The mission statement of Institutional Advancement at NCSU clearly shows that its purpose is to provide support to the University [6.2.1]:
The mission of the Division of Institutional Advancement of North Carolina State University is to facilitate communication, internally and externally, and to enhance the image of the University; to provide meaningful programs and service to alumni and friends; to seek service-support participation and ambassadorship from constituents; to build and sustain a strong volunteer leadership network; to raise money from private sources; to manage the collection, investment, and distribution of private gifts and private income for North Carolina State University; to manage an effective alumni and development database and gift systems; and to coordinate with the General Administration in areas of government and legislative priorities in Raleigh and Washington.The mission statement for the Division of Institutional Advancement also includes specific goals for the five-year period beginning in 1992 and ending in 1997 for each program area under its jurisdiction (see self-study library for a copy of the entire document, The Mission of Institutional Advancement at North Carolina State University).
The vice-chancellor for institutional advancement was employed in 1992 following an extensive nationwide search. Upon joining NCSU, the vice-chancellor developed a plan for the reorganization of associated programs, including the hiring of associate vice-chancellors for development, university relations, and alumni relations, and an assistant vice-chancellor for advancement services. The responsibilities of the associate vice-chancellor for alumni relations also include serving as executive director of the NCSU Alumni Association. The Division of Institutional Advancement, and all four units within that organization, are led by individuals with extensive experience and appropriate educational qualifications (see self-study library for position announcements and the resumes of the vice-chancellor for institutional advancement and the associate and assistant vice-chancellors within the division) [6.2.1].
Since the reorganization of the Division of Institutional Advancement, the role of Alumni Relations has undergone a significant change. Historically, the major responsibilities of Alumni Relations included the University's annual giving program; the recognition of outstanding alumni; and funding the University's premier merit scholarship program (the John T. Caldwell Alumni Scholarship) and other academic enhancements for students and faculty. During the 1991-92 academic year, the last year in which the primary responsibility of the Office of Alumni Relations was fund-raising, over 18,000 alumni made financial contributions to the University. Since the reorganization of the division, Alumni Relations' primary responsibility has been changed to developing and providing programs of service, support, and recognition to alumni. Fund-raising is now the responsibility of the Development Office, which coordinates and administers the annual institutionwide giving program.
All graduates of North Carolina State University are automatically members of the NCSU Alumni Association; no membership fee is required. To maximize the continued participation and support of alumni in the further development of the University, the Alumni Association contacts seniors prior to graduation to inform them of services that will be available to them upon graduation and to familiarize them with conventional support roles of alumni under the institutional-advancement model. All donors to NCSU are sent copies of the Alumni Magazine, which, budget permitting, is published five times per year.
The NCSU Alumni Association and Office of Alumni Relations has developed a mission statement that highlights the motto "To serve, inform, and involve."
The overall mission of the Alumni Association/Alumni Relations Office is to provide services through a variety of programs designed to be of benefit to alumni, friends, parents, faculty, and students and to promote the objectives of the University; to provide services to the University by involving constituents in the ongoing life of the University; and to provide effective and timely communication to ensure voluntary contributions of time and financial resources in support of the academic, research and public-service mission of North Carolina State University.The disassociation of the Office of Alumni Relations from fund-raising will help encourage alumni to participate in the growth and development of the University following their graduation. Increased alumni involvement is essential to the University's new efforts to evaluate institutional effectiveness on the basis of outcomes.
Recommendation 12.6: NCSU's Office of Alumni Relations should review alumni services provided by other universities to identify new programs and services that will encourage continued support of the NCSU.
The Office of University Relations comprises twenty-two staff divided into four functional areas. The Office of Information Services works with print and electronic news media to generate coverage of NCSU and to respond to requests for public information. Video- and audiotape production are provided for campus units and outside institutions by the Office of Broadcast Services. University events receive logistical support that includes supervision of catering, protocol, reservations, and meeting arrangements. The Publications Office provides design, writing, and supervision of printing for a small number of publications and periodicals.
Beyond the Office of University Relations, the University's public relations and publications efforts are dispersed. Independent offices are housed in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering, Textiles, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and other campus units; coordination of efforts with the central Office of University Relations varies among the units. Among all these offices, several hundred documents are published each year.
