Alumni Association continues to refocus its efforts in line with the University’s priorities, including an increased emphasis on the needs of students, particularly as they relate to the McGill Commitment and opportunities to build alumni engagement therein. The MAA is supporting University Advancement in seeking donors to support experiential learning opportunities for students within Faculties and across the University. We are likewise developing programs to help identify and recruit volunteers for McGill Commitment initiatives, including advising and mentoring, creating out-of-the-classroom and international opportunities, building career skills and nurturing entrepreneurship and innovation. Page ।4 As such, the McGill Alumni Leadership Advisory Council and the McGill Alumni-Student Engagement Council led an active year of outreach, forging on-campus partnerships with student leadership organizations and University student service units to develop targeted programs that connect alumni with students. These relationships are crucial to the success of the University’s objectives and the MAA is proud to be able to bring insight and assistance to this important area of need. Periods of transition provide us with the opportunity to examine questions of relevance. The arrival of our new Executive Director, Gabrielle Korn, in late July, brought a fresh perspective on a number of strategic issues, programs and activities. Since her arrival at McGill, Gabrielle has been working diligently on the restructuring of the Alumni Relations unit, now merged with Annual Giving, exploring changes to existing programs, such as the Honours & Awards Program and Homecoming, and finding new ways to involve alumni in the life and success of McGill. I wish to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Board members and the entire team of dedicated staff in University Advancement for your enthusiastic and faithful support. I look forward to serving my second year alongside each of you as we continue to ensure that McGill remains one of the best universities in the world. Alan Desnoyers, BCom’85 President, McGill Alumni Association Page ।5 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE McGILL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2014-2015 has been a year of transition in Alumni Relations at McGill and I’m truly delighted to have joined such a robust program that has earned the admiration of sister institutions throughout North America. Since my arrival last July, I have been honoured to work with so many outstanding, committed and talented alumni volunteers, staff and campus partners. Guided by University Advancement’s strategic plan as my road map, I have been mandated to align the activities of the Alumni Relations and Annual Giving teams more closely with the goals of the larger unit. Our purpose is to deepen McGill’s engagement with the communities it serves. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a successful 200th anniversary campaign while building the level of support that will sustain the University into the future. It is my privilege to work side-by-side with the Board of the MAA which is governed by strong leaders who are in sync with University Advancement’s priorities in support of McGill. We share the point of view that engagement and fundraising are symbiotic and inseparable, that philanthropy succeeds where there is deep engagement and that giving is a reflection of deep and cultivated affinity. This allows us to focus on initiatives that will have maximum impact for McGill, such as nurturing lifelong engagement among our most devoted alumni and offering effective, targeted and strategic events. Initiatives to raise awareness of philanthropy among students and young alumni likewise pave the path for the perpetuity of the University’s enviable legacy of the philanthropic generosity of alumni, parents and friends of McGill. Highlights of 2014-2015 include: Initiatives in support of the McGill Commitment This pillar of Principal Suzanne Fortier’s vision for the University begins with our commitment to provide students with enriched educational opportunities beyond the classroom. This translates into exposing students to the international dimension of the McGill experience, providing unique and creative experiential learning opportunities, as well as rich, varied and plentiful research opportunities in a competitive environment. The Alumni Relations and Annual Giving team, together with the MAA and campus partners, are developing programs and engagement opportunities that connect students to alumni and the University. Changes to the McGill News readership In response to shifting reading habits among younger alumni and also as a reflection of efforts to be more strategic with printing and postage expenditures, circulation of the Fall 2014/Winter 2015 edition of the McGill News was significantly reduced among non-alumni. Savings realized by this initiative will be invested in developing new online tools and technologies needed to Page ।