May 21, 2005
Attendance: Drs. Sandra Bozich, Robert M. Cole, III, Burton Eisenberg, Luis Garcia, William F. Johnston, Jr, Wilmer A. Kron, Richard Lappen, Thomas L. Lewis, Marie A. Marrone-Moriarty, John Ochsenreither, Robert A. Rosenberg, Robert Spivack, Ms. Lynne C. Corboy, and Ms. Ellen J. Mueller.
The minutes,
presented by Dr. Rosenberg, were approved with a motion by Rosenberg, seconded by Dr. Eisenberg.
The Treasurer’s report
was given by Dr. Ochsenreither. He also mentioned two upcoming expenses to the Association. The Association gives pens to the graduates each spring and gives an award to the graduate with the highest GPA.
Dr. Cole reported on information regarding PCO Alumni achievements. The College has alumni in all 50 states and in 26 foreign countries. Eight alumni have served as president of the American Academy of Optometry. There are at least 240 alumni who are fellows in the Academy, in COVD, or both. Nine current state association presidents are PCO alumni.
He introduced Dr. Lewis to give a brief report. Dr. Lewis commented that the College has been working with Dr. Susan Oleszewski, acting vice president and director of The Eye Institute. They are planning to renovate TEI in the near future.
The Board of Trustees is exploring the possibility of having the College become a University. This could involve adding an additional academic program.
The Hafter Student Community Center is under construction. Steel will be delivered and put up after Memorial Day weekend. The goal is to have the building completed by Spring 2006. The Alumni Association will have to decide whether to hold any of next year’s reunion in the new building.
So far, over $2 million dollars has been raised in the Expanding the Vision campaign to fund the Center. That meets the original goal and brings the College closer to the new goal of $2.5 million. The College submitted a grant proposal to the Kresge Foundation. PCO expects to hear from the Foundation in June regarding the granting of the proposal.
Dr. Rosenberg gave the Reunion/Special Events Committee Report. The College will host a booth and alumni reception at the AOA Congress coming up June 22-26, 2005. Plans are already underway for a booth and reception at the 4th Annual OptoEast from September 15-18, 2005 in Atlantic City, N.J.
He thanked everyone who gave time and energy to the 2005 Alumni Reunion. Attendance is down in the 50th Reunion class this year. This could be a trend for the next 10 years due to the small class sizes in the late 50’s and early 60’s at the College.
The date for the 2006 Reunion has not been set. We hope to learn when the Hafter Student Community Center will be finished to decide if the Reunion could be held completely or partially on campus next year.
The Alumni Office and reunion class representatives will keep trying new ways of getting reunion alumni involved. One idea is to produce reunion yearbooks for classes that are interested.
Ellen Mueller gave the Student Relations Committee Report on behalf of Dr. Karen Wrigley, chair. Student leaders were invited to the Reunion dinner again this year as guests of the Association, but none are able to attend due to a conflict. The Association co-sponsors the Welcome Party during first-year student orientation in August. The Alumni Association Board members will be invited to attend once the exact date is known.
Dr. Marrone-Moriarty presented the ballot for 2004-2005 Officers and Directors. There are two vacancies and no one was nominated from the floor. It was decided that the vacancies will be filled by the next board meeting according to the bylaws. The ballot was approved as presented with a motion by Dr. Johntson and seconded by Dr. Spivack.
Ellen Mueller reported that committees have been formed for the Association’s fundraising events. After consulting with the Western Pennsylvania Optometric Society, a committee will work with a tentative plan to hold the Pittsburgh CE program in Spring 2006. A committee has been formed from members of the Alumni Association Board. They will find a location, date, and speakers this summer.
The Auction Committee’s goal is to find 10 items to auction off at the OptoEast Conference in September 2005. The items will be displayed at PCO’s exhibit hall booth on Friday, September 16th and Saturday, September 17, 2005. Silent bids will be accepted at the booth, finishing up at the alumni reception Saturday evening.
The kinds of items the committee will be gathering are sports memorabilia, vacation homes, wine, restaurant gift certificates, and art. If anyone has any other suggestions or has an item that they would like to donate, please inform the Alumni Office.
Suggestions offered included raffling equipment from companies, raffling theme baskets, and having the ability to process credit cards on site.
Dr. Cole announced that the Board will be polled over the summer to decide if the next Board meeting will be held in Atlantic City in conjunction with the OptoEast Conference and with the Auction.
Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 2:25 p.m. with a motion made by Dr. Cole and seconded by Dr. Johnston.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert A. Rosenberg, OD, ’61
Secretary