The Chancellor's Report, produced by the Office of University Relations, highlights data, budget information, and major accomplishments of the University. The Research Report, produced by the Offices of Research Administration and University Relations, describes major research projects in the academic units. The Official Bulletin is a weekly newsletter for faculty and staff. The Freshman Bulletin includes vignettes of each college or school and admission information for prospective students. The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog, published biennially, are the most comprehensive references for programs, courses, financial aid, policies, and procedures relating to enrolled students. Other documents related to academic programs include the Student Handbook, Advisers' Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and semester course schedules [6.2.2.1].
In addition, most colleges publish catalogs or viewbooks aimed at prospective students. More than 100 newsletters, brochures, and Cooperative Extension publications are published annually.
NCSU invests considerable effort and resources in informing its many publics of its programs and offerings. The Office of University Relations, when reorganized and focusing on priority tasks, will be in a position to lend support and provide coordination to the various efforts within the colleges.
Although a decentralized university-relations environment may constitute the best "fit" for NCSU's land-grant mission, maximum effectiveness and efficiency will result when the University's central Office of University Relations and the smaller offices within the colleges coordinate their programs.
Recommendation 12.7: NCSU should coordinate the public-information programs of the Office of University Relations and those of the colleges and schools.
The Advancement Services unit also provides much-needed services to those involved with the external mission of the University. Such services include managing the donor/alumni database; providing reports, lists, etc. from the information housed in the database; managing the collection, processing, and reporting of private contributions; acknowledging gifts; administering the corporate matching-gifts program; establishing a full-service prospect research area to identify and qualify prospects for private support; and organizing a comprehensive donor-stewardship program.
The Office of University Development, a unit within the reorganized and expanded Division of Institutional Advancement, has primary responsibility for fund-raising. The effectiveness of fund-raising is significantly enhanced by nineteen foundations, some of which generate external resources to support specific University programs, and others for universitywide initiatives (see Corporate Entities, below, for a list of foundations). A review of the charters and bylaws of the foundations (see self-study library) reveals that their fund-raising activities clearly support University programs.
One of the most strategic advances in University Development was the creation in 1993 of two new units: Prospect Management, and Major and Leadership Gifts. The Prospect Management unit is responsible for identifying and managing prospective donors to ensure a coordinated fund-raising approach. The Major and Leadership Gifts unit is responsible for enhancing NCSU's fund-raising from individuals (alumni and friends) through a cultivation and solicitation program involving personal visits.
Guidelines for fund-raising activities are clearly articulated in the mission statement for Institutional Advancement, which clearly states that the purpose of fund-raising is "to raise money from private sources." Evidence that fund-raising is related to the purpose of the institution is found in the division's five-year goals [6.2.3.1]. For example, goal 6 is to raise $189 million in cash deposits "for academic programs."
The University's current Annual Fund campaign, initiated in fall 1993 is soliciting annual unrestricted gifts to the college(s) of the donor's choice, with a portion of the fund going automatically to the NCSU Alumni Association and to universitywide academic enhancements, such as faculty and staff awards and the Caldwell Scholars program. The new Annual Fund campaign has established a goal of raising over $1.9 million during the 1993-94 fiscal year, a 35 percent increase over the 1992-93 annual unrestricted fund drive.
Policies and procedures relating to fund-raising are found in three documents: NCSU Administrative Procedures Manual, Policy Relating to General Solicitations of Alumni Populations by Departments, and Fund-Raising Policy and Guidelines (see self-study library). Policy Relating to General Solicitations of Alumni Populations by Departments restricts academic departments from conducting general solicitations of alumni to avoid multiple solicitations by various University interest groups. Fund-Raising Policy and Guidelines, distributed to all deans, directors and department heads in October 1991, is the most detailed procedural document relative to fund-raising at North Carolina State University. All three documents have been widely distributed as a means of ensuring unified and well-coordinated fund-raising activities [6.2.3.3].
The reorganization and expansion of fund-raising activities at NCSU has been accompanied by clear statements of appropriate policies and procedures for all individuals and units associated with the University. The development of clearly articulated planning documents and the addition of experienced professional staff in the Division of Institutional Advancement hold the promise that the activities within this Division will result in significantly improved programs and services for University alumni [6.2.3.2].
