CD Alumni Association: College Topics Spring 2001

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Strategic Planning Update: Successes and Next Steps

By Diane DeBerry Krehmeyer
Cavalier Daily Alumni Association President

The success of the Cavalier Daily Alumni Association’s Reunion Weekend this past fall has energized our Board of Directors, and we are looking forward to moving ahead with a number of exciting projects, especially the digitization of the College Topics/Cavalier Daily bound volumes.

However, as much as the CDAA Reunion was about celebrating the CD’s survival and success in the 21st century, it was also about reflecting on how far the alumni organization has come, especially over the last few years.

With that in mind, I thought it might be fitting to share some of the successes we have attained in a short period of time.

In September of 1994 (11 years after the CDAA’s inception), the CDAA Executive Committee (Vice President Greg Trevor, Secretary Mike Fagan, then-Treasurer John Clarke and myself) met in Allentown, Penn., for our first Strategic Planning Retreat.

Over the course of that weekend we discussed and developed a set of achievable long-term and short-term goals for the organization.

We worked hard to ensure that the goals covered the needs of both segments of our constituency: CDAA alumni and CD staff members.

The goals were approved by the Board in 1995, and have served as the guiding principles by which we have conducted our business over the last six-and-a-half years. The chart below details some of these goals and the various tactics the Board of Directors has taken to achieve them. They include:

Ensuring more consistent contact with alumni

Building an endowment to support a fully paid internship for a CD staff member

Sponsoring regular workshops for CD staff on a wide variety of topics

These are just the highlights and do not take into account all the other little tasks that the CDAA Board willingly pitches in to do!

Truth be told, however, we did not achieve every goal on our list— other good ideas still floating around out there include:

Hosting regional events for alumni not within driving distance of Charlottesville

Beginning a long-term fund-raising campaign focused on the creation of specific funds for CDAA and CD needs (building, equipment, programming, etc.)

Holding an annual journalism career forum in conjunction with the Office of Career Planning and Placement

We also acknowledge that some of the weaknesses we assessed in 1994 still exist for us: We still strive for greater visibility with Alumni Hall and with alumni in general, and we can always work to improve our fund-raising efforts and alumni contacts.

However, while there is still much more to do, the fact that we have been able to see success in so many areas gives me immense pride in our organization.

In just a short period of time, we will need to embark on another Strategic Planning session, the results of which will guide us through our next 5 to 10 years.

Some of the issues raised before will still be on our radar screen for years to come, while others will be replaced with new concerns, plans and a renewed sense of vision for the organization.

As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on our goals and actions, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to help out in any way: 703-683-2592 (H) or at dianedkrehmeyer@yahoo.com.

Goals related to Alumni Affairs	Accomplishments
Ensure more consistent contact with alumni in print and in person Conduct more events geared toward alumni and families Request feedback from alumni to ascertain needs and concerns	Twice-yearly editions of College Topics newsletter (including "Life after the CD" feature) Web site devoted to CD alumni (www.cdalumi.org) Semi-annual alumni brunches during Homecoming and Reunion weekends CDAA Reunion weekend held in Fall 2000 CDAA member survey in 1995 College Topics survey in April 1999
Develop stronger ties with Alumni Hall	Approval of CDAA as an Alumni Affinity Interest Group (AIG) Established Alumni Hall contact for all Alumni Hall communications More regularly submit event announcements and College Topics articles for publication in Alumni newsmagazine
Gain more diversified alumni representation on CDAA Board	Board now comprised of 21 members with representation from 1934 to 1999

Goals related to Cavalier Daily Affairs	Accomplishments
Build an endowment to support a fully paid internship for a CD staff member Enter into an agreement with a major newspaper to annually sponsor a CD staff member	Currently have $70,000 in scholarship endowment Developed partnership with Virginia Press Association to co-sponsor CDAA Community Journalism Scholarship First scholarship recipient awarded last year
Raise scholarship funds to support CD staff members with journalism-related summer internships	Annual award of the Herring Scholarship Annual award of the Pierson Photography Scholarship
Develop wider range of media professionals to work with CD staff Sponsor regular workshops for CD staff on a wide variety of topics	Sponsored 12 speakers in 1999-2000 alone Affiliations include: The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Free Lance Star, The Daily Progress, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The News & Observer, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression
Compile demographic information of alumni membership	Initial database now set up on CDAA web site Updating of files still in progress