Badgers Together - Wisconsin Alumni Association

W
2009
Wisconsin Alumni Association
ANNUAL REPORT

W2009
Dear Friends,
Let’s face it — this hasn’t been a particularly easy year. Since fall
2008, the global economy has taken a nosedive, and like almost
everyone else, WAA has felt the effects. The constant theme of the
last year was budgeting, re-budgeting, and re-re-budgeting as we
at WAA adapted to the crisis.
But as an organization, we have to sustain our mission, even in
a bad economy. Each year, there’s a new class of students to
graduate; each year, there are Badger achievements to celebrate;
and each year, there are traditions to commemorate.
We’ve had to be creative to provide the same levels of service and
support that UW grads have grown accustomed to getting from
their alumni association. And we’ve gone beyond the walls of our
own organization to align with the university and the UW Foundation
to better meet the needs of the campus we love. That’s why we
chose “Badgers Together” as the theme for this year’s report —
we’ve all had to pull together to aid our university and our alumni.
We’re particularly proud of what WAA has been able to accomplish
this year, in spite of tightening budgets. We introduced a new
chancellor to the alumni community, helped push for the adoption of
the university’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, and launched
plans to mark our 150 th anniversary, which will come in 2011.

ANDY MANIS
And we rolled out new career programs to help graduates negotiate
the uncertainties of today’s working world.
In the following pages, you’ll read about some of the programs we
launched or enhanced in 2008–09, and see where we hope to go in
the future.
On Wisconsin!
Paula Bonner MS’78 Reed E. Hall ’70
President and CEO Chair of the Board of Directors

BADGERS
2009 together:
Introducing the Chancellor
Alumni around the country got some face time with
Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin PhD’85 weeks
after she arrived on campus.
With help from WAA, the new chancellor hit the trail in fall 2008,
meeting Badgers at receptions in Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee,
and Minneapolis, followed by visits to Washington, D.C., Boston,
New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She shared her first
impressions and vision for the university and had the chance to
hear firsthand from alumni and friends.
Before she packed her bags for her cross-country tour, the
chancellor was introduced to nearly 2,000 alumni, faculty, staff, and
students during a reception at the Kohl Center in October 2008.
The event, called “On, Wisconsin! A Great University and Its Friends
Welcome Chancellor Martin,” marked her first official appearance
as the university’s 28th leader. It was made possible by support
from WAA, the UW Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research
Foundation, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, University
Communications, the UW Libraries, and UW Archives.
“Chancellor Martin brings a new, outside view to the university,”
says WAA’s Paula Bonner. “It was important to us to introduce her
to the alumni community, and to help our colleagues introduce her
to campus and to Madison.”
WAA has continued its role as central strategic coordinator for
alumni relations during the new top administrator’s first year. After
the WAA board passed a resolution supporting the Madison
Initiative for Undergraduates, the association communicated details
to alumni leaders around the country and helped build student
support through activities and spirited discussions during campus
meetings and online forums.
4 Wisconsin Alumni Association

uwalumni.com 5
JEFF MILLER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

BADGERS
2009 together:
Career Networking
The Big Ten is filled with rivalries on the field. Off the
field, we’re all on the same team.
Sure, that sounds like a cliché, but in these difficult economic times, it’s
especially true. That’s why the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Career
Services program led a partnership among Big Ten alumni associations
to host a career event in New York City in May 2009. Some 175 Big
Ten grads attended.
The free alumni networking event featured a presentation from
nationally recognized career adviser and WAA member Brian
Kurth ’88 (pictured). His talk included tips and strategies attendees
could use immediately — whether they were looking for a new job,
changing careers, or thinking of starting a business.
According to Kurth, job seekers can benefit from instant
connections to employers and colleagues who have their own links
to the Big Ten. “We also recommend that people constantly reach
out to their alumni associations,” Kurth said.
The New York event was just one of the ways that WAA’s Career
Services program elevated its profile this past year. Back in
Madison, WAA welcomed Steve Pogorzelski ’83, former president
of the Web-based job service Monster North America, to campus to
speak to students and alumni about the future of the job market in
uncertain financial times.
And while he predicted that this year’s graduates will face
challenges in the downsized U.S. economy, Pogorzelski sees
opportunities ahead of them. “This is a generation that is
preconditioned for success.”
6 Wisconsin Alumni Association

