DCE Fall 2023 Minutes

Dean’s Circle of Engagement

October 5-6, 2023

The Gladys W. & David H. Patton College of Education

Patton Hall 104 - ��

Summary of Activities

Attendees: Ray Asik, Caryn Bailey, Mary Frances Bryja, Michelle Connavino, Danielle Dani, Linda Fife, Lisa Harrison, Chris Hayward (Chair), Gail Houk, Marc Houk, Robert Murphy (Vice-Chair), Connie Patterson, Kevin Rice, Helen Watson
Absent: Joan Motheral

Thursday, October 5, 2023
11:45 a.m. - Violet L. Patton Lecture Series – Patton Hall 232, Dr. Danita M. Brown Young
5 p.m. - Dinner at the �� Inn

Friday, October 6, 2023
Greetings, Introductions and Overview of Agenda, Chris Hayward, DCE Chair
Chris began with opening remarks at 9:05 a.m. He thanked everyone for attending and traveling to Athens. He is excited for the meeting and for Interim Dean Harrison taking the helm and added that this is not going to be a holding year, we are going to get down to some work.

Patton College of Education Updates, Lisa Harrison, Interim Dean
We are continuing to be in a time of change within the College. We have continued to do great things during a time of searching for a new dean and getting a new president this year. We have 13 new faculty and staff in the College, so we have a lot of new, positive energy and stability within our programs and want to bring in strong people to help sustain. Some additional hiring will take place in the very near future.

Want to focus this year on alumni engagement. How can we increase our connection to alumni? That is a component of work that is important that we haven’t really focused on. Trying to get us back on track and pushing us forward at the same time.

Other Areas of Focus

Organizational Culture- Cultivating a college culture where people can thrive.

Patton Family Day – kickball, games, potluck for faculty, staff and students
New Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellness – call is out now.
Focus on policies and practices – some things can be tightened up.

Community of Scholars- Igniting intellectual curiosity and engaging in research-based practice

Using an Appreciative Inquiry to reflect on where we are headed – Academic Leadership Team (ALT) and College Coordinating Council (CCC)
Speaker for Fall Faculty and Staff Kickoff: Lori Patton Davis, tenured professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at The �� State University
Winter Faculty and Staff Kickoff: Focus on advocacy – please share if you have any thoughts.

Student Success- Interpersonal and academic positive outcomes

Developing a strategy for student success – Dr. Monica Price has been tasked with this.
Creating a Dean’s Student Advisory Board by the end of the semester – student voices are important!

�� has again had record enrollments; however, enrollment in The Patton College has been kind of flat. A lot of our enrollment comes from Teacher Education. There is a teacher shortage, there is a PR problem for education. Nothing too disconcerting, but enrollments have been flat.

We have a new President at ��, Dr. Lori Gonzalez.
We are getting a new Provost – Interim Dean Harrison is on Provost search committee.

Interim Dean Harrison then asked for input from DCE on student success, what comes to mind – targets you would be interested in seeing – components on creating a strategic plan for student success?

