Invoking pride at the local level, the Alumni Association recognizes outstanding clubs with annual awards. These clubs must display excellence overall but also in the quality of their programming, scholarship fundraising and member participation. Check out this year’s award winners to see if your club was among the Association’s leaders and best.
2008-09 Outstanding Club Award Winners
Outstanding Club Award Winner for the Metro Regions
The Outstanding Club Award Winner for the Metro regions, which includes clubs with more than 6,000 alumni, is the U of M Club of Greater Chicago.
The Chicago club hosts an impressive array of athletic, cultural, social, educational and community service events. The club’s Go Blue Gala and Sports-O-Rama are signature events that stand out of the many events that the club hosts every year. Over the past two years, the club has made great strides in the area of scholarship fundraising. It continues to excel in the areas of membership, public relations and promotion and business matters and leadership development.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 5
The Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 5, which includes clubs with 3,000 to 6,000 area alumni, is the U of M Club of San Diego.
The San Diego club has done an outstanding job in the areas of scholarship and student relations, and the club’s community service and cultural events serve as examples for other clubs to emulate. The club also does an outstanding job of communicating with its members by consistently utilizing its listserv, regional e-TrueBlue and its Web site. In the area of membership, the San Diego club has been very successful in recruiting new members and creating a welcoming environment for alumni new to Southern California.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 4
For Region 4, which includes clubs with 2,000 to 3,000 area alumni, the Outstanding Club Award goes to the U of M Club of Orange County.
This is the second year in a row that the Orange County club has won the outstanding club award, and it is well deserved. The club hosts events for alumni with a range of interests including: family-oriented events for alumni with school aged children, young alumni with lots of energy, and culture events for the cerebral alumni. The club is very active in scholarship fundraising and consistently uses its communication tools to communicate with its alumni. The club has a strong leadership group and its highly organized business practices keep the club running smoothly.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 3
The U of M Club of Tucson is the Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 3, which includes clubs with 1,000-2,000 area alumni.
This also is the Tucson club’s second consecutive outstanding club award. The Tucson club shows creativity and innovation in the programming area by hosting educational events that feature local speakers from the University of Arizona, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and other community notables who are experts in a wide number of topics. The club does an outstanding job of communicating with area alumni through its listserv messages and its self-published newsletter “Desert Blue”. The club also strives to maintain a balance of diverse club officers by having a solid business and leadership development structure.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 2
The Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 2, which includes clubs with 500 to 1,000 alumni in their area, is the U of M Club of New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire club impressed the selection committee with its wide range of athletic, cultural, community and social events. The club hosts events in all parts of the state, which is truly remarkable. The club’s activities in student relations were also outstanding with club leaders making themselves personally available to answer any questions newly admitted students may have. In the areas of public relations and promotion, the New Hampshire club has done a great job utilizing its listserv and communicating with the Alumni Association on a regular basis.
Outstanding Club Award Winner for Region 1
In Region 1, which is clubs in areas with fewer than 500 local alumni, the Outstanding Club Award goes to the U of M Club of Hillsdale County.
The Hillsdale County club has shown great progress this past year in rejuvenating the club. The Hillsdale County club scored high for its efforts in scholarship fundraising and its work with admitted students. Despite its limited resources, small alumni population and being in an area that’s been hit hard economically, the club has overcome these obstacles through its good leadership and passionate volunteers.
2008-09 Awards of Excellence Winners
Programming: U of M Club of New York
From community service projects and assorted athletic events, to networking opportunities and cultural visits, the diversity of New York’s programming calendar is outstanding. The programs planned and hosted by the club appeal to alumni of all ages, interests and backgrounds. The diversity of programming the U of M Club of New York serves as a shining example for other clubs.
Scholarship: U of M Club of Grand Rapids
The Grand Rapids club continues to be a model for all clubs in its efforts in scholarship fundraising. For this academic year the club will have 16 new scholarship students, in addition to the 68 students already on campus. Many of the club’s past scholarship students have returned to West Michigan and are now active participants in the club’s activities. This is the second year in a row that the Grand Rapids club has received this award.
Student Relations: U of M Club of Greater Lansing
This is the second year in a row that the Lansing club will receive this award. The club makes a special effort to reach out to first generation, minority and low income students that attend Lansing public schools. The club hosts U-M campus tours for high school students and also coordinates workshops on essay writing and financial aid to help students that are interested in a University experience.
Membership: U of M Club of Washington, DC
The Washington, DC club excels in having a varied and diverse program calendar that appeals to both members and non-members, and actively promotes membership and its benefits at every club event. The club, through its extensive programs and diverse event calendar, provides meaningful membership value to the alumni in its area.
Public Relations and Promotion: U of M Club of Sun Cities and West Valley
The Sun Cities club has proven the value of self-promotion through the effective use of its listserv messages, supplemental mailings and regional e-TrueBlue. The club’s Web site not only includes up-to-date programming information, but also contains information about the clubs scholarship program, recent happenings and photos from past events. As a result of the clubs outstanding public relations and promotion efforts, the club has significantly increased its visibility.
Business Matters and Leadership Development: U of M Club of Grand Traverse
The Grand Traverse club has a fine-tuned board structure and a development plan which creates opportunities for new leadership development and increased volunteer engagement. The clubs’ meticulous processes and business procedures establish organizational coherence and structure that serve as a shining example to others.
Innovation: U of M Club of Atlanta
The Atlanta club has proven itself an innovative force through its diverse and numerous methods of reaching alumni in the area. By utilizing online social networking sites, the club has increased communication with their growing alumni population of new residents and young alumni. The club has successfully created groups on social networking sites including inCircle, LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace, which have greatly increased the club’s visibility. These virtual communities have been instrumental to the growth of the Atlanta club. As a result many more young alumni are participating in club events and several have taken on leadership roles within the club.
