chuckstaben Uncategorized

Anki as a memory tool

I had alot of trouble memorizing people’s names and faces as well as just a few details about them-such as whether they are married, have kids, or have a very strong interest in a particular university program. Your principal gifts officer should pre-alert you to events, and ideally even help you with such matters at an event, but there is no substitute for knowing something about a donor…especially for a chance meeting.

You undoubtedly have a donor database, and you may have other lists of people with whom you interact-faculty leaders, student leaders, board members, legislators. How can you transform that information, at least a small subset of it, to a useful memory tool?

The tool that my son used in medical school seems very powerful. I’ll admit that I played around with it and never committed to it-but I would have been wise to do so. That tool is Anki. Originally developed as “intelligent flashcards” for language learning ( I think in Korea), it is used widely for lots of purposes. It’s very inexpensive, and you could even have staff develop the Anki cards for you, with what they think you should know about people. Anki offers different kinds of flashcards, that can ask questions in different directions (a face-give the name. the name-their interest). And, Anki will remember what you got right or wrong, and help you drill. Give it a whirl!

chuckstaben Advancement, On being a president

Advancement after Covid-19

Colleges almost certainly will face funding challenges in Fall 2020 and moving forward. How might this affect advancement, and how should a president prioritize fundraising?

The most important change is to focus on current dollar and immediate use. Donors will recognize the immediate difficulties, and strong supporters are likely to want to help. If you have been working with a donor on a $100,000 endowment gift, encourage them to make a $5000 gift today, or even better to make a $10,000 gift today, and to move the endowment plan into their estate. If the donor is committed to an endowment, suggest they at least “jumpstart” it with a current gift equal to the expected yield of about $5000, as almost all endowments payout in arrears, and you need their support now.

With the decline in the stock market, some endowments, particularly recent ones, may be “underwater” in that the current value is less than the original donated funds (actually, less than the permanently restricted fund). Though foundations have more flexibility today due to changes in UPMIFA, if the underwater endowments are recent, you may be able to contact the donor for permission to alter the agreement or at least to get their approval if you hope to expend from an underwater account (without violating any restrictions, laws, or covenants!)

During the 2008-2009 recession, many foundations changed spending policies to decrease payout, which put additional financial stress on students and institutions. Of course, a president must work with the Foundation Board or equivalent to ensure prudent use of funds, but it is worth emphasizing to the Board that good spending and investment policies are intended to assure generational equity; it is time to rely on those policies, take a long-term outlook, and keep supporting the institution. Historically, the stock market DOES bounce back.

Of course, many donors are likely to feel alot of uncertainty in the coming months. My experience is that one must stay positive, stay engaged, and that strong supporters will always return to their love of their institution.

chuckstaben Uncategorized

The president’s spouse

The role and expectations of a president’s spouse vary tremendously, depending on the university and the spouse, at least. My spouse, Mary Beth, had her own career (physician) and interests, but participated in many university events. She was unpaid, but her travel costs were generally paid if she had a role at an event (document that role for the IRS, or you may get a very unwelcome tax bill!) I hope some of our experience can inform or reassure you.

I think that the most important issue regarding the spouse is that all parties (president, spouse, board, staff) should be mindful of the role and expectations. A good article on this was published by a former president, Susan Pierce, in Inside HIgher Education. If you are a member of AGB, you can also access a good article by Karen Kaler. There are a couple of books on the topic, but neither my spouse nor I found them particularly useful.

Though I know that your experience will vary, my wife and I met each month with my chief of staff and the office scheduler to discuss events (university and personal) over the next several months; an office staff member kept an Outlook calendar for my spouse and she had a university email account. My wife was not very involved in event planning, such as menu selection, etc-this was done by university staff. She did give feedback on events to staff, and this was generally well-received. My wife developed positive relationships with many donors and their spouses, and enjoyed these interactions. My wife liked interacting with students; she would attend evening dessert receptions we would schedule to talk with residence hall students, Greek students, international students, and other student groups. She enjoyed tours with me (Micron-an Idaho industry, SpaceX-alumnus is chief engineer). Mary Beth attended football games (not her favorite). She attended many musical events (not my favorite-I went only occasionally). She was very active in the community, meeting the mayor, Chamber of Commerce director, etc.

