Alumni Network InfoBook/Version1

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Melton Foundation : Alumni Network : Alumni Network Info Book Version 1

Alumni Network Info Book

1. Alumni Network Missison Statement

• Aid one another in staying connected to each other and the Melton Foundation as a whole
• Assist alumni and fellows by sharing our expertise, experiences, and professional connections
• Promote diversity and cross-cultural understanding amoung the Melton Alumni, in the entire Melton Foundation, and in our personal and professional lives
• Live our lives as well as possible
• Promote the Melton experience in ways that benefit others
• Through our commitment to each other and the use of modern technology, we believe a global network can be created in the spirit of openccommunication and mutual assistance.

2. Table of Contents

1. Alumni Network Missison Statement

2. Table of Contents

3. A History of the Melton Foundation Alumni Network

3.1. Bill Melton's Letter Establishing Alumni Organization

3.2. Patricia's Letter to the Alumni

3.3. History of "Searching for the guiding principle''

3.3.1. Melton Foundation Guiding Priniple

3.3.2. The process for reaching the Guiding Principle

3.4. Annual Activity Report Archived by Year

3.4.1. 1995 --- 1997 Actitivity

3.4.2. 1998 Activity

3.4.3. 1999 Activity

3.4.4. 2000 Activity

3.4.5. 2001 Activity

3.4.6. 2002 Activity

3.4.7. Current Activity

4. Current Vision and Expectations

4.1. BMS 1999 Brainstorming On Alumni Challenge and Opportunity

4.2. Berlin 2000 Alumni Vision Process

4.2.1. Quoted Fears

4.2.2. Hopes at the same time

4.3. Searching for Guiding Principle

4.4. Summary of Vision and Expectation

5. Organizational Leadership Structure

5.1. Roles and Responsibilities

5.2. Decision Making Process

5.3. Available Information Channels

6. Available Supports and Resources

6.1. Grants

6.1.1. Educational Development Support Grant

6.1.2. Professional Development Grant

6.1.3. Connectivity Grant

6.1.4. Others

6.2. Interest Group Projects Support

6.3. Social Service Project Support

6.4. Talents and Expertises

6.5. Contact Informations

6.6. Other resources

7. Current Activity Report

7.1. Administrative Director Work Report

7.2. Board of Alumni Report

7.3. Project Group: Human Development Center

7.4. Project Group: Conflict Resolution Work Group

7.5. Campus Reports

7.6. Personal Updates

7.7. Resources

8. Appendix

8.1. Forms and Procedures

8.2. Communication Code

8.3. Other Documents

3. A History of the Melton Foundation Alumni Network

3.1. Bill Melton's Letter Establishing Alumni Organization

Full Text:

As I mentioned last week, Chuck and Harriet were going to be here and we were going to discuss some of the questions you raised. Chuck and Harriet indeed arrived, and we have spent some number of hours grappling with the alumni issues. Below please find our best ideas. They are not presented as "edicts from on high." Rather the ideas are our best efforts at handling difficult issues. As you and the other members of the Alumni Board continue to wrestle with long range alumni plans, we hope your creativity will be able to go beyond what we were able to come up with. Our comments are grouped into three sections.

First, numerical facts, including the probable number of future alumni and the amount of money that I, Bill am able to commit to the alumni. Second, some suggestions to be considered for allocation of these funds. The suggestions should be considered just that...suggestions. If you have better ideas, please suggest them. Third, some unresolved issues to be thought about and included in your discussions.

• [1] The Numbers: Bill will commit an additional U.S.$1,000,000 to the foundation to be set aside for the support and growth of continuing active alumni participation and involvement in the Foundation. These will be funds separate from existing foundation funds, so that the alumni activities do not "steal" from the current undergraduate program.

