Membership: Letter to Members
Dear Fellow HBS Alumni:
Change... This past year has brought monumental changes to our world, our country and our economy. The new 2009-2010 year for our HBS Club of Northeastern Ohio is beginning soon and we will also be implementing many changes.
The changes that we have planned for this year will continue to drive us toward our mission of ongoing education and learning. They will also increase the excitement, dynamism and timeliness of our events. Many of these changes have come based on direct feedback from club members such as you. We are confident that all of these changes will make our club even more vibrant and valuable to our members.
Here is a list of the changes that you can expect to see this year:
More timely events
We have heard from members that our past events, although good, could be more reactive to current events, especially late in the season. We have also had excellent event opportunities come to us mid-season, with no way to fit them in after the schedule has been set.
To address this, we are splitting our season into two parts: a Fall Season and a Spring Season. The schedule for our Fall Season will be announced by August 1 and our Spring Season by January 4. This provides adequate time for our Event Planning Committee to seek out and capitalize on the best possible events for our schedule. This schedule will allow us to deliver timely content, while still providing advance notice to club member to coordinate their schedules to attend these events.
Different Types of Events
Many members have come to us stating that they would like to see a greater variety of events in our program. Younger alumni are looking for more social, less expensive events to begin to get involved with the club. Alumni with young families are looking for ways to include children and spouses in events. And all of our alumni have stated that they would like more time to do what HBS'ers are known for: networking and socializing!
To increase the breadth of events, we have added a couple of new types of events this year. Microevents will be small, more intimate social gatherings throughout the year planned around fun venues and accompanied with a very attractive price point. We also plan to have an "All Hands Event" late in the season which would be a social event, for example a Club Picnic, open to all members and their families. Of course, these events would be in addition to our already popular Breakfast Series and Dinner Series events. More details on these types of events will continue to be circulated via email.
Club Awards
Over the past years, we have seen significant change in our two club awards, the Dively Award and the Leadership Award. Although the quality of our recipients and the quality of these events have not changed we are taking steps to be certain that these awards are keeping pace with the evolving business community and addressing the core competencies of the area. We also have determined that the two educational awards, the Jones and Elliott Awards, would be better received at a venue of the recipient's choice.
To address these issues, we are making several changes. Starting this year, we will have a single award dinner each year in May, alternating between the Dively and the Leadership Award. We will be having the Dively Award this year. In addition, we will begin to present the Elliott and Jones awards at a venue of the award recipients' choice. We think this will likely be at an assembly at the school of the teacher who receives the award. We think recognizing the award winner in front of her students, peers and administrative leaders will have a greater impact on the recipient. Members would be encouraged to join in the presentations of our educational awards.
Many Additional Membership Benefits
HBS is actively working with their regional alumni clubs including the HBS Club of Northeastern Ohio to provide additional value to club membership. These additions include:
- The Virtual Learning Series - Monthly, all club members are offered the opportunity to dial into a conference call on a topic to be presented by an HBS professor with Q&A following the presentation.
- Exclusive Content from HBS Working Knowledge - Quarterly, HBS Working Knowledge provides access to exclusive, faculty-related content to all club members 30 days in advance of its publication.
- Career Services and Networking – HBS provides assistance to club members in job transition. In addition, our strong membership base provides resources with whom to network and a source for ongoing professional development.
Joining the HBS Club of Northeastern Ohio after graduating in 2002 was one of the best decisions I have made. I truly have enjoyed attending the exclusive events, continuing to learn new ideas and meeting many club members with fascinating backgrounds from across NE Ohio. All of this has been a benefit to me and my career. It has also been a ton of fun.
I encourage you to look through this Membership Packet and to sign up for membership today. Don't miss out on what promises to be a great year!
Sincerely,
Charlie Conover
President |
Programs 