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Dear Class and Chapter Presidents and
Corresponding Secretaries,
As I have recently advised our trustees,
communicating with our members in a two-way
dialogue is the key to setting the tone for
the future of our Alumni Association &
Foundation. Every week it seems that another
newspaper or magazine is being forced to
change its business model to better compete
in today’s multimedia environment. The
Association is no exception to this trend.
As a result, we are increasing our emphasis
on electronic and multimedia communications,
and we plan on decreasing the emphasis that
we have historically placed on
Shipmate magazine. Thus, we will
increase the amount of content we provide in
an electronic format and change the
publication schedule of
Shipmate from 10 issues a year
to eight issues in 2009. Additionally, we
will further reduce the number of
Shipmates to five issues a year
in FY 2010, beginning this summer. This new
communications strategy will result in
greater interaction with our members.
Over the past two years we have worked
closely with the Communications Committee to
determine how we can increase our
communications capabilities to reach a
broader base of alumni. The current economic
environment that is impacting all of us has
accelerated the discussions and decision
regarding
Shipmate, but our communications
will be more effective, more efficient, and
more aligned with best practices.
We have worked diligently to develop this
new strategy. The Communications Committee
has served as a sounding board for the
staff, and has validated the need for this
new strategy.
WaveTops, our electronic
newsletter, will be increased from every
other month to monthly; a “President’s Blog”
will be launched shortly; and by the end of
March we will have the capability to post
videos on
www.usna.com. We will continue to
explore emerging technology and
opportunities for “User Generated Content”
(UGC). The reduction in the number of issues
of
Shipmate to be published in 2009
is effective immediately, and we will
combine the March and April issues and post
the “donor report” online. The next issue
will be our “Summer Issue” with anticipated
home delivery of 1 July.
In order to facilitate your ability to
communicate with your class and
chapter-mates, we will enable those you
designate to upload class and chapter notes
online at your convenience. Our goal is to
enable class and chapter representatives
with the ability to upload the class/chapter
notes, pictures, and even videos that can be
shared electronically.
This decision has not been made lightly.
While these are challenging times for all of
us, there is an opportunity for us to
accelerate our communications capabilities
so that we can better serve you.
Please feel free to call me if you have any
questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Byron
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