Bob Murphy – student retention. Can’t help them be successful if they leave us.
Gail Houk – recruiting – the right fit for everyone.
Mary Frances – the financial piece - making sure they have the funds.
Michelle Connavino - thinking about what happens beyond the classroom, student engagement in clubs and other student activities is a very important part of student success.
Chris Hayward – students need to understand their “why”. What they want for themselves and their future
Michelle Connavino – related to that, current students, and even from her generation, aren’t necessarily thinking about or likely to stay in a career for 30 years. Providing students with ways to think about a career path – what else they can do with their degree. Opportunity for students to see what their career could be beyond what they will do right after they get out of college. And that ties into alumni engagement, as well.
Chris Hayward – we are now down to 4 students in Brothers RISE, so we’ve lost some students. Knowing why they left, letting them know what different things they can do with their degrees.
Gail Houk – The Learning Community concept – strong bonds remain with students they come in with. Helps students to feel connected, challenged by each other, and provides social support, etc. Lisa Harrison stated that Learning Communities are a university initiative and we need to think about how we can extend that beyond the first semester. Monica Price continued that nationwide 98% of incoming freshman students are in Learning Communities – that is at national levels. That is fantastic! Second semester there is a drop. Third (sophomore) even more drop-offs. We need to keep structures as they move through - social, emotional, academic structures. By the time students are juniors, they are not leaving, so we need to do a better job of cementing those critical times when people start questioning. Michelle Connavino asked how students are placed into the Learning Communities? Monica Price answered that at Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO) they look at projected majors and cluster students with others who are headed in that direction. They pick up classes they need and we try to do a good job at customizing. The curriculum is for the university, but we could tailor for Patton to make sure they know their identity – make it more Patton specific. Michelle then asked if there are still residential learning communities. Monica answered that, yes, but with the housing structure (and COVID), it has dropped off.
Gail Houk – during the first round with students focusing on study skills, time management, etc., maybe second round could be focusing on professional ethics, self-care, work-life balance. That is what I hear in the workforce from people who are working for me.
Michelle Connavino added that it can also be very difficult to move to Athens. It can feel very isolated. Something that was useful to her was being able to get into classrooms early, it gave her a sense of place. As part of that first class, maybe a service project as part of a class – get into the community, learn about the community. She thinks this contributes to students leaving, as well.
Marc Houk – at what point do students engage with someone who is currently teaching in the field to begin to see what the positives have been in their career. Lisa Harrison responded that typically it is during their second year for education majors.
Back to Gail’s comments, this whole notion of self-care, professional ethics, employment – this would be a good tie to alumni that second year. How do I as an educator, counselor, etc., engage in self-care. Someone from the field coming in and having that discussion, or through Teams, etc. Alumni engagement as well as supporting our students.
Gail Houk - there is a perception of what you will be doing in your career, and then there is what you will actually be doing in your career. Engaging with alumni could help here.
Ray Asik – in his experience, students want to become teachers but don’t want to get stuck in one track for 30 years. They should be made aware of the other tracks that are available – as counselors, principals, etc. There are lots of opportunities in the field today, and also what is available in small schools vs. larger schools. Nice to know that you’re not going to be stuck in this one job for the rest of your life.
Chris Hayward – does the College have a database, is there a way to look at what people are doing now, in various stages, 10 years after graduating, and then 15, etc. Doing very different things and if students knew that coming in, it could change things. Danielle Dani answered that we don’t have college specific data. There is national data. Michelle Connavino noted that if data doesn’t exist for Patton, maybe through the alumni association, a survey could be created and sent out. Also included in that survey, a question on if they want to get more involved in alumni engagement. This would help to build a pool of individuals who want to be involved. To that end, Marc Houk indicated that he has filled out surveys for the Alumni Association before, i.e., Bobcat Network, etc., but then nothing happens after filling them out. Those who complete the surveys are those who are interested in becoming involved.
Kevin Rice added that he thinks a student advisory board would give us so many good ideas. Actually asking them what they want. Caryn Bailey noted that the OU alumni board does have student representation. And to circle back to the importance in student well-being, a sense of belonging, and faculty mentoring, if they do have that while they are students, as alums they will want to become more engaged.

A change in the agenda, as our guests from Alumni Engagement arrived.
Alumni Engagement and Development for PCOE

Teri Gartland, Assistant Vice President, Major Giving – all major gifts having to do with �� come through her team.\
Taylor Hayes, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations and Campus Partnerships – Alumni engagement – she is assigned three colleges on campus, including The Patton College. She is a two-time alum, one degree from The Patton College.
Caryn Bailey, Director of Development, Major Giving
Taylor began by talking about the Engagement Lifecycle – UCM, Alumni Relations, Annual Giving and Major Giving and the various roles. She focused on Alumni Relations and Campus Partnerships and the Alumni Relations Metrics.
Engagement Lifecycle – University Communications & Marketing; Alumni Relations; Annual Giving; Major Giving
Alumni Relations & Campus Partnership – Collaborate with units, campuses and colleges across the University to inform, involve and inspire OHIO alumni to engage in support of the work of the institution.
Alumni Engagement Metrics – What is alumni engagement? How do we track engagement? University-wide CASE alumni engagement metrics; Patton specific alumni engagement metrics.
Discussion ensued with a brief Q&A session.
She also presented information on some of the most recent and upcoming Patton College events, i.e., homecoming tailgreat, Violet L. Patton Lecture Series, Patton Proud: Educator Alumni Gathering Featuring Brothers RISE taking place in Columbus, etc.
Taylor noted that she is the PCOE contact for all alumni relations and any questions/requests can be sent to her.