Mary Beth enjoyed participating in the APLU spouse group. I know she would encourage participation in that group, but always wanted more substance and involvement. Her impression is that she was probably more involved than most of the other spouses BOTH in a career and in the university. And, probably much more open and informal-she was amazed that some were shocked she would go to the grocery store in her jeans!

Were there awkward moments? The first day we moved in, a “kindly” neighbor took a picture of our recycling and sent it anonymously to office staff to “help” us realize that our recycling had not been set out properly. Because Mary Beth wanted to practice in a large hospital, she got a position in Boise-300 miles from campus, and bought a small house here. We dealt with the persistent claim that we “lived” in Boise-even though she spent only about 12 days on average there per month, and of course it was important for the University that I travel to Boise frequently-it is the state capital, population center, home to the office of the state board of education, and home to critical industries and many alumni and donors…and we have a campus there! Having a home there made my visits very easy and saved the university thousands in hotel bills, yet was a constant source of disparagement.

chuckstaben Athletics, Uncategorized

Attending Athletics

Athletics is usually a few percent of the University budget, even at large public universities, but demands a good deal of time and attention…and attendance.  Athletics offers major alumni and donor engagement opportunities.  And, I think it can provide an opportunity to celebrate the non-athletic parts of the University in a very visible way. My spouse, not a sports fan, also came to games when she was able to do so, and enjoyed the atmosphere, without alot of involvement in the actual athletic contest.

For schools with football programs, home games are occasions and generally cannot be missed.  The University of Idaho has a fairly small football program, but even so, games provide an opportunity to entertain friends of the University and to be seen quite publicly. 

We were fortunate to have a box on the 50 yard line.  Advancement and the President’s office collaborated to fill the box-bringing in donors, Board members, and legislators.  Be careful not to let the box become a hangout spot for staff.  We did not stay in the box the entire game, but visited other boxes, always said hello to the small contingent of visiting parents, dropped in on the visiting team box, and thanked our extraordinary marching band.  Though I enjoy watching football, I did not see the game in any continuous fashion, but kept myself generally aware of what was going on.  Some presidents get very involved in the game, going on to the field, talking to players…I always felt some separation was better. The football coach is hired to do that!

I enjoyed traveling with the team upon occasion to away football games, usually participating in about ½ the away games.  Traveling with the team can also be an important perk to share with program donors-though this perk has a value that must be accounted for and deducted from the value of gifts they make.  For a program like Idaho’s, guarantee games are a chance to visit much larger programs and gain an understanding of a larger university.  We scheduled successful alumni visits to several programs, in our case centered around our engaged agriculture alumni and visits to large land grant schools.  Away games are also an opportunity to network with other conference presidents.

Use halftimes, timeouts, and media to message about the University.  I introduced to Idaho the idea of an academic honor-to students, student athletes, faculty or staff at a first quarter timeout.  Games at that point are likely to be competitive and fans still engaged.  This is an idea I borrowed from the University of Kentucky, which always brought academics to football or basketball timeouts-and I recall how incredible being on the floor of Rupp Arena was with some of my students as a young faculty member, with 22,000 rabid Kentucky fans clapping for us.  Faculty don’t get that sort of opportunity often, and you can provide it.

Basketball is usually a more personal, shorter timeframe except at the biggest schools like the SEC.  Sit in the stands, cheer for the team, and say hello to the fans.  We have used basketball for special events, like a Native Nations night, that has been very successful.  Be sure to attend both men’s and women’s basketball.

I also recommend scheduling an appearance at one event for each sport per year, though I admit I was not able to do that for all sports.  The swim team parents really will remember that you cared enough to watch the meet.