Annual Report

Building a foundation

Of IUAA’s three strategic priorities in its 2021–25 organizational plan, cultivating belonging is a critical throughline: Without a sense of belonging, success in other strategic areas will be limited.

“It became clear in our most recent strategic planning work that we couldn’t truly understand and excel in cultivating belonging across our many IU alumni communities if we didn’t unpack what it means to ‘belong’—or to feel you don’t belong,” says IUAA CEO, Patricia Riveire Stumpf, MS’07.

In fiscal year 2021–22, IUAA staff and leadership embraced and examined issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging—or DEIB—with an intentional, multi-faceted approach. The goal: To better understand and interpret unconscious, personal, and other biases and to offer a more diverse, open, accessible organization for all.

To create a governance structure that provides long-term accountability for DEIB efforts, the IUAA chartered a permanent DEIB committee on IUAA’s Executive Council. Additionally, the IUAA established a DEIB staff advisory group to provide counsel and guidance to IUAA staff as they implement DEIB best practices across existing and new programming. The staff advisory group also monitors the strategies and tactics undertaken as part of the Association’s “cultivate belonging” priority.

“There is no ‘done’ when it comes to our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,” says Riveire Stumpf. “We’ll always be learning and growing.”

Working toward a culture of change

The IUAA has committed to go well beyond a check-the-boxes approach to diversity. The organization and the people it serves demand more. The IU alumni body becomes more diverse with every graduating class, and for the IUAA to retain its relevance and advance its mission, the organization must consider and appreciate the backgrounds and interests of all alumni.

“We have a responsibility to our past and future graduates to create spaces, events, and relationships in which they feel a strong sense of belonging. Ours is a welcoming alumni community, and nurturing all of our alumni must be part of our culture at every level of the organization and in every facet of our work,” says Vi Simpson, LLB’94, LHD’13, past chair of the IUAA Board of Managers and longtime IUAA advocate.

The IUAA has invested in multiple DEIB training and development opportunities. In fiscal year 2021–22, supervisors took part in a leadership dialogue series that covered topics such as inclusive engagement, mentoring, and privilege/power as it relates to the workplace. The staff also engaged in trainings on belonging, empathy, implicit bias, colorism, and identities.

With these tools and resources, staff and volunteers are exploring the complexities of culture, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. The IUAA is considering differing experiences and critically challenging the status quo by exploring ways that systemic discrimination, biases, and injustices impact our alumni, staff, and volunteers.

One of the voices guiding this work is Etta Ward, BA’95, MA’08, IUAA Executive Council member and assistant vice chancellor for research development in IUPUI’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. “I can honestly say that IUAA leaders have stepped up and are doing this work in a bold, authentic, and genuine way,” says Ward. “Of course, things are not perfect. In fact, it is quite messy at times. Yet they persist.”

The IUAA’s strategies and practices, Ward says, are normalizing inclusive ways of doing and being, moving the Association from an organization of passive bystanders to active agents of change.

Alumni engagement happens all over the globe in many settings—on campuses and in schools, at regional chapter events and informal gatherings, at athletics and cultural events, around town and on vacation, and, of course, online. Harnessing the power of the alumni network means acknowledging these multiple forms of alumni engagement and leveraging the position and resources of the IUAA to support it.

We have learned—through research and strategic change—that the IUAA’s best recipe for deepening alumni loyalty and strengthening alumni relations is to help alumni access the IU people, places, and things that made their student experiences special, while creating a consistent, personal alumni experience that can be just as memorable.

The IUAA has been making strategic investments in new methods and tools to do just that.

The Virtual Alumni Network, or VAN, fosters organic, alumni-to-alumni connection. It transforms an expansive alumni network into intentional, accessible, and meaningful communities to connect IU alumni with the people and information most relevant to their IU experiences. Members can join online groups based on IU-centric topics, interests, and industries, and they can make professional connections with fellow alumni. Our IU partners can create groups specifically for alumni of their school to engage with students and alumni. Within months of launching, the VAN had more than 1,800 members in 26 countries.

Internally, the IUAA has added a volunteer module in our university-wide alumni database, Crimson, that allows support of more alumni through individual volunteerism. This new tool elevates overall volunteer efforts by connecting alumni with the IU volunteer opportunities, both virtually and in-person, that are most meaningful to them, no matter where they live. Schools and campuses across IU are now able to see who has raised a hand to help, and volunteers experience a consistent process with all advancement partners.

From the inside out, the IUAA team divides the different ways alumni engage with one another and their alma mater into four domains of engagement: personal enrichment; professional enrichment; spirit, pride, and tradition; and university citizenship and advocacy. Audience engagement drives the development of these core areas.

