The Process

• Following the meeting with President-elect McRobbie, the IUAA Board of Managers charged the president of the association to lead the IUAA professional staff in the fulfillment of President McRobbie’s request. In the summer of 2007, six teams of engagement (STOE) were formed to evaluate what the association was currently doing in support of the six guiding principles and to look at what programs should be created or implemented to further fulfill the IU president’s request.
  
  
• These six teams were composed of all levels of the IUAA staff, whose duties pertained to the area they were assigned to review. Members of the six teams also came from other divisions of the university whose departments would be supported by the IUAA and that had a relationship to a specific team or teams. As an example, members of the IU Foundation staff were asked to be members of the development team; likewise, members of the university’s enrollment management division were asked to serve on the recruitment team, and so on. These teams met several times through the summer and fall of 2007.
  
  
• During the first week of November 2007, each team delivered a preliminary written and verbal report to the IUAA president and IUAA volunteer chairwoman. In these reports, they outlined the programs and activities that already met the STOE goals, outlined changes to some programs and activities to increase their effectiveness in achieving the goals, and provided ideas for new programs. The six teams then provided an updated report to the IUAA president’s office prior to the December IUAA Executive Council meeting (the Executive Council is an advisory board of IUAA volunteer leadership) for the Executive Council members to review.
  
  
• At the December 2007 Executive Council meeting, members were given the opportunity to be advisers to a particular team of the STOE and to meet with the team leaders to further discuss opportunities for each team to engage alumni in the STOE goals. The discussion provided volunteer leadership input into the planning of the STOE. It was important to include in the first stages of review and planning the IUAA professional staff (all levels), other appropriate university divisions, and in the second stages of planning the volunteer leadership’s input.
  
  
• Following the December Executive Council meeting, the president of the IUAA called together his executive team to begin the process of incorporating the STOE reports into a new IUAA Strategic Plan. This executive team held several all-day meetings to extensively review the reports from the teams, existing IUAA plans, and other important reports that had been developed by the IUAA over the previous five years, as well as the strategic plans of other IU divisions. Through review of all these documents, the team was able to insure vital aspects of each plan were either included in, or supported by, the IUAA Strategic Plan. Following are the strategic goals determined by the executive team.
  
  

  1. Development — The IUAA seeks to build meaningful and longlasting relationships with alumni and friends to foster loyalty and connections with each other, the Alumni Association, and the university.

  2. Advocacy — The IUAA calls to action its more than 500,000 living graduates and friends to serve and advocate for the university.

  3. International Alumni Relations — The IUAA serves the university’s alumni and students through international outreach.

  4. Communications/Marketing — The IUAA assists Indiana University through the association’s communications media and programs in telling the university and IUAA stories to alumni and friends.

  5. Partnerships — The IUAA is a vital university citizen in assisting its many partners in support of IU.

  6. Diversity — The IUAA is dedicated to serving the university and its diverse alumni, students, and friends.

  7. Future Direction — One University–One Association: The IUAA will structure itself to effectively serve the university of the future.

  8. Resources — The IUAA must garner the necessary resources to fulfill the association’s mission and strategic efforts.

  
  
• In January 2008, the draft plan was presented to the IUAA Cabinet for review and input.
  
  
• The completed plan was presented to the IUAA Board of Managers at its February 15, 2008, meeting. After several sessions of discussion, the board endorsed the plan on March 19, 2008.
  
  
• In April 2008, the plan was submitted to IU President Michael A. McRobbie.
  
  
• Throughout the summer months of 2008, the IUAA executive team worked with IUAA departments to define the specific tactics necessary to effectively meet the strategic goals. These tactics are the specific action steps developed each year for the department and individuals within the department to reach the strategic goals of the IUAA. Each action step will have specific quantitative and qualitative measures of how that action step supports a strategic goal or goals by touching the guiding principles. Each action step will also prove how it impacts the vision and mission of the university through the dual lenses of education and research.