Greetings from the Chairperson
On behalf of the Black
Business Alumni Association, I would like to welcome you to the 30th
Annual Black Business Students Association Conference and Alumni Weekend.
This weekend is a special time for both students and alumni as we gather to
celebrate a man that has touched the lives of generations: Dr. Alfred L.
Edwards. “Dr. E” has meant so much to so many people…including me.
Over the past few
months, we have taken a hard look at the Black Alumni Association…from
purpose to branding to structure. Kimberlee Kemp-Burrows has done an
excellent job of taking the feedback you provided in the survey taken in
2004 and distilling this information down into actionable recommendations.
Those include:
-
Rebranding
the Black Alumni Association to the Black Business Alumni Association
(learn more by reading Kim’s article)
-
Refocusing
our efforts to support our core strength – linking the African-American
alumni of the Ross School of Business to one another, the BBSA, and the
Ross School of Business as a whole
-
Restructuring
our organization to focus on our core strength
The survey results sent
a clear message: There should be an RSB alumni association focused on
African-Americans (95% agree), however only 18% had time to commit to
building the BAA. Thus, there is a strong need to reduce the amount of
“hands on” work and focus on efforts that add value for alumni, students and
the B-School.
With that in mind, we
are focusing our efforts on three things:
-
Development –
Reviving the efforts to fund the Endowed Scholarship and Endowed Chair
for Dr. Edwards.
-
Connecting &
Networking – Increasing the focus on communications via the internet and
networking events held in major metropolitan areas.
-
Recruiting –
Assisting the Admissions office at RSB in recruiting students of color
to the business school by hosting Admitted Students receptions in major
metropolitan areas
We are proposing a
restructuring that enables our organization to focus on these three core
initiatives. The new committees are as follows:
|
Committee |
What’s
Different |
Chairperson(s) |
|
|
Streamlined the
focus of this committee to the NBMBAA conference and Reunion Weekend |
Ed Hightower
edhigh@ix.netcom.com |
|
|
Increased
involvement in providing input into the BBSA Conference |
David
Wooten
dbwooten@umich.edu |
|
|
New Committee.
Focused on coordinating Admitted Reception events and other
recruiting events for prospective / admitted students |
Kim Burrows
kburrows@gapac.com |
|
|
New Committee.
Focused on funding the Dr. Edwards Scholarship / Professorship
endowments |
Chekesha Kidd
chekesha.kidd@ubs.com |
|
|
Consolidation
of Marketing and Communications Committees; increased focus on web
presence |
TBD |
Additional changes to the by-laws will be presented as well to allow for a
working, efficient board. These changes all require your approval and will
therefore be presented during the BBAA Town Hall meeting on Saturday,
February 18th from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST at the Kensington Court
Hotel in Ann Arbor, Michigan. All alumni are encouraged to attend and be a
part of shaping the direction of the BBAA. This event is the only event that
does not require registration to the conference to attend.
I
look forward to seeing you at the Conference!
Go
Blue!
Renee Rhoten
Chairperson, Black Business Alumni Association
|
