Spring 2012

PRESIDENT'S HIGHLIGHTS

At today's CSU Board of Trustees meeting several items were discussed that I feel are important to share with you.

The trustees continued their discussion of how to plan for the proposed $200 million trigger cut if the governor's tax initiative does not pass in November. The Alumni Council has been asked to provide feedback on these plans.

We felt this was an important time to share with the trustees the actions the Alumni Council is taking to advocate on behalf of the university and its future alumni. Below are highlights from today's Alumni Council report to the Board of Trustees.

ALUMNI COUNCIL ADVOCACY

Telling the Story

The Alumni Council approaches advocacy through "telling the story" of the CSU, often through our personal experiences. We put names and California industry faces on the issues and integrate action messages into our communications.

Our Working for California project is our most visible effort with printed booklets, an extensive website, and posters outside the governor's office.

Take Action

This year's Working for California project was expanded to include the new Take Action website. On the site, alumni, parents, employers and other visitors are encouraged to take three key actions:

Join the CSU e-advocacy system to send messages to their legislators

Share their personal story of how the CSU has impacted their life and their community

Subscribe to the CSU Leader e-newsletter to stay informed about the university

Do your part and Take Action now!

CSU Alumni Website & Social Media

The website has been redesigned to put a greater emphasis on sharing alumni stories and accomplishments and encouraging positive actions to support the CSU. Visit the site now or like the Proud CSU Alumni page on Facebook.

Special Committee on Strategic Communications

This committee was chaired by Immediate Past President Ken Stone and initiated a top-to-bottom review of the Alumni Council's communications channels and issued recommendations on how to improve each. The website enhancements and this "special edition" of Alumni Leader are the first examples of the committee's work.

Partnerships & Next Steps

We encouraged the campus presidents to utilize their Alumni Council representative and alumni leadership in legislative visits and advocacy activities. These partnerships can help us all to communicate the positive message of the CSU to the broadest audience possible.

We invite all alumni to speak up as a positive voice about the importance of the CSU to California's economy. Now is the time to share your story about the CSU's impact in your life with your legislators and those in your community. If you need help getting started, visit the Take Action website.

ALUMNI TRUSTEE ELECTED CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Alumni Council is proud to announce that today Alumni Trustee Bob Linscheid was elected chair of the CSU Board of Trustees for 2012-13. We are proud to have such a committed alumnus helping to lead the university forward.

Alumni Council leadership celebrates today's appointment
of Alumni Trustee Bob Linscheid as chair of the CSU Board of Trustees.

Left to right are: Alumni Council Immediate Past President Ken Stone, President Elect Kristin Crellin, Alumni Trustee Bob Linscheid and President Guy Heston.