College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Association

Alumni Engagement?

What Does This Mean for You?

John E. Lutz, CALSAA President, 2011-2012

             During the mid-1990s, the Gallup organization researched how companies could increase their customers and hold them. The term, "Customer Engagement," was coined by Gallup to describe why the small percentages who stayed faithful to companies and their brands did so. Faithful customers who remained true did not do so because of price or product alone (although these were important factors) -- they did so primarily because they were emotionally attached.

            Loyalty was found to be important to strengthening a company's customer base, but when it was combined with emotional attachment, customers became "engaged" in the company for the longer term. Gallup defined customer engagement by customers who expressed the satisfactions and positive intentions of loyalty while demonstrating more deeply felt affections of emotional attachment.

            "Engagement" has become popularized by internet usage. Commercial and publishing interests are captivated by concerns related to consumer web travels, customer purchasing, and reader time at journal sites. Engagement is their attempt to create meaningful dialog and stimulate targeted behaviors from customers, members, and visitors. It hopes to convert "Fly-by" and occasional consumers into passionate fans.

            So how does this apply to our work with you, the alumni of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell?

            In the year 1900, Liberty Hyde Bailey, as Chief of Cornell's newly created Bureau of University Extension of Agricultural Knowledge (a position he held until appointed dean of the College of Agriculture in 1903), stated: "Perhaps the institution of learning has two co-ordinate functions as an organ of civilization -- studiously to educate the few, enthusiastically to awaken the many."*

            These words apply equally to our work with CALS alumni today. The College continues to "studiously educate the few," while our responsibilities as CALSAA are to "enthusiastically awaken the many." Our work as the Alumni Association must be in collaboration with and parallel to the directions developed by the College as demonstrated in the table below:

Collaborative Parallel Directions between CALS and CALSAA

CALS: "…studiously to educate…" CALSAA: "…enthusiastically to awaken…"

Pursuit: Knowledge with a Public Purpose Pursuit: Passionate and Emotionally Connected Alumni

Goal: Global Sustainability Goal: Engaged Alumni Advocates

Focal Areas: Focal Areas**:

Environment Confidence

Life Sciences Integrity

Food and Energy Systems Pride

Community and Economic Development Passion

_________________________

** -- Characteristics of Emotional Attachment as defined by the Gallup Organization, "The Constant Customer," http://gmj.gallup.com

Our work is to arouse and stimulate alumni to action by exciting you with customer engagement strategies. We want to enthusiastically awaken the many alumni of our College by continuing our promotion of loyalty -- providing the means for you to express overall satisfaction with CALS and CALSAA, to make multiple contributions of time and resources, and to recommend College and alumni programs to others.

But we need engaged alumni who demonstrate more than loyalty -- we hope you'll strengthen your emotional attachments to the College. The ultimate aim of Alumni Engagement is to build partnerships between our alumni and CALS -- through CALSAA -- to amplify our mutual interests toward fulfilling the CALS mission. Our job is to produce passionate and emotionally connected alumni and move you to partner with CALS as advocates of its mission and cause.

CALS alumni hold a great capacity for devotion and can exert decisive influence on the condition and development of the College. Becoming passionate and emotionally connected CALS advocates requires meaningful planning.

If our aims are to promote the four primary characteristics of emotional attachment, we must operationalize these constructs so we can develop engaged alumni:

Confidence -- keep our marketing message synchronized with that of the College;
Integrity -- provide competent, fair and ethical services;

Pride -- treat alumni with respect and hold you in high esteem;
Passion -- foster an ardent affection and devotion that compels alumni action.

Our Strategic Plan must reflect this revised emphasis so CALSAA may be successful in producing passionate and emotionally connected alumni. Our aim is to help you build meaningful partnerships with CALS to amplify its international reputations for excellence.|

* As quoted byPeters, Scott J., "'Every Farmer Should be Awakened': Liberty Hyde Bailey's Vision of Agricultural Extension Work." Agricultural History, Vol. 80. No. 2 (Spring, 2006), pp. 190-219.

The CALS Alumni Association exists to promote fellowship and leadership among alumni and students and to advance the teaching, research, and extension functions of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

To contact us by email: ALSAA@cornell.edu

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