History, Membership, Goals and Awards

• General Alumni Association History
• Membership in the General Alumni Association
• History of Carolina Clubs
• How Carolina Clubs Serve Alumni and Our University
• Carolina Clubs Recognition Criteria
• Carolina Clubs Goals
• Outstanding Carolina Clubs Award Criteria
• Structuring Your Carolina Club

General Alumni Association History and The George Watts Hill Alumni Center

The University of North Carolina is the oldest public university in the United States.  The UNC General Alumni Association is one of the oldest organizations formed to link former students to their University.

Convened by Governor Morehead in 1843, 31 graduates gathered in Chapel Hill at Commencement and began plans for an alumni organization.  Their goals still apply today:

• Perpetuate the friendships formed in collegiate years,
• Promote the welfare of our alma mater, and
• Promote the cause of education.

In the early 1900s, a permanent Alumni Office in Chapel Hill and the Alumni Review magazine were established.  Dan Grant '21 served as the first full-time Alumni Secretary.  Spike Saunders '25 ran both the Alumni Office and the Review for 43 years.  Clarence Whitefield '44 succeeded Spike and led the General Alumni Association from 1970 - 1982.  Doug Dibbert '70 came back to Chapel Hill to lead the General Alumni Association in 1982 and continues as its president today.

In 1993, the General Alumni Association moved into offices in the new George Watts Hill Alumni Center.  The Alumni Center was made possible by a $3.5 million challenge gift from George Watts Hill '22 and donations from more than 14,000 Carolina alumni, faculty, staff and friends.  The Center's opening came just in time to celebrate the General Alumni Association's 150th anniversary and the University's bicentennial celebration in 1993-94.

Alumni should think of the beautiful George Watts Hill Alumni Center as their home in Chapel Hill.  The Alumni Center has meeting rooms, a library, and memorabilia for alumni to enjoy.  The Alumni Center also houses The Carolina Club, an alumni-faculty-staff membership dining club, which all General Alumni Association members are welcome to join.

What the General Alumni Association is and is not
The General Alumni Association is a non-profit organization founded to support the University, foster alumni fellowship, and provide information and activities.  The General Alumni Association is supported by membership contributions and does not solicit gifts for the University or for General Alumni Association operations.  While advising University officials and encouraging all activities which promote the University, the General Alumni Association is not affiliated with The Carolina Fund, The Educational Foundation (Rams Club), or any other University program or foundation.

Membership in the General Alumni Association

Individual membership in the GAA is very important to the University, the GAA, and local alumni.

All GAA members receive the Carolina Alumni Review every other month. The Review contains important news and information about the University, Association programs and events, and issues and features affecting the University community, including local alumni. Membership in the Alumni Association is an important measure to the University regarding alumni participation and support, and is a benchmark used to compare Carolina with peer institutions.

The GAA is a member-supported, self-supporting organization. Members' dues contribute the largest portion of resources to the GAA year after year. Members' dues allow the Association to fund support for local clubs, including printing, training and development, resources and staff support. Members' dues also provide support for all the many other important GAA programs including student programs, athletic events, reunions, career services, young alumni programming, online services and the Carolina Alumni Review.

In addition to the news about Club events and activities in the Review, GAA members receive substantial discounts on GAA programs and events, and enjoy many other member benefits. Only GAA members have access to TarNation -- the GAA's Online Alumni Directory.

Please encourage alumni in your area to consider GAA membership to support the University and the GAA, and reap the rewards of GAA membership. Carolina Clubs can provide assistance in our membership development through these efforts:

• At club events, have membership applications prominently displayed and arrange in advance for someone from your area to make remarks during the program to encourage non-members to join.  Membership application forms will be provided by the GAA at your request.  Copies of the Carolina Alumni Review or other GAA program brochures can also be supplied.
• Provide space for a GAA membership appeal in your club communications, whenever possible. 
• If a club event has limited participation, consider offering attendance first to GAA members.

Carolina Clubs who demonstrate an active effort to help the General Alumni Association increase membership in their areas become eligible for matching scholarship funds.  (See section on Student Scholarships for more details.) 

History of Carolina Clubs

The founding of local UNC alumni clubs began around 1890.  From the 1889 alumni meeting in Chapel Hill celebrating the Centennial of the chartering of the University there went out a call for the formation of branch alumni associations in areas where there were significant numbers of alumni.  This meeting resulted in the immediate organization of a small number of clubs.  Some of these flourished for a short period and died away to be reorganized at intervals in succeeding years.  However, from 1899 to 1922, there was no comprehensive effort made to start and maintain local clubs.  The organization of local clubs was put on hold until the opening of the Central Alumni Office in 1922.

From 1922 to 1972, clubs were formed in selected areas where there were large concentrations of alumni, but by 1970 only seven active clubs remained.  In the 1970s, with a significant expansion effort, the number of clubs grew from seven to more than 100.  The General Alumni Association has remained committed to maintaining the expanded clubs program ever since.

As the number of clubs and their activities expanded, the General Alumni Association recognized the need for increased staff support as well.  Today, two full-time staff members are available to offer guidance and support for Carolina Clubs.

The General Alumni Association currently recognizes approximately 110 active clubs throughout North Carolina and the world.  Approximately 65% of all Carolina alumni with known addresses live in an area served by a Carolina Club.

How Carolina Clubs Serve Alumni and Our University

Carolina Clubs can be found across the U.S. and around the world, with a mission to inform and involve alumni, parents and friends in the life of the University, regardless of location. The Carolina Clubs program is sponsored by the General Alumni Association, with membership open to anyone seeking closer ties to the University.

