FY2020 – FY21 ANNUAL REPORT
Dear Fellow Alumni,
As Chair of the Georgia State University Alumni Association, I am privileged to tell you that you are now among a family of more than 270,000 graduates of one of the most enterprising urban public institutions in the country – Georgia State University! Thank you for taking the time to update your personal information to make this directory possible.
Georgia State’s mission is to ready graduates from diverse backgrounds for professional pursuits, educate future leaders and prepare citizens for lifelong learning. The Georgia State University Alumni Association supports this mission by providing more than 100 annual programs and services to connect students and alumni, to connect alumni and the business community and, representing all alumni. We ensure that the Georgia State University Alumni Association is an active resource in unifying the global university community.
The Alumni Association invites graduates back to our growing Atlanta campus, where you will see new open space, new buildings, and new uses for historic structures. We sponsor many events and programs throughout the year including social, networking and regional events as well as a variety of seminars and workshops. All events are designed to foster lifelong learning and interactive engagement. Additionally, the Alumni Association sponsors educational programs for current students, career readiness, resume preparation and actively engages with the Student Alumni Association (SAA). In preparation for life after graduation, this student run organization teaches leadership by supporting alumni events, creating new campus traditions and keeping old traditions alive. SAA members begin building a lifelong connection to their Alma mater.
The Alumni Association members from across the country and around the world generously contribute to the Alumni Association Scholarship Endowment Program. Each year more than $70,000 is given back to the university in the form of scholarships and gifts. These scholarships ensure that Georgia State can continue to attract bright students in a competitive higher education market.
I invite you to engage or re-engage in the exciting things that are happening at Georgia State University through the Alumni Association. Attend an event, volunteer to speak at a student program, offer fellow alumni career advice, network with your fellow Panthers. I hope this directory will be a valuable tool for you to stay connected to Georgia State, your fellow alumni and the Alumni Association. See what connecting to the Panther nation can do for you.
Sincerely,
Laura Trivette, ‘78
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANNOUNCES THREE NEW MEMBERS
The Georgia State University Alumni Association today welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors. These Panther alumni were previously nominated from a pool of applicants and approved by a May 15 board vote. The new directors are:
• Dr. Jeremy Bennett (MBA ’09, M.S. ’09, Ph.D. ’14), assistant professor, The Citadel: Dr. Bennett is an assistant professor in The Citadel’s Baker School of Business and also serves as director of the college’s MBA and undergraduate completion programs. Previously, Dr. Bennett was the director of the MBA program at the University of North Georgia.
• Tracy Hoffman (B.B.A ’94), manager, income tax compliance, Porsche North America: Hoffman is a tax professional with more than 20 years of experience working with a wide variety of organizations, including regional, national and international corporations and currently manages income tax compliance for Porsche North America.
• Dr. Marcia Oglesby (B.A. ’93), coordinator, research assessment and grants, Dekalb County Board of Education: With more than 20 years working in a variety of capacities in the field of education, Oglesby currently serves the Dekalb Co. Board of Education as a research assessment and grants coordinator. Oglesby also worked with Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools and the U.S. Department of Education after spending more than a decade in the classroom as a teacher in Jonesboro, Ga. and Alexandria, Va.
“These individuals bring to the Alumni Association board an impressive professional track record and a wealth of experience in their respective fields,” said Christina Million, Georgia State associate vice president and Alumni Association executive director. “When coupled with their passion for Georgia State, their talents and deep knowledge of business and all levels of education will help us connect with and serve our valued alumni in creative ways.”
The new directors’ three-year terms begin July 1, 2020 and fill the vacancies created by the departure of Dr. Felicia Mayfield (B.S. ’75, M.Ed. ’80, Ed.S. ’87), immediate past board chair, Eleanor Fulton (MBA ’04), and Sandra Kruger (BA ’06) who completed their terms at the end of June.
For more information on the Georgia State University Alumni Association, visit alumni.gsu.edu.
27 Events | 550 total attendees | 11 Networks
Interest Network Events
- Young Alumni Council: 18 events | 324 attendees
- 25 council members
- Best of Blue series
- 10 events
- 120 attendees
- Panthers winner circle
- with Kirk Brown
- with Christopher Bruce
- Earth Day Panel
- Lunch with the board
- 4 events
- YAC Cares Toy Drive
- Increased Instagram followers by 300
- Hospitality: 3 events | 140 attendees
- Wine down Wednesday
- Food event with Sean Chang
- Cocktails on the town
- Physical Therapy: 3 events
- Telehealth
- Launching Your Running Program
- Trivia
Corporate Network Events
- Home Depot: 2 events | 23 attendees
- 2 Student Alumni Association Networking Events – 23 attendees
Includes events managed by Mallory McKenzie, Ellen Kinsey, and Dave Cohen
Total # of Events: 113 (does not include the 6 University Career Services events) (FY19 62), (FY20 51)
Total # of Alumni Reached: 4401 (FY19 4074), (FY20 2961)
Alumni Learning Consortium (Virtual)
- Total ALC events offered - 10
- Average Attendance – 25
- Highest Attended - 54
GSU Cares (Virtual and In-Person)
- 9 in-person projects, 2 virtual projects
- First in-person event engagement opportunity since March 2020
- Total participants – 266
- 165 in person
- 101 virtual (assumes half of registrants did participate)
- 159 post event survey responses*
- Q: The GSU Cares service project met my expectations.