Caryn Bailey continued with support information, who’s who – Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving and Major Giving. She provided information on the role of the DCE adding that the DCE collaboration and partnership is critical to building trust and connection.
Caryn also provided an overview of what they do and how they support, and also provided some highlighted major gifts and a recap of FY2023 gifts and Giving Day.

Teri Gartland concluded the alumni engagement and development presentation by looking ahead to FY24 discussion - the GiveCampus Transition in Fall 2023 and Comprehensive Campaign Planning. She also talked about advancing relationships and development efforts and ended on next steps. She announced that they are currently developing the next campaign, and right now are in the silent phase. President Gonzalez is being strategic in her vision over the next 10-12 months. The next campaign will probably start at $500 million. We have a partnership with UCM and have hired someone to redefine and enhance the message for giving. We are also ramping up partnerships with planned and corporate giving.
Chris Hayward asked how we compare to peer institutions? Teri answered that in terms of giving for MAC schools, Miami exceeds everyone. Western Michigan received a significant one-time gift. Our annual run is in the $40 million range, and we are in the top 3rd of MAC schools. �� State plays on a different platform, a national presence. When your football team does well, it raises everything – admissions applications, dollars given, etc. Our athletic program having a strong run is helping us, as well. Also, having a hospital is big, such as that at �� State. Although we have one of the top 3 osteopathic medical schools in the country, we don’t have a hospital affiliation.

Lisa Harrison added that later today we will be talking about our alumni giving. What are some words of wisdom that you can share from other boards across the University? Teri responded to not underestimate your power of influence, your experiences. The more you talk about your experiences in social gatherings, social media, participating with students, making sure you are constantly promoting what we are doing, your encouragement of students, you never know who it may influence. Your involvement, your passion, your advocacy leads to so many great things.
Slides of this presentation are available upon request.

Chris Hayward then provided a gift from the DCE to Michelle Connavino in honor of the Charles J. and Claire O. Ping Recent Graduate Award that she will be receiving this weekend.

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (PRLS), Andy Szolosi, Joe Crowley and Bruce Martin, Department of Recreation, Sport Pedagogy, and Consumer Sciences
Outdoor Leadership Course, Andy Szolosi – Experiential Learning provides a transformative power and we are hoping to convey this.
Students that seek out the PRLS program seek out this program because they have a passion for things that we do that just relate to a fun experience. Where passion meets profession is a tag line we use often to promote our program.
Students who are interested in our program love to explore the outdoors - outdoor pursuits, i.e., climbing, etc., and also to develop/design large scale events. Last year the Festivals and Event Operations students developed events during mom’s weekend that generated significant revenue from a zero budget. They gave half of the earned revenue to a non-profit charity in Athens and the remainder to the undergraduate major fund that allows them to go to conferences, etc.
Many courses try to engage the community – getting our students out in the community. These experiences allow them to do what brought them to the program to begin with, experience their passions, and tie the information that we share in the classroom to practice.
There are two majors in our program – a Recreation Management major; and an Outdoor Recreation Education major. There are also two certificate programs –a Festivals, Events and Entertainment Management certificate and an Ecotourism certificate. We also have a graduate program in Parks, Recreation, Hospitality and Tourism.
Adventure Recreation Courses – aim to expose students to outdoor pursuits and develop technical proficiencies. We do field trips and weekend trips, to experience these natural locations and develop skills. This provides truly immersive experiential learning experiences. For example, the yearly trip to Costa Rica in December - this is to teach about ecotourism and learn the principles and practices first-hand. We meet with families and live with Costa Ricans to learn about the culture, positive and negative ways that ecotourism has impacted them, and their culture. Cross-cultural experiences that truly transform these students.
Andy then shared a video on the experience from the student’s perspective.

Outdoor Leadership, Bruce Martin - The program was started back in the 70’s by Ron Dingle. He passed away this past summer. Bruce provided a background for the outdoor leadership program.

The course we offer is a month-long experience - we go out into the woods and teach students the skills they need to be outdoor leaders. Key goals of the course are to plan and conduct safe, enjoyable expeditions while conserving the environment. There is a big focus on safety, environmental preservation, and some sort of positive outcome and enjoyment. The first course was offered in 2008 at OHIO. The program was expanded in 2019 to include mountain bike/backpacking instruction.

