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Alumni Pin Design Contest

December 8th, 2010

The SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association is sponsoring an Alumni Pin Design Contest again this year. The winning design will become the official Alumni Pin for the 2011 National Leadership and Skills Conference. The deadline for the pin designs to be received by the National Office is March 1, 2011. Participants must be registered alumni members. If you have any questions, please contact Niki Clausen at nclausen@skillsusa.org or call 703-737-0639.

For more information and contest guidelines, go to: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni.shtml

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Highlights

October 1st, 2010
  • On September 7, three representatives of organized labor met with us here at the national center. The thrust of the meeting was to explore ways the AFL-CIO and SkillsUSA could be working together more closely, particularly, in image building for the skilled trades and recruitment of our students into apprenticeships. As they said: “These are the people we want to hire.” Leading the meeting was Robert J. Pleasure, special assistant to the president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. He was joined by Eric L. Packard, training specialist with the UA (United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters) and our old friend, Rick Sullivan, from the Ironworkers. The meeting began with a presentation by two of our national student officers, Robin Cronbaugh, Region V vice president, and Sam Soto, college/postsecondary president.
  • The National Coordinating Council for the Career and Technical Student Organizations met in Reston, Va. on September 15. Included with the regular business meeting was a special presentation on social networking called “socialnomics.” We know that as student organizations, we have a lot to consider with social networking as a way to reach students, but also to protect our brand. It was a great presentation by ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America). Other SkillsUSA staff attended the session as well.
  • We’re working on our Vision 2020 goal of reaching one million people per year. I spoke recently with Richard Grimsley of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Rosanne White of the Technology Student Organization about marketing for Engineering Alliance (EA). PLTW has a goal of reaching into 15,000 middle and high schools by 2015. If EA takes off, SkillsUSA will be connected to those schools too.
  • On September 10, YDF member Bill Maddox of N.E.W. took a group of our staff members to a Washington Nationals baseball game, and we got to watch from the N.E.W. suite at the ballpark. Bill is looking to secure the box for next season to offer it as a SkillsUSA membership mega prize.
  • The SkillsUSA CEO Champion of the Year dinner is shaping up nicely and the pledges are coming in. The award is going to be special too. The design is based on the SkillsUSA Championships gold medallion. I’m looking forward to the presentation.
  • SkillsUSA WorldTeam is coming together as well. Our goal is to compete in 20 contests, so that means 22 students will fill out the team for 2011. We have 16 selected thus far. News releases should be going out by early October.
  • Staff reports alumni membership has now reached 17,000 and four states – New York, Texas, Maine and Ohio – have held meetings to establish state alumni associations.
  • Staff reports that the Work Force Ready System Web site had been updated and made more customer-friendly. He says several states have inquired about state purchases of assessments for both pre- and post-testing and that we’re now offering more extensive state reporting.
  • And, we just finished the Washington Leadership Training Institute (WLTI), and it was a huge success. We had about 240 people registered including 151 student leaders, 73 instructors and 12 SkillsUSA state association directors. Board President Russ Hoffbauer joined the national officers and me on visits in Washington. I’ll be reporting more extensively about WLTI next time.

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Highlights

September 15th, 2010
  • I’m pleased to report that colleges have been ordering Skill Connect Assessments to use as pre-tests this fall. That’s a promising trend. And, as school begins this year, we have 44 assessments to offer, whereas last year at this time, we had only eight. Our latest assessments include engineering technology and customer service, and they are getting a lot of attention.
  • The FY10 strategic goal for alumni membership has been well exceeded and we’re pleased to announce that our alumni membership now stands at over 17,000. Several states are working to set up state alumni associations. Having a full-time alumni coordinator is paying off! Thanks again to Air Products and Lowe’s for their support to make this milestone possible.
  • And, here’s a surprising figure: staff reported during our staff meeting on August 24 that if the 2011-12 SkillsUSA Championships Contest Projects were printed, they would run to 1,900 pages. My how we’ve grown.
  • FY10 ended on August 31, and we’re finalizing August financials and preparing for the end-of-year audit. Staff just completed inventory and auditors were here last week reviewing product numbers and sales figures.

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SkillsUSA Alumni Membership

August 15th, 2010

SkillsUSA is closing out the FY10 fiscal year and one of our important goals this year has been to grow our Alumni membership. SkillsUSA Alumni membership is free and it is open to anyone. Registered members get electronic newsletters, the online version of the magazine and other communications on a regular basis. Alumni membership is also open to your business partners, to your contest committees, judges or anyone else within your state organization. We do not sell our list or use it for any other purpose. Please help us by forwarding this message, by asking students who graduated to become SkillsUSA Alumni members, and by posting a link to the alumni join page on your state Web site.

To join Alumni, go to: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumnijoin.shtml.

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Share Your Creative Ideas for Alumni

July 15th, 2010

SkillsUSA has nearly 10 million former SkillsUSA members, and we are currently seeking new ways for those with a passion for the program to stay involved in future activities at the local, state and national levels. Many states have effective alumni programs tied to their fall leadership or spring state conference activities. Some local chapters have found useful ways to involve alumni in their programs.