Bill will direct the investment of these funds, attempting to grow them at least at 10% per year. (Of course there are no guarantees in any investment program.) The primary financial challenge will be in the careful use of these additional funds - making sure they are not all spent in the early years, leaving nothing for the long term growth of the alumni group. In the early years the alumni group will be small, and it will therefore be easy to overlook the long term impact that any spending level will have as the number of alumni grows much larger. This is a projection of the number of alumni in the following years:

1995 - 17

1996 - 37

1997 - 62 [and then we start adding 26 per year]

1998 - 88

1999 - 114

2000 - 140

2005 - 270

Given these numbers, we suggest the following for your consideration;

• To be sure that the fund is not exhausted, no more than $100,000 be expended in any one year.
• Each alumnus be allocated a lifetime maximum "account" of $4,000 to be used to attend symposiums.
• Each year, until the total of an individual's account is spent, that person's unspent balance be increased by 10%.
• Additional funds spent by the alumni board to assist with Internet connectivity, etc. be included in the maximum $100,000 expenditure per year, but not applied against an individual's symposium travel account.

• [2] Suggestions: The funds be allocated by the Alumni Board [one representative from each institution that has MF alumni] upon application by individual alums. The Alumni Board sends its recommendations to the Alumni Director to write the checks. One of the members of the Alumni Board be selected to be the Recorder. The responsibilities of this person would be to construct a spreadsheet, keep track of the amount in each person's symposium account, and make an annual printed report to the alumni, the Alumni Director, and to the Directors of the foundation. This report would be included by the Directors in the official report to the MF Board of Directors. Members of the Alumni Board will be supported by the Alumni Travel Fund to a certain date and active participation in the alumni network, as judged by the Alumni Board. We recognize that you are already discussingthese types of issues and questions.

• [3] Discussion of Other Matters: We discussed the possibility of asking alumni to contribute a designated percent of their annual income toward their symposium expenses, but discarded this idea as being too hard to administer. We would, however, recommend that each individual make SOME contribution toward his/her attendance at the symposium [based on ability to pay].

We recognize that establishing a fixed amount for each alum does not allow for inequities in yearly income among various countries. However, after much discussion, we could not think of any other method that would be fair and not have the danger of being divisive and possibly having negative effects on relationships. As much as possible, we would like to avoid competition for available funds. This plan puts a good deal of responsibility on individuals and encourages them to plan ahead and to stretch their allotted funds as much as possible.

We are encouraged by the alumni's desire to raise extra funds, both from among the alumni, as well as from outside sources. Contributing out of feelings of love and generosity to help those who need extra assistance is what we would like to promote. Funds which are raised by the alumni would be administered and allocated by the Alumni Board, working with the Alumni Director.

These are our best thoughts at the moment. Hopefully they will assist you in your discussions. We realize the importance of this matter. We will look forward to your comments and ideas. If we haven't been clear in any of our comments, we will be glad to answer any questions [just address them to Chuck and Harriet].

Sincerely,

Bill, Chuck, and Harriet

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3.2. Patricia's Letter to the Alumni

The past few weeks Bill and I have been talking about the alumni network. We want to use the alumni meeting in Bangalore as a kick-off event for serious discussion of new steps in developing the network to a higher level.

In line with this we ask you two major questions:

• What is the potential of the alumni network, both used and unused?
• What different directions can you go to develop the network into the future? What are your visions and what are your ways of achieving those visions?

In the growth of any organization it is necessary a critical mass of energy and resources be reached before there is the stability and energy needed to maintain passion and to sustain activity. We feel the Melton Alumni is approaching that critical mass -- you have a significant number of alumnus now and you have acquired a wide field of experience and skills.

In the conversations Bill and I had, the word "passion" was used a lot. The original concept of the Melton Fellows was amorphous but it was based on passion --- the belief that young people from different cultures and geographical areas carry within them all a flame.

We believed that flame would grow as it recognized itself in other young people, and we believed that good would come naturally out of this recognition and bonding. But the most significant part of the original concept of the Melton Fellows was that the alumni would at some point reach critical mass and be able, if they desired, to extend that flame into the wider world beyond their universities. Specifically how that would happen -- with what kind of visions, with what kind of structures -- was then, and is now, still undefined.