- Strongly Agree - 86%
- Agree – 23%
- Q: Participating in the project was a valuable use of my time.
- Strong Agree – 79%
- Agree – 20%
- Q: As a result of participating, I feel more connected to Georgia State.
- Strongly Agree – 57%
- Agree – 44%
- Q: The GSU Cares service project met my expectations.
40 under 40 Ceremony & Reception: Class of 2020 (Postponed to FY21 as a Virtual Event)
- 166 attended, 150 views of recording on Vimeo
- $9,000 raised in Sponsorships for the 2021 virtual program (compared to $10,000 for in-person in 2019)
Alumni Fitness/Wellness
- Alumni Exclusive Spin Class @ VibeRide (In person) – 20 registrations
Lifelong Learning
- Resume Reviews – 254 attendees
- Alumni Virtual Career Fair
- Diversity and Inclusion Panel – 123 attendees, 88 views on Facebook Live
- Law School Panel – 93 attendees, 40 views on Facebook Live
- Coffee Conversation Series (8) – 59 attendees (average)
- Won’t Lose this Dream Book Event – 141 attendees
- Leveraging LinkedIn – 122 attendees
- An Evening with President Becker – 282 views on Vimeo
- Caring for a Loved One with Dementia Series (2), Part 1 – 37 attendees; Part 2 – 27 attendees
- Women's Philanthropy Network Partnership Events (2)
Social Events
- Sweetwater Brewery Virtual Tasting – 49 attendees
- Wine Down Wednesday w/ Hospitality Network – 42 attendees, 44 views Facebook Live
- Tuesday Night Trivia (5), 335 total participants, largest event – 167 players
- Virtual Paint Parties (2)
- Virtual Floral Design
- Screen on the Green (in person)
Atlanta Sports
- All events postponed
Regional Events
- All events postponed
Highlights
- Recruited 60+ alumni volunteers across all virtual events (compared to 5 or fewer in past years)
- Engaged alumni from 45 states including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as alumni in other countries: Vietnam, Columbia, Canada, Virgin Islands, Germany and India
- Partnered with 7 colleges and 6 university departments.
Scholarships Totals:
Alumni Graduate Student – 10
Alumni Legacy – 8
License to Learn – 13
Children Fac/Staff – 1
U.S. Military Veterans – 9
Max M. Cuba – 9
Alumni Transfer Student – 10
SAA General Student – 1
SAA Student Leader – 5
Willie Mae Cathcart – 5
71 total scholarships | $71,000 awarded
FY21 Scholarship Solicitations:
- Raised $6,014.19 during Fall 2020 Giving Day
- Engaged 47 donors during Fall 2020 Giving Day
- Raised $5,000 in response to December 2020 EOY solicitation (up from $4,408 in 2019)
Panther Alumni Weekly:
Average emails sent per month – 2.5
Average open rate – 13% (12 months)
Social Media totals:
Facebook – 3,800 followers
LinkedIn Group – 3,600 members
Instagram – 2,682
Membership
- 169 SAA Members as of Feb. 10
- 4 Year Memberships ($70) – 21
- 1 Year Memberships ($20) – 148
- Board of Directors
- 25 Total Members
- 8 New BOD Members added Feb 2021.
- 51 Applicants
- 28% of applicants were Graduate Students.
- 51 Applicants
- Graduating Seniors
- Fall 2020 – 0
- Spring 2021 – 2
- Fall 2021 – 3
Programming Goals Achieved
- 28 Total Programs completed by the end of FY 21
- Campus Partnerships for FY 21:
- Center of the Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA)
- The Pre-Law Society
- Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS)
- Sistaz of Medicine
- University Career Services
- Spotlight
- *Percentage of SAA Programs that were Partnerships: 85%
- *Percentage of Programs Designed for Student & Alumni Attendees: 32%
- *Percentage of Programs focused on “College to Career” Initiative: 54%
- Corporate/Network Partnerships: Home Depot Network, Qoins, Region’s Bank, JCPenney
- Total Number of Programs Completed with Corporate Partners: 17
Breakdown by Semester
SAA Fall Semester in Review:
- 18 events completed
- Collaborated with 2 university departments.
- Worked with 1 Corporate Network (Home Depot)
- Utilized 13 alumni as speakers and panelist.
- 6 programs with our partners at Region’s Bank including an original program focusing on entrepreneurship.
- Over 800 registrations total (not including bi-monthly Region’s Bank webinars)
- 670 attendees across all programs
SAA Spring Semester:
- 10 events completed.
- Collaborated with 2 university departments.
- Work with Young Alumni Council
- Black History Month Trivia
- SAA Mentorship Program
- 13 alumni served as speakers and panelist.
- 4 programs with our partners at Region’s Bank
- 556 total event registrations
- 395 total attendees across all programs
Total Event Numbers:
- Registered: 1356
- Attended: 1065
Assessment Data
- On average 5% of event attendees are SAA Members
- On average 51% of event attendees were aware of SAA prior to attending the program.
- On average 5% of event attendees were Satisfied or Very Satisfied with SAA programs
- Utilization of Alumni volunteers, academic faculty, and corporate partners serving as speaker for SAA programs increased by 36%.
