Vision: To serve and represent our alumni/ae community and the Institute through
enriching alumni/ae, promoting lifelong connections, and pursuing the mutually
beneficial aspirations of our alumni/ae and the Rensselaer Community.
Mission: To connect and grow our alumni/ae community while investing in the
Rensselaer of tomorrow.
Executive Summary
The RAA recommits itself to invest in, connect with, and grow the alumni/ae community
for the benefit of Rensselaer and to strengthen alumni/ae interaction with each other
and their alma mater. The RAA, as the representative body of all Rensselaer alumni/ae,
must continue to do all possible to encourage the engagement of the single-largest
group of stakeholders to the university – the alumni and alumnae.
A new long-range strategic plan is needed that builds on recent accomplishments,
enabling the RAA to advance the interests of the Institute and best serve the interests of
our constituents as Rensselaer approaches the bicentennial in 2024. In addition, the
plan must continue to serve as a template against which initiatives undertaken by the
RAA can be evaluated to ensure that they will help move the RAA toward realization of
its Vision. The RAA will continue to be flexible to environmental factors and make data
supported decisions as necessary.
Our focus areas over the next seven years will be:
- Ensure RAA and The Rensselaer Plan 2024 Alignment
- Advocate the RAA Mission
- Execute and Sustain Three Priorities
- Invest
- Connect
- Grow
To accomplish the Vision with these focus areas, we will implement Strategic Action
Plans on an annual basis.
Summary of the Last Five Years
The RAA accomplished the following during the 2012-2017 Long-Range Strategic Plan
Period:
- Became a more capable, accountable organization with a demonstrated track
record of delivering on its commitments including the development of a stronger
alumni/ae network.
- Developed an integrated and successful alumni/ae career services effort focused
on expanding the interaction of alumni/ae and students to promote career and
professional development.
- Initiated two successful campaigns focused on growing philanthropy, maintaining
100% participation in giving, and establishing two endowed funds to support
current and future alumni/ae.
- Fully integrated planning process continues with the Institute.
Concurrently during this period, activities by Rensselaer helped shape the focus of
the RAA:
- Rensselaer developed The Rensselaer Plan 2024 that sets the strategic mission
establishing a set of Institute-wide high priorities and visions for Rensselaer at
the bicentennial and beyond.
- Rensselaer is now moving forward on the next comprehensive campaign focused
on expanding student scholarships and growing the tenured track faculty to 500.
Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives -
Over the next seven years, the RAA will concentrate it focus on the following:
I. Ensure RAA and The Rensselaer Plan 2024 Alignment
The RAA was established with the following purposes in mind, which are wholly
congruent with the objectives of The Rensselaer Plan 2024.
- Promote the interest, welfare and educational aims of Rensselaer alumni/ae;
- Facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, and opinions between Rensselaer
and its alumni/ae; encourage inclusiveness while fostering mutual respect and
understanding among a diverse alumni/ae body;
- Serve Rensselaer, its alumni/ae and friends, and establish and maintain a
mutually beneficial relationship among those groups;
- Provide ways to involve alumni/ae and their organizations in service as human,
financial, and intellectual resources to Rensselaer, to the Association and to each
other, thereby promoting and strengthening relationships; and
- Develop, institute and maintain policies, services and programs which are
consistent with the educational aims of Rensselaer, and which address the broad
spectrum of interests and needs of the Institute.
II. Advocate the RAA Mission
The RAA serves and represents alumni/ae and the Institute, by engaging and
empowering all alumni/ae as active and effective partners in the Rensselaer community;
and by promoting the lifelong, mutually beneficial pursuit of the aspirations shared by
Rensselaer and its alumni/ae.
The RAA serves a two-pronged advocacy role: The RAA is the voice for a diverse and
sophisticated alumni/ae population and the RAA communicates the needs of the
Institute to its alumni/ae. In both instances, the RAA has a common objective with other
members of the Rensselaer community - - - to enhance the programs and reputation of
the Institute.
The RAA serves as a liaison between the alumni/ae and the larger Rensselaer
community. The RAA must understand the varied views and interests of alumni/ae and
communicate, and where appropriate advocate, those views and interests to other
members of the Rensselaer community.
III. Execute and Sustain Three Priorities
To effectively execute the Vision and Mission of the RAA, the RAA will devote
significant time and energy on three strategic thrusts over the plan period: Invest,
Connect, Grow.
Invest
The RAA will invest in the future of our students, alumni/ae, and the Institute through
new and continued efforts around financial astuteness, scholarships, and our
endowment fund.
- Bring Rensselaer into a best-in-class level of engagement, giving, and
philanthropy to support our students and our alumni/ae.
- Increase income and endowment levels to enable the RAA to provide increased
financial support to students and alumni/ae programs over the plan period.
- Assist the Institute in growing the alumni/ae giving participation rate.
Connect
The RAA will connect our alumni/ae to one another and to the Institute and will enable
the development of lifelong connections through our chapters, RAA initiatives, and
affinity groups.
- Focus on alumni/ae community connections:
- Ensure continued engagement and support with regional and international
chapters.
- Expand efforts with student / alumni/ae connections and the transition of
students to alumni/ae.
- Assure the needs of the full spectrum of alumni/ae are being addressed,
and in so doing, create new or revised programs that will secure alumni/ae
sustained involvement as “dedicated advocates for Rensselaer.”
- Expand database capabilities - focus on validating, updating, and maintaining
improved data that allows us to have accurate geographic statistics that could aid
with event planning at the chapter and national level for tailoring RAA activities
and services as appropriate.
- Clarify the role of sub-organizations working for alumni/ae and affiliation
objectives like Rensselaer Alumni Network (RAN) or affinity groups (i.e. Greeks,
Athletics).
- Strengthen communication role between alumni/ae and the Institute.
Grow
The RAA will grow the sense of pride in our alma mater while strengthening our
alumni/ae services and programming to improve brand recognition, governance, and
value proposition.
- Expand and enhance programs, services, and benefits which lead to increased
engagement with all alumni/ae.
- Collaborate with the Institute on expanding specific initiatives aimed at improving
the Rensselaer brand and the value to our alumni/ae, students, and the broader
Rensselaer community
Plan Implementation: Annual Strategic Action Plans
To realize our Vision within the defined period, the RAA Board will approve an Action
Plan each June in support of the Vision for the coming year. This annual Action Plan
will include specific objectives focused on components of the Vision selected for
emphasis in the coming year.
Each year's Plan will appropriately advance the selected components of the Vision in a
manner that best ensures the Vision is met by the year 2024. Metrics to measure
performance to Plan are required for each of the specific objectives undertaken each
year.
Performance to Plan will be evaluated by the RAA Executive Board prior to the last
board meeting of the fiscal year meeting. The results will be reported to the Board
during the last meeting of the fiscal year and considered by the Board as it establishes
the annual RAA Action Plan objectives for the following fiscal year.
An important objective of this process is to establish and maintain an RAA that works
closely with the Office of Alumni Relations, Institute Advancement, Rensselaer
Community, and the alumni/ae as a whole.
The first Action Plan for 2017/2018 in support of the Vision will be drafted by September
2017 for consideration as part of the Institute’s Fiscal Year 2018/19 budget. Subsequent
Annual Action Plans will be submitted each September until 2023.