It would be easy for Bill to say "I want this," or "I want that." However we feel, 1) the best ideas will come from you, not us, and 2) with your busy lives and commitments, you will only bring energy to ideas that have deep meaning to you. Those ideas and passions must be found from within yourselves. The dream has to be your dream and be made real by your knowledge, your connections, your actions, your personalities and your experience.

I am writing to you all now to begin a dynamic discussion of our two major questions so that when we meet in Bangalore in a few days each of you will have had a chance to think about and make your first contribution to this on-going discussion. These contributions can be made through email dialogue or by concept papers (or other ways) that, I trust, can be downloaded to Bangalore to an appropriate person there, and made available to the alumni discussion on site in Bangalore. (Volunteers?)

The potentialities that will be talked about will be, hopefully, very large. They will take time to enact and must be done step-by-step;but we feel this is the time when your best ideas should begin to be discussed with vigor and passion.

I want to emphasize that the intent is NOT to create work for you. It is, IF you desire, to have a forum where your passion and your expertise can work together, effectively and efficiently, to bring value to a wider sphere than ourselves. With that goal in mind we should find ways to combine the positions of alumni as teachers, investors, health professionals and other with new projects or developments in the foundation. It should not become "more" work which is impossible for most of you to do but it should be programs that work naturally "together with" your existing passions and professions.

Among the potentialities Bill and I have discussed in the past weeks are:

• An annual or bi-annual conference that would develop over time to a significant conference involving many experts. The conferences would be open to everyone. Publications could result. There are many variations on this theme. For example, they could always be in the same place but be promoted internationally, or they could be in different countries each year, perhaps with one major theme that is repeated and developed. The conference scheduled for next year could already be a seed for this.
• A Melton Award of Recognition given each year to an outstanding person or persons for achievement in a field that the alumni feel should be recognized. �� The Melton Prize.

• Developing clusters of interest and expertise based on the professions and training of the alumni. For example, in health,education, economics, engineering. As the number of professional alumni grows these clusters could grow and develop programs or even teams of people to work in special ways in their area. Examples might be programs of micro-financing, or of dental health education, or of bringing connectivity to rural and obscure areas. The alumni cluster could work as sponsors of programs and make decisions as to how the programs are conducted and where the programs are implemented, or they could be volunteers themselves. A program of young alumni or even of fellows as interns to implement these programs on site could be developed. (Again, the idea would be not to create more work for busy alumni but to "leverage" alumni expertise and passion into effective and efficient programs.)

• Developing a "safe haven/neutral" institute for conflict resolutions. This could be a building and small staff at one location, a mini "Switzerland," or a team of experts prepared to go anywhere on the planet to work with regions or even countries in conflict to enable representatives of each side to talk privately and in a totally protected environment with the best experts in communicating there with them. It becomes more and more clear that the Melton Family is becoming expert in multi-cultural communications and that it is one of our unique strengths. I personally hope we strengthen this area even more in the future.

These sketchy ideas are a few possibilities and they are not beyond the realm of reality in the future IF you desire them. What are the potentialities you can think of? Which "feel" right to you? What are the steps to start making them happen? Is it best to create programs in many areas suited to the skills and interests of the alumni or it is best to select one or two "larger" ideas and put the energy into making them happen?

The below facts may be helpful to give you a sense of the future and what your resources should be:

• Bill and I expect that the top operational structure of the Alumni will be in the hands of the Alumni except for when outside advisors might be beneficial, such as for specific legal or financial counsel or other areas of special expertise. You should be able to become very well-organized and very dynamic in an international arena.

• The amount of funds available can be expected to grow dynamically through the next decades even though that, of course, is never guaranteed.

I have a large sense of excitement as we enter another phase of Melton family life.