Joe Crowley continued that they try to hone-in on some key areas with the students – to work on personal leadership, the natural strengths that they have, judgment and decision making. As faculty on the trip, we try to have as little influence on what is going on as possible on these trips. The idea is to get back from the trip and students talk about all the experiences they had and none of the faculty names are mentioned. That’s the idea of this course. The students are responsible for all of the decisions that are being made throughout the trip - important decisions, such as, can we cross this creek (because it’s been raining), or there are storms coming in, how can we plan? Safety and risk management is ongoing learning for them. They learn that sometimes mistakes happen but how to reframe and move forward. Also, the teaching aspect that they have - instructing different lessons for their peers during the trip.
There are three sections in the outdoor leadership trip. Section 1 – Backpacking in the Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina (8 days). Section 2 – Sea Kayaking, Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina (9 days). Section 3 - Bikepacking, Allegheny Highlands, West Virginia (8 days).

Leadership - structure initially as part of a leadership team. Everyone gets to be a leader of the day. They are framed as part of a leadership team with an assistant, navigator, and a scribe. Time control begins the evening before their leadership day. During the leadership day, they get feedback from faculty, but also from peers, and a daily de-brief.
Judgment and decision making is stressful on this trip. Leaders are now responsible for other human beings. There is a plan, but it can change throughout the day or from input from other students. Every night the group gets together to discuss the day. As a faculty, one of the hardest things to do is knowingly hike or paddle in the wrong direction and just let that play out – sometimes hours or miles. It happens, but they learn from it.
Teaching – a big cornerstone is giving students an opportunity to be in front of their peers. In front of your equals, grad students, faculty. They are all assigned lessons that are the conceptual foundations of outdoor leadership, wilderness living skills - hard skills, and wilderness travel components.
Route planning. As faculty instructors for this course, we have an itinerary. Students think it is iron-clad, but in reality, it is entirely fluid, and this is a hard concept for the students to grasp.
Safety and risk management - Environmental hazards – human dangers, also. Our own poor judgment – lack of skill. Kitchen safety, self and group care. We have specialized equipment to be sure we are running a safe program for them.

Outward Bound Process Model – students get exposed to centralized topics in the classroom. Then we put them in a completely unfamiliar environment. At the end, giving them the proficiency and level of confidence that they could lead a group into these kinds of areas with success.

Lunch – Patton Hall 120

Dean Search Update – Dean Search Committee Members, Connie Patterson & Danielle Dani
Both Connie and Danielle provided information on the upcoming dean search. Connie began that they do not have a lot to report at this point. The search is live. She and Danielle are on the search committee along with representation of all the departments. Dr. Scott Titsworth, Dean, College of Communication, and Dr. Christine Bhat, Chair, Counseling and Higher Education, are search committee co-chairs. An external search firm, WittKieffer, has been hired to conduct the search. For the last search this was undertaken internally by OHIO Human Resources. A listening session was held between College faculty and staff with WittKieffer personnel that took place at the Fall Faculty and Staff Kickoff in August. They wanted to hear about the culture of our college, who we want to lead us, and wanted us to provide what we want in the leadership profile. Connie provided the position profile with WittKieffer and briefly went over what it includes. It gives an idea of who we are as a College and a University. It describes programs, regional campuses, the area, strength of our place and leadership structure. The profile is pretty typical for searches of this type. After the listening session, WittKieffer provided a draft of the position profile. It was then provided to the search committee for final review. The position posting went live last week and will remain open through November 23. Campus interviews are planned to take place during spring semester (January).
When we invite candidates to campus it is about wooing them – a welcoming environment. Providing why they should come to OHIO.
Once the interviews are complete, the search committee makes its recommendations to the provost, whether the candidates are viable or not viable. The Provost has three bases for her final decision – the search committees’ recommendation; reference checks (on and off list); and feedback from stakeholders – students, faculty and staff.
WittKieffer finds people who may not be in the job market – recruits those they think would be a good fit. Everything is very confidential early on.
Moving forward, we need continuity and leadership to move us into the future.

Academic Engagement and Outreach, Connie Patterson, Associate Dean, Academic Engagement & Outreach and

Research and Graduates Studies, Danielle Dani – these conversations were tabled until the spring meeting due to time constraints.

