Buzz Matters

There probably isn’t another college campus in this country with more great news associated with it these days than SDSU. Right now we’re dancing in clover. Here are a few things to be happy about if your blood runs towards a red and black hue:

• Our alumna, Kathleen Kennedy, produced the film (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) with the most Oscar nominations.
• This month our cheerleaders won the National Championship: http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/c-cheer/spec-rel/011909aaa.html
• Aztec pitcher Stephen Strasburg is widely recognized as the best college baseball player in the country. http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/010809aad.html
• Our women’s basketball team, in addition to beating fourth-ranked Texas earlier this year, just whomped BYU by 20. Since we are hosting the NCAA first round at Cox Arena, and since the way it works in women’s basketball is that you get to stay near home, we could very well be playing March 21 and 23 in Cox Arena! http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/09-ncaa-champ.html
• Our men’s basketball team has considerable depth and talent and will undoubtedly make a run at the Dance. The “Show” serves as catalyst for great atmosphere and great wins against substantial Mountain West teams. A few good seats remain at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/82694?brand=qualcommaztecs
• One of our students, Destin Cretton, just won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival for “Short Term 12.” http://advancement.sdsu.edu/marcomm/news/releases/spring2009/pr012209sundance.html

I am not making this stuff up, check it out for yourself:

And finally, head football coach Brady Hoke has hired coordinators of substance and our own Brian Sipe as QB coach, and has generally convinced all paying attention that the resurrection of Aztec Football is, in fact, possible.

It is, indeed, a good time to be an Aztec.

2009

It is one of the recharging days between semesters where the campus is devoid of students yet the internal engine recovers and prepares for the next wave of minds requiring stimulation.

And what a fine day to work at this awesome place and to be able to reflect on recent events while planning future growth.

Growth, one might ask? Haven’t the economic challenges of our state necessitated reduced SDSU enrollment? Well, yes they have, but we still have 33,000 students whose minds must grow. And we still have 200,000 alumni whose minds are meeting, responding and conquering the hurdles popping up every moment a la whack a mole. Not to mention the stimulation and growth required of our own minds.

Here are some of the issues of the day from an alumni relations perspective:

• How do we properly steward the ownership of 50,000 (growing to 75,000) email addresses?
  
• What is the ideal blend of university perspective versus reporting balance in our communications?
  
• How often do we feature athletics versus everything else going on in the university?
  
• How can we best encourage our constituents (alums) to utilize the wildly popular social and professional networking sites like Facebook, and Linked-in to spread the word about San Diego State events, programs, lectures, entertainment and activities?
  
• In an era of declining annual membership (and surging lifetime membership) how do we finance our quest for greater engagement?
  
• How do we utilize our sprouting Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center to encourage more alums to visit our campus?
  
• In short, how do we best harness the practical, creative, and generous energies of our alumni to better this institution?

I am certain 2009 will reveal some extraordinary advancement.

Allan Bailey

On December 21st we lost a tremendous Aztec, colleague, co-worker, alumni past president, friend and mentor Allan Bailey. In a career spanning 41 years Allan served the university as professor of accounting, Dean of the college of Business and CFO of the Campanile Foundation. A staple of university relations, a fixture at Aztec athletic events and beautiful role model, Allan was emblematic of the emergent quality of education offered by San Diego State. While at the time of this writing we are awaiting the scheduling of Allan’s campus memorial, I am glad to share the following letter sent to our alumni board of directors.

To Our Alumni Board and Our Past Alumni Presidents

By now I am sure you have all heard of Allan’s passing. I am sorry I could not call you all individually last week so that you did not have to hear it electronically.

But, Allan undoubtedly would have preferred a low-key reaction. It’s just that his impression on our world was so substantial that it is difficult to react in a below-the-radar way.

In recent years we have gotten a glimpse of the great life Allan had outside of San Diego State. We know his wife Nancy, and Allan, and some of his family and friends went on some spectacular trips together. We know that he cherished his family and got nothing but pure joy from having grandchildren. Essentially, we got to know how important Allan’s family was to him. We already knew how important our university was to Allan. More so, we know how important Allan was to SDSU.

In my Allan Bailey mailbox I have 2,556 messages from Allan dating back to September 1999. Wow. That is daily communication for ten years. No wonder I feel like I have lost some hard-to-describe body part comprised of brain, will, heart, soul and gumption.

Allan was a veritable facts machine. He had inordinate quantities of data-- well organized and at his fingertips. But Allan also had the key relationships to go with the information. He had built up huge stores of goodwill at every turn. The President, all the Vice presidents, the board members, the donors; they all had tremendous respect for Allan. And then, to compliment that he had the support and respect and genuine appreciation from everyone else who worked with him. Only now are we beginning to compare notes and realize that Allan was everyone’s mentor. Hundreds of us over the years. How could one person do all that?

I cannot fathom how. But I can fathom how proud I will be to walk into the Allan Bailey Library at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center everyday starting next July. (Thank you Mark McMillin.) Allan and I were to have moved into that building in tandem. But, having all been trained, mentored, coached and inspired by Allan Bailey, my colleagues and I will do our very best every day to carry on the mission of making San Diego State a better place.