© CHERYL JUETTEN
New Online Career Resources for UW Grads
With job security weighing on people’s minds, WAA saw the need
to expand its Badger Career Network’s capabilities. The improved
suite of career tools now includes Job Alerts, an online service that
connects mid-career and executive-level alumni and employers.
These resources can help students and alumni get through an
uncertain economy. Find out more at uwalumni.com/careers.
uwalumni.com 7

BADGERS
2009 together:
Tapping into Badger Talent
When Badgers get together, great things happen.
That was the thinking behind two speaker series
launched by the WAA alumni chapter in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
The Forward Thinkers Series is designed to showcase distinguished
alumni by inviting them to talk about how their UW experience
impacted their lives and careers. The inaugural event in January
2009 featured John Morgridge ’55, chairman emeritus of Cisco
Systems, and his wife, Tashia ’55. Mike Knetter, dean of the
Wisconsin School of Business, introduced the Morgridges, who
also accepted the chapter’s Bay Area Distinguished Alumni Award.
The chapter also launched a Cleantech Education Series, which
focuses on clean technology and alternative energy, fields that are
rapidly expanding, particularly in the Bay Area. In May 2009, the
chapter hosted a panel discussion featuring three experts in the
solar industry. “The event appealed to a demographic that is both
academic and eager to get on the cutting edge of cleantech,” says
chapter co-president Peter Dering ’06. “We’ve also been searching
for ways to reconnect with education as part of our mission.”
The Bay Area is home to more than nine thousand Wisconsin alumni,
and both event series offer a way to meet and network with fellow
Badgers, explains chapter board member David Bunzel ’77, whose
daughter and son are currently attending UW-Madison. “After thirtyplus
years here,” he says, “my best friends are still those I met as an
undergrad at Wisconsin.”
8 Wisconsin Alumni Association

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCAS BEHNKE
Badger Chapters Compete for Charity
Chapter leaders at WAA’s annual Fall Forum took the 2008
Homecoming theme to heart by celebrating the first Bucky’s All-
Alumni Food Drive. The friendly competition among alumni chapters
took place at game-watch parties during Wisconsin’s 2008 football
season. The St. Louis chapter snagged first prize overall by
collecting 3,735 pounds of food. In return, the chapter received a
$500 donation to its local chapter scholarship fund.
uwalumni.com 9

BADGERS
2009 together:
First-Edition Tradition
They say it’s better to give than to receive. Better yet,
do both! That’s exactly what UW alumni, students,
friends, and fans did every time they purchased The
Red Shirt this past year.
Not only did these Badgers receive a T-shirt — they were also
giving back to the university, as proceeds went toward needed
scholarships.
As the first-ever promotion of its kind on campus, sales of The Red
Shirt contributed to the more than $550,000 already given by WAA
every year through our scholarship programs. And with the need
for financial aid higher than ever, WAA hopes to start an annual
tradition and make a new, collectible design for the shirt available
each year.
WAA also encouraged student groups to sell The Red Shirt at their
events, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit student
organizations. To date, nearly a dozen student groups have
partnered with WAA to raise funds.
The first edition was officially unveiled shortly before the 2008
Badger football season, with a vintage Bucky Badger print (image
below) emblazoned on the front. Fans can add to their collection by
purchasing the second edition during the 2009 season.
This year’s design celebrates the 100th anniversary
of “On, Wisconsin!” It is a natural fit for a unifying
promotion like The Red Shirt to honor a song that’s
been unifying Badgers for 100 years.
10 Wisconsin Alumni Association