DCE and Alumni Engagement Opportunities, Chris Hayward, DCE Chair; Lisa Harrison, Interim Dean, PCOE
Chris began the discussion on how and why he was brought on as a Board member. Some people have been on the board since its inception. His “why” is associated with wanting to be helpful to the current Dean (interim), giving feedback, being a sounding board, being a resource, advising what is happening in the field. Also to go out and share the good news about what is happening in the Patton College of Education.
He asked the members of DCE to think back to when you became a member and what your “why” was or what were you thinking at that time.

Linda Fife has been a member of DCE from the beginning. There was a second group to begin with – a capital campaign was in progress - so two groups were meeting in the beginning. Her “why” was to keep in touch – she’s a local. The Family and Consumer Science group are pretty close knit. She also felt it was a way to pay it forward. She also noted that when you are ready to leave the group, you can leave. As with anything, another generation needs to take over.
Caryn Bailey gave a brief overview on a capital campaign.
Mary Frances Bryja was unsure what she was taking on when she became a DCE member. Her term has just continued. She never really clicked with her undergraduate school. She started at a junior college and then worked. When she came here in 1994 to finish her undergraduate work, she fell in love with OU. She met Arlene Greenfield who was a founding DCE member who encouraged her to become a DCE member. Her why was for giving back and she assumed she would be helping with things, i.e., alumni, etc., but unsure what those things would be.
Gail Houk stated that she and Marc talked with Tim Binegar about planned giving, and are happy to make the financial contribution, but wanted to contribute in other ways. We met with Dean Middleton and were asked to become members of the DCE. We are both still rooted in the work environment so we have that knowledge and things to pass on, and some networking, and we see that as valuable to the university, and also what we can bring back to our community. We are also interested in recruiting and helping others to have this experience and learn about it.
Marc Houk – Our first DCE meeting discussions revolved around teachers being armed. Getting perspectives and sharing that information with Dean Middleton to assist her in making decisions that she needed to make. The next meeting we left with an assignment. We were to report back the next time regarding Brothers RISE, then COVID hit and we never really did share what we had worked on at that time. I want to be involved in something and then see an end product for what we have worked on together as a group to help grow the college.
Ray Asik was surprised when he was chosen to serve on the DCE. He brings a military perspective in, relations and opportunities. Majored in education, but never taught at the high or junior high level. He got into computers and taught computer courses at the college level and in the military. He created a scholarship in his wife’s name and is involved with donations for Brothers RISE. He feels lucky to be able to help in any way possible. He feels blessed at his age and just wants to give back to the College. The DCE is very diverse and it constantly stays that way. It includes powerful, intelligent, intellectual people, just normal people too, that can help, but what can we do? It’s hard when you only meet a few times a year. Maybe need to look at activities, long and short-term and also at the By-Laws to see what is involved to keep us focused on what is best for the college.
In addition, if the DCE wants to appoint someone in his place who is more related to education, he is fine with that. Maybe we need to look at the group and see if we have the right mix. Even if he is not on the DCE, he still wants to help.
Bob Murphy became a DCE member at the same time as Chris Hayward. He was clueless as to why he was chosen. Dr. Dwan Robinson, who was his dissertation chair, told him they needed a representative for Ed Studies on the DCE. At first, he didn’t know why he was there or what the purpose of the group was. He has found that the purpose is to be able to support the college, to be an ambassador. He didn’t do his undergrad or master’s here, he’s a Buckeye, but he does value being a part of the group and hopes that he has made a contribution over the years. He has enjoyed serving, it’s been great. Hoping to stay a little longer.
Kevin Rice wanted to be on the DCE because he thought he brought practical experience after filling most every role in public education and then in student affairs for 6-7 years. My strength was knowing what was going on in the schools, but he now feels like he doesn’t, and that it may be time for him to step down and let younger folks come on board. It’s important work and he has enjoyed it.

Chris Hayward continued that we all have various talents. The board checks all the boxes - time, talent, treasure. Back in the summer, Interim Dean Harrison, Bob and myself, had a discussion on what we are doing and especially with a new dean coming in. Dean Harrison stated at that time that we can move forward now, we have work to do, we don’t need to wait. Engaging with alumni is something that she is very interested in doing. He provided some historical information on the DCE’s involvement in the beginnings of the Brothers RISE program. Hoping there would be other things along those lines, not necessarily that theme, maybe in fashion merchandising or any of the other programs.