Carolina Clubs serve alumni by:

• Providing opportunities for alumni to socialize and network through social and service events and activities in their own communities.
• Helping alumni stay connected to their alma mater by keeping alumni informed about major events at our University or simply by providing the opportunity for alumni to share their memories of their years at Carolina.
• Providing enrichment or educational programs that provide life-long learning opportunities for alumni.

Carolina Clubs serve our University by:

• Helping alumni stay involved with their alma mater.
• Providing feedback to our University through the General Alumni Association.
• Serving as ambassadors of the University to their local communities.
• Helping enhance students' experiences with Carolina by hosting local admissions receptions and/or send-off receptions.  Clubs also occasionally provide funds for student scholarships.
• Helping represent our University to members of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Carolina Clubs serve the General Alumni Association by:

• Encouraging membership in the General Alumni Association.  The General Alumni Association exists to serve our membership and support our University.  Therefore, clubs serve alumni and our University by encouraging membership in the General Alumni Association.
  

The following are the basic criteria that each club must meet in order to be recognized by the General Alumni Association.  These criteria ensure that each club serves the best interests of its local alumni, our University, and the UNC General Alumni Association.

To be recognized as an official Carolina Club and to receive all service provided therein, a club shall:

• Demonstrate that it is formed to promote the interests of The University of North Carolina and its alumni by maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Conduct itself in a manner consistent with the goals and objectives of the General Alumni Association and the high standards of the University.
• Extend membership to include any alumnus or friend of the University and hold all events in facilities where all alumni and friends are welcome on an equal basis.
• Submit an Annual Report (provided by the GAA) on or before the date prescribed by the Coordinator of Alumni Clubs. 
• Elect or select a Club Chair or Leader to serve as the main representative of the club to the General Alumni Association.
• Ensure that all club leaders and members of club committees are members of the General Alumni Association.
• Inform the General Alumni Association of all club-sponsored events and submit an evaluation/attendance count after each event.
• Remain in good financial standing with the General Alumni Association and with any person or organization with which the club does business.

NOTE:  Final determination as to the eligibility of a club for recognition rests with the Board of Directors of the General Alumni Association.

Carolina Clubs Goals

Each Carolina Club should focus on attaining all of the goals listed below.

• To encourage alumni and friends of UNC to continue an interest in the University.
• To provide opportunities for social and business networking among alumni and friends of the University.
• To provide continuing education/enrichment experiences for alumni and friends of the University, including showcasing our faculty, administrators and athletic programs.
• To inform alumni and friends of UNC about challenges and opportunities facing the University.
• To provide alumni and friends of UNC with an opportunity to offer ideas back to the University.
• To encourage alumni to become members of the General Alumni Association.
• To provide scholarships and other support to UNC students from the local area, and to encourage local admitted students to attend the University.
• To sponsor community service activities (participation in Tar Heel Service Days  is now a requirement for consideration for an Outstanding Club Award that reflect positively on the University.
• To influence legislators on issues of concern to the University when appropriate.

Outstanding Carolina Clubs Awards and Awards of Excellence Criteria

The Clubs Committee of the GAA Board of Directors selects those clubs which merit "Outstanding" status based on each club's performance in the categories listed below.  Expectations in each category vary by the number of alumni within a club's area and by the club's maturity under existing volunteer leadership.  There is no limit as to the number of outstanding awards that can be awarded.* In 2003, Awards of Excellence were introduced. These are awards in the specific categories of GAA Membership, Volunteer Recruitment and Retention, Student Contact and Community Service. These awards are based on yearlong efforts as observed by the GAA and from input on self-nomination forms included in Annual Reports.

* To be considered for an outstanding award, each club must return their Annual Report by the due date as directed by the General Alumni Association.

Events

• Total number of events (in relation to the number of alumni in their area)
• Variety of events, any "extraordinary" events
• **Number and variety of events must be appropriate to size of area.

Student & University Service

• Admissions Reception
• Send-off Reception
• Student Scholarship

Financial

• Financial Accountability
• Financial Strength

Leadership & Organization

• **A strong leadership committee should be in place as appropriate for size of Club.

Communications

• Newsletters/Notices
• E-mail and other communications
• **Club must send out at least one notice per year and must have an e-mail list to communicate regularly with alumni.

Community Service

• **Club must participate in Tar Heel Service Days to be in consideration.

Relationship with GAA

• Attendance at GAA Conference for Club Leaders
• GAA membership recruiting efforts
• General communications with the GAA
• General GAA opinion of strength of club

Structuring Your Carolina Club

Based upon the experience of our most successful clubs, we believe the most effective structure for a Carolina Club is a task-specific committee structure in which each office is limited to a two-year term in order to broaden and diversify participation on the committee.  We also strongly recommend co-leadership for large club areas.

The following is a listing of the essential positions that the General Alumni Association recommends each club fill to ensure a successful club program.  All club leaders must be current members of the General Alumni Association.  Realizing that some clubs are in areas where there are more alumni, the list continues with those positions the General Alumni Association believes are essential for a larger club program.  You will find specific job descriptions on the following pages.

Essential Positions:

• Chair
• Co-Chair or Chair Elect
• Treasurer

Highly Recommended Positions:

• Coordinator of Programs*, or individual Event Chair (For example:
  Admissions Reception Coordinator, Speaker Event Coordinator, etc)
• Coordinator of Communications*
• Coordinator of Student Involvement*
• Coordinator of Membership*
• For areas with more than 1000 alumni:
  Coordinator of Young Alumni Activities*

*Could also be chairs of sub-committees