Meeting Minutes

Ball State University Alumni Association
Journalism Alumni Society
Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, October 6, 2012

Present: Julie Eastes, Tom Gayda, Deana Haworth (via phone), Brian Hayes, Navbahor Imamova, (via phone), Bob Jonason, Sam Keyes, Debbie Linegar, Juli Metzger, Deborah Robinson, Sarah Swan, (via phone), Dan Waechter, and Irving Washington.

Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by President Juli Metzger at 9:34 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions
Juli Metzger welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending. Metzger also introduced new board members, Navbahor Imamova and Irving Washington.

Minutes
Referring the board to the minutes from the last meeting of April 11, 2012, Metzger asked for corrections or additions. Brian Hayes made a motion for approval and Bob Jonason seconded.  The minutes were approved by voice vote.

Business:
Award Nominations – Metzger encouraged the board to seek nominations for the Journalism Award Luncheon held in the spring.  Nomination forms are due December 1.

Position Openings (terms expire 12/31/12) – Metzger reported that a special citation will be given to Jim Grim, who recently retired from the board, for his years of service at the awards luncheon.  Gene Policinski and Sarah Swan have agreed to another term on the board.  Brian Hayes, Assistant Chairman of the Department of Journalism, will now be the faculty representative. We have two position openings for desired members who want to be engaged and involved. Debbie Linegar said a list of alumni with Journalism degrees could be pulled from the database to help the search for new members. A possible recruit is Lisa Richardson.  The board set a goal to have two new members by the January 2013 meeting.

Future Alumni Events –Another upcoming event is the Rock Bottom event, held in Chicago on December 10, 2012.  Hayes agreed to attend and represent the Journalism department. The BSUAA will send an email to Chicago area alumni to help promote the event. Haworth suggested having events in the Indianapolis area as well.  Linegar stated the BSUAA has many events in the area that groups can piggyback with that the Journalism board might want to consider.  Haworth offered to host an event at Victory Field in one of the suites owned by Hirons and Company.

Reunion Survey & Update - A date was set for the next Journalism reunion on September 7, 2013, in conjunction with the Army football game.  The survey suggested changing the name from a reunion to a gathering. Possible activities for the gathering would be a campus tour to the Letterman Building, Kinghorn or Park residence halls and possibly the new Media Lab.

Sam Keyes suggested one way to advertise for this event was through the Journalism Facebook page and other Social Media.  Sarah Swan said more “page admins” were needed who know details of the upcoming events.  Brian Hayes said the department might have a GA would could post details onto the site.  Also, the Journalism Alumni Society Facebook page needs to switch from a group page to a fan page in order to gain more members. Keyes will put together a timeline of dates and send out to the board. Linegar asked the board to let her know when a theme has been decided and she will send out a push email to all Journalism alumni.    

Department Update – Dan Waechter reported there are five active searches within the Journalism Department. They include PR faculty, department chair, unified student media, an interim coordinator and an assistant director of journalism workshops.  Minjeong Kang was hired as assistant professor of Media Research. The Master’s program is re-launching online in fall 2013 with two new certificates being added. Jennifer Palilonis is developing new product apps. Ryan Sparrow accompanied 40 students to the summer Olympics for an immersive learning project. The Holden Communications Center will begin construction in January 2013 thanks to donor Mark Holden. Dan Waechter showed a short video of the student Unified Media Lab which will be housed in the communications center.

Alumni Council Update – Hayes reported the council met on September 22, 2012 where he met new executive director of Alumni Programs, Julie Stroh.  Stroh began her duties on August 31. The Legacy Scholarship Luncheon was held directly after Alumni Council with 50 recipients and their parents in attendance.

Future Events:
Awards Committee Meeting – Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Center
Board Meeting – Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 9:30 a.m., in the Alumni Center, Board Room
Journalism Awards Luncheon – Wednesday, April 10, 2013, Student Center, Cardinal Hall
Board Meeting – Wednesday, April 10, 2013 following the Awards Luncheon
Journalism Alumni Society Reunion – Saturday, September 7, 2013

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:38 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Eastes
Communication’s Assistant
Ball State University Alumni Association