Love,

Patricia

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3.3. History of "Searching for the guiding principle''

3.3.1. Melton Foundation Guiding Priniple

The Melton Foundation is committed to bringing positive change in the world through a network of people from diverse cultures empowered by lasting bonds of friendship, open communication, and mutual respect.

3.3.2. The process for reaching the Guiding Principle

3.4. Annual Activity Report Archived by Year

3.4.1. 1995 --- 1997 Actitivity

• Symposium
• Melton Day
• Newsletter and Chronicle
• AMS Statistics

3.4.2. 1998 Activity

• Symposium
• Melton Day
• Newsletter and Chronicle
• AMS Statistics
• Social Service Projects by School

3.4.3. 1999 Activity

• Symposium

Especially Summary of Brainstorming sessions: Fears and Hopes

• Melton Day
• AMS Statitics
• Social Service Projects by School

3.4.4. 2000 Activity

• Symposium
• 2000 Berline Conferences
• AMS Groups
• Alumni Project Group
• Alumni Network Director Report

3.4.5. 2001 Activity

... to be continued

3.4.6. 2002 Activity

... more to add

3.4.7. Current Activity

more...

4. Current Vision and Expectations

4.1. BMS 1999 Brainstorming On Alumni Challenge and Opportunity

4.2. Berlin 2000 Alumni Vision Process

4.2.1. Quoted Fears

• That we lose the connect to reality and thus lose credibility as an ORG
• The MF giving me great chance for expressing but they not helping in fund collective and personal greatness
• Busy life reducing the interest for sustaining the motivation
• To have the lessons and knowledge not used or lost
• We will not find a core beliefs to hold us together
• Not finding our identity and ourselves within the group
• Tendencies to get influenced by the exterior world of human resource
• Some neurons feel not connected and not needed and will disappear for ever
• Developing the wrong leadership structure
• Important ideas are left out
• Survival mechanisms
• Organization will grow so big that the sense of family will be lost and there will be disarray and disorder, as well as mass confusion among us
• To lose friendship links because of the neurons structure
• That we get a strong brain center started but this is expected to feed the cells not only coordinate
• Not be able to top the potential if we don t have a proper structure and if we are vague about the direction to take
• Not be able to find and implement a workable structure and fulfill our potential
• Lose structure or gain a structure that is too different from the real world
• Lack of focused direction leading to apathy
• Individual projects become fragmented and piecemeal lessening the impact they might have
• Not enough time for my dreams
• MF will lose its vision due to diverse personals interests and goals
• Management of diverse interests and ability to find time to focus on interest through the alumni group
• 90% of the alumni are out of reach after 10 years
• to live a plain life
• I really cannot imagine that 1 day we are just too calm to make any response to other's suggestions
• Loss of interest in remaining connected due to disillusionment with the MF
• Individual interests predominate over the organization s interests
• Getting too involved in doing things and in places where we are not needed
• I don t have the time to make a commitment strong enough to succeed
• Rejection
• Because of the distances (geographical, culturals,etc)and some limitations (time) all the valuable energy is lost
• Focus will be on business
• Not time/scope for projects (social, art) to be carried on besides work
• To focus our goals in very personal ones don t worrying what happens with the others inside the MF
• Busy with personal life not connected and not time for the MF
• Become involved in personal lives and withdraw from the MF
• Time to get involved with the mf
• Loss of self belief
• Intimacy lost as we grow. Develop cliques and exclude some people
• MF will grow too large in terms of numbers and will be a useless, slow moving big travel group
• Too many ideas and no work
• Growth of the MF will not be sustainable due to too much diversification and specialization therefore network capacity remains unused
• Become larger and larger wich no ones really cares about it instead just take advantage of it
• MF will grow too much in numbers and every year it will be so hard to have agreements
• Some of us are not committed and forget that some others expect something from us
• Many of the members (fellows and alumni) forget how much love, effort, work and dreams are lost
• Underachieving, underutilization of this network of talent
• We do nothing collectively to effect change become
• Work in something useless or which will not make any difference
• Loose energy and time, therefore, loosing this opportunity to do something good
• Our great potential will get lost
• Becoming too idealistic (in ideas)
• Fly to high in the clouds (too unrealistic)
• Not criticize constructively each other

