This chapter discusses Texas Southern University's (TSU) efforts to manage relationships with its alumni and the greater Houston community. The specific topics are:
- A. Organizational Structure
- B. Alumni Involvement
- C. Community Involvement and Support
- D. Media Relations
CURRENT SITUATION
The associate vice president for Development has primary oversight for developing, maintaining, and expanding fundraising and alumni relations programs at TSU. The associate vice president also serves as the liaison to the Texas Southern Foundation which is a support organization whose only function is providing assistance for fundraising. Exhibit 5-1 displays the organizational structure for the Office of Development. Five positions are budgeted for the office. Positions reporting to the associate vice president for Development include the director of alumni relations, director of Corporate Development, and two support staff positions. The budget for fiscal 1998 is $141,168. Compared to some peer institutions, TSU has not been as successful in raising money from private giving that enables a university to survive and grow. In fiscal 1996-97, 11.8 percent of TSU's revenues came from tuition and fees, 47 percent came from state funds, and less than two percent came from private gifts. In most peer institutions, private donations from alumni and other sources is well over 8 percent of total revenues.
Exhibit 5-1 Source: TSU, 1999.
Organization of Texas Southern University's
Office of Development
FINDING
The TSU development operating plan includes benchmarks for development and alumni relations activities. The plan was prepared by the associate vice president for Development with input from staff. Benchmarks have been established for fundraising, increasing the number of alumni chapters, updating the alumni database, and processes related to certain operations, such as receipt and processing of funds and gifts.
The TSU development operating plan calls for an ambitious effort to develop programs and projects aimed at raising money from various sources to increase the overall visibility and support for TSU. It is questionable whether the current structure and resources will allow TSU to meet long term needs and capitalize on current efforts to change the image and perceptions of TSU. Alumni and development activities are carried out with only two support staff whose time must be divided between alumni affairs activities and development activities. In addition, duties of the director of Corporate Relations position are very similar to the duties performed by the associate vice president for Development. The university relations function is fragmented and decentralized across several units.
In many institutions, including several peer institutions, there is a university relations function or unit which encompasses development, alumni affairs, institutional advancement and external relations with the media and legislature. Typically, there is a vice president for University Relations who reports to the president of the institution. Normally, university relations is given a high priority because of the role it plays in building support for the university and responding to the needs of the university's constituents. The common practice at many institutions is to have a strong centralized university relations unit, which suggests its importance to the university. In some institutions, the university relations unit provides support and technical assistance to other administrative and academic units to help ensure that communication and interaction with constituents is well coordinated. For example, materials for recruitment, admissions and other enrollment management functions may be produced and disseminated with support from the university relations unit. In other instances, activities and events related to public relations, community relations or government relations may be planned, coordinated, and supported by a university relations unit in conjunction with other administrative or academic units.
This is not the situation at TSU. For example, activities related to communication, media relations, public relations, community relations, government relations, and dissemination of university publications are scattered across several administrative and academic units. While there is significant activity related to university relations, there is no single unit responsible for developing and implementing initiatives to promote a positive image of TSU.
The ability of TSU to build the support necessary to thrive in today's higher education environment will be largely dependent upon reconstructing its image, public perceptions, and external relationships. In spite of commendable efforts to implement a development plan to increase support from the business community, alumni, and supporters of TSU, this area warrants significant attention.
Recommendation 45:
Explore the possibility of centralizing university relations into a single unit within TSU.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. Representatives from development, media relations, alumni relations, public relations and government relations meet with the executive vice president and the president to develop strategies for centralizing university relations under one division. March-August 1999 2. The president and board appoint a vice president for University Relations. September 1999 2. The vice president for University Relations establishes a university relations unit to include development, media relations, public relations, and government relations. September 1999 3. The vice president develops a university relations strategy that includes coordination and support for administrative and academic units. March 2000 4. Following approval by the president and the board, the vice president implements the strategy. March 2000 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
The Office of Development is staffed with two staff support positions - an administrative assistant and research technician. The job descriptions for the two positions indicate the positions report to the vice president for Institutional Advancement, a position which is nonexistent. According to the job description for the administrative assistant, the last revision occurred in October 1995. The latest revision to the research technician job description could not be determined. Neither job description accurately reflect all of the duties performed by the positions. Duties related to alumni affairs and other Office of Development activities not in the job descriptions include assisting with alumni activities, updating the alumni database and assisting with tasks related to fundraising. If there is staff turnover in the future, there may be a problem if a wide discrepancy exists between the written job description and actual job duties. From a management perspective, current and clearly written job descriptions help to define the expectations and requirements of the job.
Recommendation 46:
Update job descriptions for the administrative assistant and research technician positions to reflect the full range of duties performed.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The associate vice president requests a desk audit of the administrative assistant and research technician positions. Complete 2. The Human Resources department completes a desk audit of positions. March 1999 3. The Human Resources department revises job descriptions. April 1999 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