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK BURNETT
Spirit Day 2009
Alumni and friends submitted more than seventy photos in the 2009
Badger Spirit Day contest, which showcased the valuable role UW
grads play in the workforce and in communities around the world.
One such Badger was Lt. Col. Mark Burnett ’87, an army physician
stationed in Afghanistan, where he has decorated his room with
photos of family and this UW pennant.
uwalumni.com 11

BADGERS
2009 together:
Helping Graduating Seniors
As members of the 2009 senior class approached the
most challenging job market in a generation, WAA
knew those students would need more than just
congratulations.
In order to help ease those fears and launch the next class of UW
graduates, WAA and the University of Wisconsin Foundation (UWF)
organized the first-ever Senior Week in April 2009 — a series of free
events designed to help graduating seniors both celebrate their time
on campus and acquire a host of career and financial skills.
The week kicked off with a Career and Internship Connection event,
sponsored by College of Letters and Science Career Services and
the Business Career Center. Other programs included Career Boot
Camp — sessions providing tips on financial planning and making
the transition from college to corporate life — and a presentation by
Neil Willenson ’92. The 2009 WAA Forward under 40 award winner
spoke about his journey from young social activist to founder of
One Heartland, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives
of children and youth affected by HIV/AIDS.
Through a new arrangement between WAA and UWF, students
could purchase a special $50 offer that combined a membership in
WAA and a senior class gift.
“Attending Senior Week was the most fulfilling way to spend my last
days as a student at Wisconsin,” says Jaime Moran ’09. “I was with
great friends participating in traditions only Badgers celebrate. This
special send-off proves that UW is not only an awesome institution
I am proud to forever be a part of, but also a comforting support
system that cares for its members every step of the way.”
12 Wisconsin Alumni Association

ANDY MANIS
Celebrating Seniors
In traditional Badger fashion, Senior Week wrapped up with a senior
class party in the Memorial Union, where students could kick back
and relax with an afternoon of free food, prizes, and entertainment.
And for a final bit of closure to their time on campus, students were
invited on a Badger Tradition Tour to revisit (or finally visit) popular
campus landmarks.
uwalumni.com 13

BADGERS
2009 together:
WAA Finances
Like most organizations, WAA felt the pressure of the worldwide economic
slump of 2008–09. Income dropped by nearly 9 percent from the prior year,
with membership revenue (down nearly $353,000), program revenue (down
more than $225,000), and travel revenue (down nearly $159,000) all dropping
significantly below 2007–08 levels.
But more severely hit were WAA’s assets. As the nation’s stock market
tumbled, the value of WAA’s investments fell along with it, losing some 20
percent of their value, from more than $6.3 million to just over $5 million.
At the midpoint of the fiscal year, WAA’s accounting department forecast
a heavy loss, with expenses outstripping revenue by as much as $600,000.
The association took swift action to offset these losses. With budget cuts
— including a staff furlough plan, adopted months before the state asked
UW-Madison to take similar action — the association was able to reduce
expenditures and increase revenue. The net result was an operating loss of
only $13,000.
Looking to the future, WAA expects continued contraction in revenue in
2009–10, but has tightened its expenses accordingly. The association’s goal is
to realize a gain of $100,000 in operating revenue over expenses in the coming
year in order to provide a cushion during uncertain times. WAA has shifted its
stock funds (61 percent of its investments) into the care of the UW Foundation,
in the expectation that WAA’s investments will see similar returns to those that
the Foundation regularly achieves.
$5,600,000
$5,400,000
$5,200,000
$5,000,000
WAA Operating Revenue and Expenses
$4,800,000
$4,600,000
Revenue
Expenses
$4,400,000
$4,200,000
$4,000,000
June 2006 June 2007 June 2008 June 2009 June 2010
Fiscal Year End
Budgeted

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