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On
Wisconsin
It almost goes without saying that the mis-
sion of the Wisconsin Alumni Association
is one of service; twofold service, to this
University and to its alumni. A constant in-
teraction between the two is always impor-
tant; in the face of the many challenges to
higher education in the 1980s it becomes vi-
tal, as does our role as the strongest link be-
tween them. With this in mind our Long-
Range-Planning Committee has agreed
that in this year we must expand and in-
crease our services. To assist in that effort,
last spring Chancellor Shain appointed a
University-Alumni Relations Council to fa-
cilitate closer communication between the
administration of the UW-Madison and
those involved in its advancement. Your
WAA president for this year, Betty E.
Vaughn '48; your immediate past president
Fred Stender, (who is chairman of our
Long-Range-Planning Committee) and I
represent you on it. The council and the
planning committee put forth to our Board
of Directors a number of suggested pro-
grams after the committee and board parti-
cipated in a one-day retreat last August
which featured discussion with campus ad-
ministrators. These goals and objectives
were approved by the board at its fall meet-
ing on October 4. We think you'll be in-
terested in them.
   Membership. Association members are
informed and concerned about the affairs
and needs of this University. Therefore, we
form a stronger support base as we increase
membership. This year, three mailings will
be sent to all non-member alumni in an ef-
fort to increase membership by 3,500. Each
mailing will include information about one
or more of our programs. Renewal infor-
mation sent to current members will ex-
plain how their dues are spent.
   Alumni Leadership. These active volun-
teers must have current information about
what's going on here at the University as
well as the fundamentals of its operation. A
summer retreat will be scheduled annually
for all our directors. The regularly mailed
Director's Report will continue to go to
them, to committee chairmen, and to club
leaders. A factbook will be prepared, filled
with the basics about WAA, the UW Foun-
dation and the Madison campus. In addi-
tion, our advisory committee structure has
been expanded to include an Editorial Ad-
visory Committee to counsel with our staff
on editorial policies of Wisconsin Alumnus
Magazine.
   Programming. In several areas the staff
will expand the use of alumni and students
in our activities. We're reviewing and mod-
ifying these programs each year, and
among the expansions you'll notice are the
inception of our Alumni-Student Board
and an Excellence In Teaching Award,
both of which are reported in detail in the
University News section of this issue. In ad-
dition, we are adding an annual reception,
co-sponsored by us and the Chancellor's
Office, for all faculty who do such a splen-
did job of meeting with you each year on
the Founders Day circuit. And, on a social
note that involves so many of you, the
Homecoming program was changed this
year, introducing an all-alumni reception,
after the game, in the Union South. This re-
places the receptions for the tenth, fifteenth
and twentieth class reunions formerly held
at that time.
   Your staff and Board of Directors be-
 lieve the approved goals will be of great as-
 sistance in meeting the needs of this fine
 University and its alumni.
4 / THE WISCONSIN ALUMNUS
Arlie M. Mucks, Jr.
Executive Director