Trustees vote to eliminate honorary title

Between 600 and 800 people who had been given the honorary designation of "associate trustee" had their titles revoked at the last Board of Trustees meeting, according to Elsie Sterling Howard, a trustee and president of the General Alumni Society. And this change has caused members of three groups of Associate Alumni Trustees to reexamine their groups' purposes and functions. For most associate trustees, the elimination of the title was meaningless because they already had other designations to denote their affiliation with the University, according to University Secretary Barbara Stevens. But members of the three alumni groups -- based in Boston, Los Angeles and Washington -- had no other title to signify their involvement, Stevens said. University administrators were quick to point out that the elimination of the title did not mean the elimination of the groups. "They are wonderful organizations, and there was never any effort to do away with the organizations," University President Judith Rodin said, adding that the Board of Trustees has been very pleased by the work the associate alumni groups have performed. According to Howard, the presidents of the three groups have been meeting to select a new name in light of the trustees' action and to draft a new mission statement which would clarify the associate trustees groups' exact duties and responsibilities. Because there are also alumni clubs in the Boston, L.A. and Washington areas, there must be something to distinguish the associate trustees from the rest of the University alumni living near them, Howard added. The first of three Associate Alumni Trustees groups was founded in Boston in 1985, according to interim Alumni Relations Director Martha Stachitas. The other two were modeled after the Boston group, and all three were instrumental in raising alumni contributions during the Campaign for Penn, the five-year capital drive that generated $1.36 billion in donations before it ended last year. Stevens said an investigation of the title by the Trustees' Governance Committee found it was "creating a lot of confusion" due to the sheer number of people who held the title. She added that the designation did not reflect anything about the person's actual responsibilities. But Stachitas said the name elimination came as a surprise to members of the three alumni groups. And Jerry Nussdorf, president of the Mid-Atlantic Associate Alumni Trustees, said he questioned the rationale behind the trustees' decision. He added that he had not yet informed members of his group about the decision. Because of their involvement in the Campaign for Penn, the groups have always had a strong focus on development activities. To be a member of any of the three groups, alumni must donate $1,000 annually, Howard said. Members are also expected to be active in fundraising efforts and alumni functions, such as interviewing prospective students. But now, without the Campaign for Penn as a primary focus, the associate alumni groups are trying to determine what the proper balance is between development and alumni activities, Rodin said. Stachitas said the groups will continue to be involved in alumni relations activities, admissions committees and fundraising. Howard did not want to divulge anything about the mission statement of the groups formerly known as Associate Alumni Trustees before members approved it. She said she expects it to be released next week. Rodin and Howard both said they do not expect associate trustees to unanimously support the elimination of their titles. "There are some people who are quite unhappy that they will not have the title anymore, and there are others who do not care at all," Rodin said. Stachitas said due to University policy, she could not release the names of any members of the groups. As a result, none could be reached for comment.