Class of 1991 Officer Position Descriptions
- President
The class president provides leadership, initiates class activities and programs, oversees the reunion chair with reunion plans, and develops strategies for strengthening the class. The president meets regularly with all class officers and is responsible for ensuring that all officers are fulfilling the duties of their office. The president is responsible for coordinating this communication and may use letters, phone calls, e-mail, or regularly scheduled officer updates for this purpose.
The class president serves as an important contact for the membership program. This program is the way most classes process their annual news dues letters. Another class officer may serve as the membership contact, however, the class president must be informed and play an integral part in the program.
The class president monitors class status by reviewing criteria on membership, subscribers, reunion and other activity attendance, and class fundraising. The president communicates regularly with a mentor from the Cornell Association of Class Officers Board of Directors regarding the status of the class, and is responsible for seeking help if the class is experiencing problems.
- Vice President
The primary responsibility of the vice president is to assist the president in planning and implementing class programs and activities. In the absence of the class president, the vice president must assume all responsibilities of the president's office, and may be required to run class meetings, write class letters, and facilitate communication among the entire class leadership.
- Secretary
The class secretary facilitates communication among class officers and maintains a formal structure for class organizations. The secretary takes minutes of class meetings and distributes these minutes to class officers and Alumni Affairs. The secretary is responsible for maintaining the class constitution and bylaws. Many secretaries serve as historians for their class (although some classes have an officer position for this), documenting important events and changes in the organization's history. The secretary may also write class sympathy, congratulatory, and thank you notes.
- Treasurer
The treasurer's job can be summarized into four general categories: work with class officers to establish an annual budget; monitor class funds and expenditures; keep class officers and members informed about class finances; assess the financial affordability and feasibility of proposed class programs and initiatives. Each class should establish its own policy about officer expenses to determine what are allowable expenses. It is the treasurer's responsibility to review the account statement for accuracy. The treasurer should review expenses that were submitted to Alumni Affairs for processing to the items that appear on the account statements.
During a Non-Reunion Mode: The treasurer serves a critical role for the alumni class. While the president is responsible for overall leadership and for coordinating with all officers, the treasurer is the most called-upon officer involved in strategic planning and finances for every program the class undertakes.
During a Reunion Mode: A class is in "Reunion mode" beginning July 1 in the year prior to their Reunion until December 1 following their Reunion. For example, the Class of 1949 will be in Reunion mode July 1, 1998 until December 1, 1999. The reunion chairs serve as the reunion treasurer, meaning they budget and monitor the Reunion account for Reunion-related transactions - Reunion registration fees and deposits and Reunion bills caterers, florists, bands, souvenir vendors, etc.). Because the reunion chairs will be making all the arrangements, signing contracts, etc. they will be responsible for overseeing any transactions in the Reunion account. The class account may come into play if your Reunion committee requests some start up monies until fees are collected later that year. Many classes now use the class treasury to cover the Reunion mailing expenses since these publications are sent to the entire class.
- Reunion Chair
The reunion chair is responsible for planning and executing the class reunion in Ithaca every five years. This event is a major class activity which requires the support of all class officers and other class volunteers. Reunion chairs begin to plan about two years before their class' reunion. Reunion chairs attend Mid-Winter Meeting 18 months prior to reunion, a reunion planning workshop in the fall of the year preceding reunion, and Mid-Winter Meeting 6 months before reunion. A detailed reunion planning guide is distributed to presidents and reunion chairs. This officer should enjoy event planning and be able to design an overall plan of action and adhere to deadlines. They must make a commitment to work closely with assigned staff on a day-to-day basis the year before reunion. Two or more people may be elected as reunion chair, but one must assume primary responsibility.
- Cornell Fund Representative
The Cornell Fund representative works closely with the staff at the Cornell Fund to guide class efforts in annual class fundraising activities. This officer receives detailed reports from the Cornell Fund and must carefully monitors class progress on funds raised. The Fund representative works with class leadership and regional leaders interested in helping in fundraising activities.
- Class Correspondent
Class correspondents write the class column in Cornell Magazine. A major benefit of being a class dues-payer is to receive a subscription to Cornell Magazine. Readership surveys show that class columns are the most closely read part of the magazine. When classmates send their dues to Alumni House, they include news about their jobs, hobbies, friends, activities, etc. These news forms are forwarded to the class correspondent who will be writing the class column in the next issue. This is the way class correspondents receive most of the news used in writing class columns. Reunion planners and other class officers often supply advance information on class events for publication in the class column. Correspondents provide a most important link in overall class communication.
Correspondents must be very committed to spending time reading news of classmates and then writing about it in an entertaining and friendly tone. They must meet hard-and-fast deadlines six times each year. Correspondents should enjoy the challenge of making interesting reading from often overwhelmingly similar news items-weddings, babies, and new jobs.
- Class Historian
The class historian collects and stores a written, pictorial, and videotaped record of class events, officer succession, mailings, reunions, etc. This person will work closely with the class council to communicate the importance of the archive and ensure that records, photos and other memorabilia of all class events are preserved. The historian also works with reunion chairs for appropriate display of class history at reunions.
- Class Council
The principal responsibility of the class council is to coordinate regional class activities and maintain class interest and strength during non-reunion years. Because classmates are scattered throughout the country and world, class activities organized regionally are very popular. Regional events encourage participation in class activities and may be used for leadership development.
- Webmaster
The principle responsibility of the webmaster is to manage online initiatives, including but not limited to the creation, enhancement and maintenance of the class website. This person works very closely with other class officers - namely with the president, reunion chair(s) and class correspondent(s).
Facebook