If you have success stories, suggestions, or know of effective alumni engagement activities at local schools within your state, please share this information with us. We are conducting informal research and gathering ideas as we plan for FY11. You may also send ideas to Niki Clausen at nclausen@skillsusa.org or contact any committee member by e-mail using the links on the following Web page: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumnicoord.shtml.

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2010-11 Alumni Coordinating Committee

July 15th, 2010

Following the recent election, the 2010-11 Alumni Coordinating Committee has been announced:

Executive Chair: George Laubmeier, Wisc.
Executive Secretary: Alicia Brown, Colo.
Region 1 Representative: Kristen Smith, R.I.
Region 2 Representative: Steven Hawes, Ga.
Region 3 Representative: Peggy Plowman, Mich.
Region 4 Representative: Brice Harader-Pate, Okla.
Region 5 Representative: Jessica Lueck, Wash.
State Association Director Liaison: Dara Dubois, Calif.

The committee members look forward to working with their respective state association directors during the coming year. The group is working to coordinate their first conference call. To contact your regional representative, go to: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumnicoord.shtml.

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Community Service and the Awards Ceremony

June 25th, 2010

This morning, more than 500 students are heading out into the greater Kansas City area to perform community service. This year, participating students and advisors will be working on a bridge, building a mountain bike trail, installing vinyl siding and creating a community garden. This community service event is sponsored by Timberland PRO, which has partnered with us at the national conference since 2002.

Also happening this morning is the Champions 5K Run, which begins at 9 at English Landing Park. All proceeds benefit the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association.

SkillsUSA University will be wrapping up today, and the delegates will have their last meetings and cast the final ballots for the students who will represent them as national officers for the upcoming school year.

Tonight, we head back to Kemper Arena for the Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Lowe’s. We will be honored to hear from Larry Stone, president and chief operating officer of Lowe’s since 2006. The winner of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle will be announced tonight, and the new national officers will be sworn in. And of course, SkillsUSA Champions will receive their gold, silver and bronze medals.

Awards Ceremony tickets are available at the booth outside of 2103A in Bartle Hall. The cost is $10. They will also be available for purchase at Kemper Arena.

Can’t make it? You can always watch the live stream courtesy of School Video News. Details are available here: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

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Dunk Tank Reminder

June 15th, 2010

Bosch Power Tools will, once again, help raise money for the Alumni Fund by hosting a dunk tank during the 2010 SkillsUSA National Conference.

The dunk tank will operate Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Bosch outdoor exhibit area. All proceeds raised by the dunk tank will benefit the Alumni Fund. Chances cost $1 a ball or 6 balls for $5. Last year, the effort raised $1,600 for the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association.

All proceeds will be tracked by state. The state raising the most funds for the alumni will be recognized by SkillsUSA and Bosch at the August state director meeting.

We seek state directors, state officers, state trainers, national officers or others who are well known in the SkillsUSA family who can bring out a crowd to dunk them! “Dunkees” must be willing to spend an hour at the tank. All proceeds from that hour will be tracked by the dunkee’s state. Tank shifts are first-come, first-served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday. Dunkees should wear an appropriate swimsuit or clothes they do not mind getting wet. Towels will be available.

To schedule your state representative in the dunk tank, call Rebecca Langguth at Bosch at 224-232-2736 or e-mail her at Rebecca.Langguth@us.bosch.com. If you have questions for SkillsUSA on this effort, please contact Niki Clausen at 703-737-0639 or by e-mail to nclausen@skillsusa.org.

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Alumni Committee Elections Reminder

June 15th, 2010

All registered alumni members are eligible to participate in the 2010 Alumni Coordinating Committee elections. Representatives for Regions 2, 4 and Executive Chair will be elected on this ballot. Alumni members may vote for all positions online at www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumniballot.shtml. Alumni members may vote only once. Voting will be open from June 1-18, 2010.

Ballots will be counted at the 2010 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, and results will be announced on Friday, June 25, at the Annual Alumni Appreciation Luncheon at 2 p.m.

Please contact Niki Clausen at 703-737-0639 or nclausen@skillsusa.org with questions.

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Reminder: 5K Champions Run on June 25

June 1st, 2010

Sponsored by Irwin Industrial Tools, SkillsUSA will be holding the third annual 5K Champions Run in Kansas City during the National Leadership and Skills Conference. This year, the race takes place on Friday, June 25, at 9:00 a.m. at the English Landing Park in Parkville, Mo. The park is about 15 minutes from downtown.

Transportation to the park will be provided from the Convention Center at 8 a.m. (students can shuttle from hotels to the Convention Center on Friday morning and then ride a designated bus to the 5K race or use private transportation). The new day and location provides an alternative activity for students and instructors on Friday and a chance to enjoy a beautiful park in the greater Kansas City area.

Registration is $15 per person and includes a unique t-shirt. Awards will be presented to the first 300 finishers. No headphones, strollers, animals, skates or skateboards will be allowed on the racecourse. Register now to be a part of this fun event that benefits the alumni organization. For more information, please visit: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni5k.shtml.

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