Interim Dean Lisa Harrison continued that one of the things that she wants to focus on is alumni engagement. This is a good group to talk with – people who are dedicated alums. How do we get others who are equally as passionate to engage, and not necessarily through DCE, but through a connection within the College.

Brothers RISE is definitely an initiative that we are still committed to. One thing that she is interested in doing this summer is a residency program for rising juniors and seniors in high school. Our numbers have dwindled a little bit. It is hard to recruit black males into these professions. Right now, our greatest initiative is to recruit people who have applied. We need to start earlier than that, with high school students. Bob Murphy did bring a dozen high school students to campus, so we have started some of this work. She wants to start small, possibly a 3 day, 2-night type of Teacher Education retreat for black men. Conceptually thinking Columbus as a recruitment spot, to keep us focused and something that is doable – we could have a bus bring the high school students here from Columbus to show them how great OHIO is. We have dedicated faculty who could run different types of activity learning experiences, but we could also connect them with the Ping Center - the rock climbing wall; the Kennedy Museum. We have dedicated partners, not just in Patton, but the library who is always looking for connections with pre-service teachers; the �� Men of Excellence Network (OMEN), and other resources. This is one initiative we want to do this summer that Marcquis Parham would be involved with. We do have some grant money that can be used for this.

At this time, we broke into groups for discussion with three questions – 1) What type of communication would you like to hear from Patton? We haven’t been strategic on what kind of communication we are giving out. As an alum, what kinds of things would you be excited to hear about? What format – via social media, newsletter, etc.? 2) What ways can we increase alumni giving? As one measure of a healthy college is giving. We often think of major gifts, but if 50% would give $20, that would be amazing. So not only thinking about major gifts, but how can we get more people to give just $20. Increasing our percentage, say 10% for Giving Day. And 3) What engagement activities do we currently have and what opportunities would increase alumni engagement? We struggle with strong initiatives or structures in place right now that alums can tap into. What are some exciting things that might bring you to engage?

1. What types of communication would you like to hear from Patton and in what type of format?

New programs
New research being done and how it applies to the field.
Staff changes
Patton events – coordinating with all media outlets.
What’s happening in Athens and in our alumni area, i.e., in the Cleveland area.
Featured alums.
Where students come from
Highlights of academic programs
What is happening in student affairs in newsletter format?
Facebook, Instagram, email, text format, mail with an actual stamp on it
Email with embedded video for a featured program, including testimonials from students and alumni.

Interim Dean Harrison noted that for our next meeting she would print off samples of the newsletters that she receives from other institutions for the group’s information.
Also, it would be good to know what is currently going out. Chris Hayward mentioned that he gets electronically “Alma Mater OHIO”, that includes top stories, student success stories, experiential learning, etc., news from �� for The Patton College. Another one he receives is News for �� Educators from the Patton College of Education. He doesn’t know how he got on these mailing lists. Interim Dean Harrison asked Chris to forward to her so that she can talk with our University Communication and Marketing (UCM) contact to find out what is feeding it and how to get others on the list.
In follow-up to that, she reminded the DCE that, as they know, we used to have our own communications person, Kim Barlag. The University has centralized things and we currently have an academic strategy person tied to our college. UCM is still building that framework.
Associate Dean Patterson added that we have difficulty getting Alums of the Month. If you have alumni that you know are doing good things, let us know, or email them and let them know you are nominating them, and copy us.
Lisa suggested talking with department chairs to ask in faculty meetings for a guest speaker wish list (to include alums). This would be a way to get alums on campus, get some excitement going with them, which could lead to other engagement, i.e., donations, etc.
Discussion ensued.

2. What ways can we increase alumni giving?

Using alumni to recruit alumni to donate. Creating a call list or a way for us to know a list of people you would want us to reach out to encourage donations in any dollar amount.
Make a donation with a purpose for a specific initiative, something that is concrete to them.
Using the data to motivate donations, to maybe bring out the competitive side of people, i.e., we’re at 2.8% and challenging to get to 5%.
No donation is too small!
Engaging recent graduates to start donating from the time of graduation forward. Even just a small amount.
Engage people before you can get them to make a contribution – how to engage them?
During graduation, place an envelope in front of each graduate. You are graduating in 2024, please donate $2.24. This is your first introduction into giving. This would make them feel like they are a part of something. Make Venmo available as a contribution mode.
Make a contribution during Giving Day and send it out on your own personal social media challenging others to match.
Buy an alumni box to send out to alums, i.e., stuff for your office, just various alumni items.
Promote 1804 giving, a decade competition, promote the leaves (in the hallway) – this is still an option!
Invite recent grads to be guest speakers. Time turns into treasure.
Thank view videos from students.