4.2.2. Hopes at the same time

• 10 or more projects conducted by alumni generate social impact in 10 years
• Stop discussing without results
• To remove these self-imposed limitations and begin taking steps towards more concrete, tangible results
• To be able to be imp actual in positive ways
• To keep connections to the MF
• To give back We can make some kind of significant difference in the lives of people, the poor, disabled, etc. through proper channeling of all the potential we have
• To commit, implement and stick to the job we have started on
• Through being far away from each other, we find a way to use the flowing energy to make the world a better place
• I hope to follow my dreams and have more challenges
• Resource pockets that can be accessed in time of need
• I can always get help when I need it
• To build a safe lived together
• Efficient network including information communication and all other cooperation
• To strengh joint and concrete work among people with similar interest
• Self sustaining
• I hope that the projects we have been talking about can be something concrete
• In a personal point of view I would like to work in some of this project and to dedicate most of the time in these
• A self supporting network of individual helping the world and cultures in many ways
• Usefulness commitment
• To have the foundation be a self sustaining entity
• Empowerment
• To have the capacity to create concrete things and not loose the contacts and frienship among us
• That we mantain our connection and complete something concrete
• Keep on energizing each other
• Collective human resource empowerment
• Spreading �� MF with grow exponentially through the project seeds
• To share the experience of Melton foundation with other people deprived people and making this a continuous learning process
• Melton foundation influence extends throughout the world
• Alumni offered the opportunity provided to us to other the student
• continue existing relationships and build on them in order to impact life on a day to day a basis
• Outsiders will be able to identify and Melton project
• My hope is that through being far away from each other we find a way to use the grueling energy to make the world a better place and that we can submit his energy also to the outer world
• Is to commit implement and stick to the job we have started on
• To be able to be in impactual in positive ways
• To keep connections to the Melton foundation , to give back
• My hope is to remove these self imposed limitations and begin taking steps toward more concrete tangible results �� 10 or more projects conducted by alumni generate social impact in ten years �� Possibility to be an active part of the Melton foundation without dedicating my life and carrier to the Melton foundation
• Growth,different aspects of growth
• I hope we everyone, can really be part of this family, which would have large impact in our life
• Collective and personal greatness
• To generate wealth among ourselves by using the potential available in the Melton foundation and use at least a part of that for ??
• The foundation would allow me realize my potential
• My 1 hope is that the Melton foundation provides opportunities for personal and community growth for all involved alumns and those we intend to help
• The foundation would continue to grow and leverage from the energies of the international community
• Mutual understanding
• Finding an understanding of each other within the group that is a really understanding
• Learning for everybody, everybody for learning
• Discovery of years at the right kind of or charming the fierce to move ahead
• Real open honest communication
• Joint work and contacts

4.3. Searching for Guiding Principle

4.4. Summary of Vision and Expectation

5. Organizational Leadership Structure

5.1. Roles and Responsibilities

5.2. Decision Making Process

5.3. Available Information Channels

6. Available Supports and Resources

6.1. Grants

6.1.1. Educational Development Support Grant

6.1.2. Professional Development Grant

6.1.3. Connectivity Grant

6.1.4. Others

6.2. Interest Group Projects Support

6.3. Social Service Project Support

6.4. Talents and Expertises

6.5. Contact Informations

6.6. Other resources

7. Current Activity Report

7.1. Administrative Director Work Report

7.2. Board of Alumni Report

7.3. Project Group: Human Development Center

7.4. Project Group: Conflict Resolution Work Group

7.5. Campus Reports

7.6. Personal Updates

7.7. Resources

8. Appendix

8.1. Forms and Procedures

8.2. Communication Code

8.3. Other Documents

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