6 connect with younger alumni. The addition of new Manager of Digital Strategy in the Advancement Communications unit is addressing the need for a greater emphasis on digital communications as part of our broader alumni engagement strategies. Student and Young Alumni Programs Through extensive partnerships with a variety of campus units, Student and Young Alumni Programs are flourishing. In partnership with Campus Life & Engagement and International Student Services, 46 regional send-offs were held last summer with 2,180 participants and 350 volunteers. With Enrollment Services, Calling Tree events took place in Toronto, New York and Montreal where Young Alumni gathered to make calls to newly admitted students in an effort to welcome them to McGill. Numerous Rendez-vous events that encourage students to accept their admission to McGill were likewise held in Boston and New York where again, Young Alumni were invited to share their campus experiences with potential students and their parents. Parents Programming Parents Tent was held August 22-25, 2014 and welcomed 5,305 parents and students to campus during Residence Move-In. $18,000 was raised in sponsorships through the presence of service providers such as banks and phone companies, while printing of a smaller-sized Parents Handbook resulted in a 40% decrease in printing costs. Representatives of the MAA and the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association participated as volunteers. Women, Leadership & Philanthropy This initiative leverages the engagement of McGill’s community of women graduates through a collaborative and inclusive approach. Participants advocate for the balanced representation of women in leadership and philanthropic roles at McGill and in society. Several meetings and events were held in Montreal, Toronto and New York, featuring coaching and mentoring to help upcoming generations of women become educated, philanthropic leaders. Crowdfunding through Seeds of Change This new fundraising tool introduced by the Annual Giving team allows donors to support individual student-run philanthropic projects that do not receive funding from the University. Projects promoted through the platform include internships, mental health and wellness programs, equipment requests and support for student entrepreneurs and athletes. Every penny donated through Seeds of Change goes directly to the project for which funding is intended, and contributed in a significant way to the overall $10.5 million raised in Annual Giving this year. Homecoming weekend, October 16-19, 2014 McGill welcomed close to 3,500 graduates and friends from 21 countries worldwide back to campus. In all, McGill hosted 63 events at the downtown campus and 10 events at Macdonald Campus. Graduates spanned 70 years, and Margaret Black, BSc’44, MSc’46, returned at 91 years of age for her 70th anniversary of graduation. In January-February 2015, an intensive reassessment of Homecoming was held and a revamped celebration will be inaugurated from October 22-25, 2015, in partnership with McGill Open House. Page ।7 Regional Branches Principal Suzanne Fortier and Vice-Principal Marc Weinstein visited London and Hong Kong last fall, meeting with graduates and hosting a series of events. The Principal also met with graduates in Quebec City and participated in a Board of Trade event with the rector of the Université Laval. Vice-Principal Weinstein also visited alumni in Paris and Geneva, and hosted a special alumni gala in Dubai. In Toronto, the MAA held a very successful event in partnership with the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada featuring special guest Justin Trudeau, and a second event will follow with Tom Mulcair in May. Young Alumni continued to be the focus of networking events, power lunches and LinkedIn events offered in Toronto, New York, Calgary and London. Travel Program In 2015, the Travel Program started strong with over 150 alumni registered for trips so far. In 2014, 279 travelers joined MAA tours in total. The host selection criteria were revised. Faculty members will be considered as hosts since recruiting subject-matter experts enhances the educational component for interested McGillians, and encompasses the University’s objective of offering lifelong learning. McGill hosted the Canadian Alumni Travel Meeting in January 2015 that welcomed universities from across Canada. Redesign of the alumni website The purpose of the redesign is to facilitate the engagement of McGill alumni and friends in the life of the University and with each other in a variety of ways. The site will feature networking opportunities for personal and professional success; social and educational opportunities based on geography and/or shared interest; volunteer opportunities for giving back as expressed through the McGill Commitment; and requests for direct support/philanthropy. Inherent in the redesign process will be the creation and implementation of an overall digital communications strategy that looks at how and what we communicate with alumni via email and social media. The project is targeted for completion by the end of the calendar year. Gabrielle Korn Executive Director, McGill Alumni Association Managing Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Page ।8 McGILL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2014-2015 PRESIDENT Alan Desnoyers, BCom’85 PAST PRESIDENT Tina Hobday, BA’88, BCL’93, LLB’93 VICE-PRESIDENT David Reckziegel, MBA’87 SECRETARY Luciano D’Iorio, BA’99 TREASURER Inez Jabalpurwala, BA'89, MA'91, MBA'01 DIRECTORS Gayle Noble, BA’91, MA’93, BCL’97, LLB’97 Bruce Hill, BA’83 Bob Babinski, BA’86 Josée Gravel, MA’79, MBA’83, BCL’83 Donald Taylor, DDS’66 REGIONAL DIRECTORS Sarah Bovaird, BSc’05 Mark Hantho, BCom’81 ALUMNI GOVERNORS Cynthia Price, BCom’82 Tina Hobday, BA’88, BCL’93, LLB’93 Bryan Haynes, BA’90, LLB’93 EX OFFICIO Marc Weinstein, BA’85, BCL’91, LLB’91, Vice-Principal, University Advancement Gabrielle Korn, Executive Director, McGill Alumni Association McGill Alumni Association Martlet House 1430 Peel Street Montreal, Quebec H3A 3T3 Tel: 514-398-5000 Fax: 514-398-7338 [email protected] aoc.mcgill.ca
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