3. What engagement activities do we currently have and what opportunities would increase alumni engagement?

Homecoming hospitality tent and cookoff, awards and recognition luncheon, scholarships, DCE and various advisory boards, Brothers RISE, Violet L. Patton lecture Series, etc.
Surveys to recent graduates with incentivized swag, i.e., fill out the survey and we’ll send you…..
Start alumni development before graduation.
Mentoring groups, i.e., OEA, Kappa Delta Pi.
Encouraging faculty to engage alumni as guest speakers.
Linking more with the University’s alumni association.
Mentoring groups by profession.
Connecting current counseling students with counseling alums.
Patton Takes On The World – getting the Patton garden flags into different (worldwide) locations.

Ray Asik asked if names can be mentioned of recipients of the scholarships and awards through social media. In the past, a book was published. This would also give those who cannot attend the event an opportunity to access this information. Interim Dean Harrison stated that we are trying to reconceptualize the event this year to make it more festive, cohesive, etc. Monica also noted that we need to be mindful of FERPA regulations – some scholarships are need-based and that information cannot be publicized.

DCE Business Meeting, Robert Murphy, DCE Vice Chair
Review of Meeting Minutes – are there any questions on the Minutes?

Proposed Spring 2024 Meeting Dates
After much discussion, Thursday and Friday, April 18-19, 2024, were decided upon.

DCE Terms
Bob read the first and fourth items of the DCE, as follows:
1) The Dean's Circle of Engagement shall consist of no more than 15 active voting members initially approved by the dean and then by a majority of the existing.
Circle members. Additionally, two (2) student representatives (one from teacher education and one from another department within the College), per the identified process, will be voting members of the Circle. Each academic department advisory board within the College will have at least one voting member serving on the Circle. The term of the academic department advisory board member will be determined by the department. �� employees are eligible to be nonvoting members.
4) A vacancy created for any reason may be filled following the nomination process by an affirmative vote of the majority of circle members. The initial term shall be a one-year provisional term followed by a two-year term. A member shall be eligible for a second three-year term or a continuing term upon notice of interest sent to the chair by the member and confirmed by the chair and then the majority of the Circle.
We currently have 9 members and can have up to 15 members.
Should our goal be to recruit 3 or up to 5 new members by the spring meeting?

Kevin Rice stated that he thought it was a good idea due to those who have stated that they are ready to step down or will be soon.
Chris Hayward also noted that it is unknown what the new dean will want.
Gail Houk stated her concern for feeling stagnant after these years with no new members while searching for a new Dean; we need to move forward; doing nothing perpetuates that nothing is going on if we don’t move forward.
Interim Dean Lisa Harrison stated that she thinks we should invite new people. The new dean will need a board. This would strengthen the DCE that currently exists and give the new dean something to work with.
She also stated that she believes in term limits, not continuous, never-ending terms. A strong board brings in new people. We need a strong board to do the work and be able to give your best. She thinks it is good to recruit people on, especially with current members talking of rotating off.
Marc Houk indicated that it also shows that we want to be a part of the College. We want there to be a group like this for the Dean.
Gail Houk also reminded us to be sure that we represent all areas of the College. We are currently missing some areas.

Interim Dean Harrison asked if there are any ideas of potential members. She thought there might be a list.
Bob Murphy stated names that had surfaced at recent meetings included:
T. Ramon Stuart – the Violet L. Patton Lecture Series Fall 2022 speaker.
Dr. Roderick McDavis
Dr. Marilyn Marino – Mary Francis Bryja had reached out to her with no response.

In addition to vacant members, there are also two vacant student member positions.

Interim Dean Harrison made the commitment to think about new people that would assist in making a strong membership. She will communicate with department chairs on any suggestions they may have for new members. If anyone has any ideas, please share them with her.

In addition, the By-Laws do need to be revised and we will make that an agenda item for the spring meeting. She will touch base with Chris Hayward and Bob Murphy prior to the spring meeting to discuss new membership and restructuring of the By-Laws.

Chris provided closing remarks and adjourned the meeting at 3:40 p.m.

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