The personal enrichment domain includes some of the IUAA’s most popular and well-known programming, including Mini University, the Lifelong Learning Program, IU Travels, and the Virtual Book Club. This domain saw noteworthy growth in fiscal year 2021–22 as staff applied lessons learned from the pandemic and capitalized on growth opportunities, including more people outside Indiana participating on virtual platforms.

Mini University Turns 50

June 2022 marked the 50th gathering of participants drawn to IU’s Bloomington campus each summer for Mini University, a week of exemplary educational and personal enrichment activities that embody the value of lifelong learning.

IU’s world-renowned faculty and a compelling array of course offerings are the main draw for adults of all ages, IU alum or not, to take part in this diverse, deeply personal experience—minus homework, tests, and the dreaded pop quizzes. The social bonds and sense of community are the reasons many participants return.

Ranked by Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel as one of the best learning vacations in the country, Mini University was conceived in 1972. Over the years, the program has evolved and stayed relevant as organizers continually respond to participants’ feedback.

“Mini U is a magical mix of outstanding faculty, groundbreaking research across a wide spectrum of topics, the thrill of returning ‘home again’ to Indiana, and an attentive audience with a ravenous appetite for learning,” said Melissa Nam, IUAA associate director of alumni programs. “Fifty years and counting of this much-beloved program that is an intensely, and uniquely, IU experience—what could be more special than that?”

Jazz Brunch Celebrates Community

Jazz Brunch, an annual gathering presented by the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club, celebrates the achievements of Black/African American alumni from all IU campuses.

The Rising Star and Alumni Achievement Awards presented during the event recognize IU alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen field or have made significant contributions to their communities.

The event—held most recently at the Madame C.J. Walker Legacy Center in Indianapolis—also features the “Black in Business” pop-up market, a talk-of-the-town social scene, live music performed by IU alumni, and a catered brunch.

“Jazz Brunch is designed for those with the Black American experience/identity, using spaces and vendors that understand and respect the historical perspective of Black Americans, especially those who have a shared experience of being Black while attending IU,” says Leah McRath-Hinton, PD’16, IUAA director of affinity engagement

Staged in conjunction with the Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration, Jazz Brunch supports the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club and the local Indianapolis community.

This event will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2023.

Book Club, Anyone?

For a cadre of dedicated bibliophiles, the IUAA’s Virtual Book Club is just the right mix of tradition and technology joining forces to offer alumni a low-barrier entry point into the personal enrichment domain: Read a little, chat a little, and connect with other IU alumni, without having to overcommit.

“Book club motivates me to read things outside my regular reading. I am able to discuss with others their opinions and views. It introduces me to new authors, new fields, and new genres. It’s like being back at IU once again, taking new classes,” says one participant.

Participants find the Virtual Book Club through a variety of ways: an email from the IUAA, a Facebook post, an ad in the Alumni Insider e-newsletter, or a reference from a friend. After a simple sign-up process, members can see what the group is reading, read along, take part in a facilitated chat or a virtual author talk, and then start all over again with a new title.

IUAA student scholarships are an investment in the future Indiana University. They are a bridge, a way to pay it forward with a deep appreciation for the lifelong value of education.

“Assisting today’s student leaders in successfully achieving an IU education ensures the world of tomorrow will be in good hands,” says Lynn Lewis, BS’66, MS’82, past chair of the IUAA Board of Managers and longtime scholarship donor.

For many donors, including Lewis, supporting scholarships reflects their gratitude for the gifts of time and treasure others invested in their education. “It is my small attempt to repay all that my IU education has done for me,” Lewis says.

One of IUAA’s most prestigious scholarship opportunities is the Student Fellows program, which combines support for students’ education with the opportunity for them to gain real-world professional experience.

The program directly involves IUB and IUPUI student leaders in the work of the IU Alumni Association. As they serve beside IUAA staff in areas such as development, marketing, and alumni communities, the students gain meaningful experience. The program benefits students as they prepare to enter the professional world, and it instills in them a lifelong connection to Indiana University.

Scholar in action

Meet Dhvani Ghael, an IU senior from Surat, India. She is one of seven Student Fellows serving the IU Alumni Association on the Bloomington and IUPUI campuses. Each receives a scholarship and earns wages while working with a mentor as part of the IUAA team.

A Kelley School of Business student, Ghael majors in marketing and digital and social media business applications. She also serves as the president of the Student Alumni Association.

Her IUAA experience, she says, has been an invaluable learning experience, boosting her professional skills and advancing her career development.

“Being the president of the IU Student Alumni Association has changed me into a positive, confident, and social leader,” Ghael says. “It has helped me discover internal leadership qualities I didn’t know I was capable of.”