It is my pleasure to give you an update on the UNC Kenan-Flagler Alumni Council’s activities. Comprised of key alumni from each of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s degree programs, the mission of the Alumni Council is twofold:
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Advise the Dean on key issues affecting UNC Kenan-Flagler
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Serve as ambassadors for UNC Kenan-Flagler, both internally and externally, by aiding in development, student recruitment, the educational experience, and job placement.
At our recent meeting in May 2011, we welcomed four new members to the Alumni Council – Rodgers Harshbarger, Carrie Johnstone, Jim Low and Quinton Maynard. All will materially add to the already strong list of members and we are all very fortunate to have such a talented and devoted group of individuals.
In addition to welcoming new members, we focused our attention on several important and topical issues – development activities, the recently launched MBA@UNC, as well as our admissions and career services offices.
Associate Dean for Advancement, Brad Shafer, spoke with the Council on our fundraising activities. Despite the hard work of our very talented development staff, the macro environment continues to pose challenges, as revenues from the state continue to decline, coupled with reductions in corporate and personal donations. This year, Alumni Council members donated a total of $80,122 and we achieved 100% participation for the second year in a row. I encourage all alumni to donate as much and as frequently as possible, as every dollar makes a difference!
As many of you know, Kenan-Flagler recently launched the MBA@UNC, an online MBA program aimed primarily at working professionals. The first class of 19 students recently started in the program, the implementation of which has been successful on several fronts. Most notable is the incredibly high quality of the first class of students, which have undergraduate degrees from such schools as Harvard, UNC, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins and the US Naval Academy. They have an average of 8 ½ years of work experience and their current employers include Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Pfizer and Tata. The class includes two PhDs, two JDs and four active/former members of the military. Members of the Alumni Council have been involved in orientation for the incoming class and the press stories on the program have been overwhelmingly positive.
Finally, the Alumni Council spent time discussing the Admissions program with Sherry Wallace, Director of MBA Admissions, and the job placement with Amy Wittmayer, Director of the MBA Career Management Center. While the current economy has certainly created challenges for both admissions and job placement, we are extremely fortunate to have Sherry and Amy leading these critical areas. Every year the Alumni Council gets more involved with identifying and recruiting new students, as well as helping current students and recent graduates find jobs, and we will continue to support admissions and placement in all ways possible.
As always, I would like to personally thank all 22 members of the Alumni Council, as well as the Dean and his staff, for all of their hard work and dedication to our school. It has been an honor and a pleasure to have served as Chairman of the Alumni Council over the past year. Chris Keber (EMBA 2004) will serve as Chairman over the coming year. Chris is one of the original members of the Alumni Council and will no doubt make an impressive mark as Chairman from 2011 to 2012.
Sincerely,
Jeff Tucker (MBA 2000)
Alumni Council Chairman 2010-2011
UNC Kenan-Flagler Alumni Council Members:
View a Photo of Your Alumni Council
Nathan Andrews (BSBA ’93, MAC ’93) — Chapel Hill, NC
Render Dahiya (BSBA '87) — Chicago, IL
Darius Davis (EMBA '94) — Odenton, MD
Jan Davis (AB ’73, MBA ’79) — Cary, NC and Chicago, IL
Cesar Elizondo (MBA ’00) — Key Biscayne, FL
Rodgers Harshbarger (MBA '07) — Chapel Hill, NC
Hobson Hogan (MBA ’01) — Chapel Hill, NC
Mackie Horton (MBA '76) — Atlanta, GA
Carrie Johnstone (BSBA '01, MAC '02) — Richmond, VA
Steve Kass (MBA ’86) — New York, NY
Chris Keber (Exec. MBA ’02) — New York, NY — 2011/2012 Chair
Reed Loughrey (AB ’98, MBA ’04) — Chapel Hill, NC
Jim Low (MBA '00) — Glen Ridge, NJ
Quinton Maynard (MBA '04) — Raleigh, NC
Adele McLean (BSBA '91, MAC '91) — Chapel Hill, NC and San Jose, CA
Battle Moore (MBA ’01) — Charlotte, NC
Allison Phillips (MBA ’05) — Washington, DC
Janet Ramsey (BSBA ’79, MBA ’83) — Durham, NC
Courtney Rowell Tate (Exec. MBA ’05) — Bluffton, SC
Jeff Tucker (MBA ’00) — Dallas, TX
Malcolm Turner (BSBA '93) — New York, NY
Steve Wolf (MBA ’00) — Washington, DC and Richmond, VA — 2012/2013 Chair
To view photos of previous Alumni Council meetings, please visit Kenan-Flagler's Flickr site.
Previous Alumni Council Articles:
Alumni Council Meeting – November 2010
Alumni Council Meeting – May 2010
Alumni Council Meeting – November 2009
Alumni Council Meeting – May 2009
Alumni Council Meeting – November 2008
Alumni Council Meeting – May 2008
Alumni Council Meeting – October 2007
Alumni Council Meeting – May 2007
Alumni Council Inaugural Meeting – November 2006
UNC Kenan-Flagler Alumni Council Announced