The New Mexico Tech Alumni Association Story

Becoming an Active Advocate in Alumni Affairs

Whether they are the graduating class of 1951 or the class of 2015, a common bond among Techies is
that attending New Mexico Tech (Tech) was a challenging, and some would say bone breaking,
experience. The curriculum was difficult, the professors were tough, and at times the school
administration came across as adversarial. Those perceptions give Techies a common bond and shared
experience that ties us together.

The trials faced over the years by the New Mexico Tech Alumni Association (NMTAA) tend to echo
those of its Tech alumni. The Associations Board of Directors can only be Techies. The voting
members of the Association can only be Techies. The Association and its members share and recognize
the common bond that makes us Techies. This is the NMTAA story and the story of its Techies.

The Early Years

The original NMTAA formed in the 1950s, but little is know about it. By the 1970s, New Mexico Tech
used it as a tool to encourage higher enrollment, draw qualified faculty and staff members, and help
with the organization of annual alumni and other special events, including the annual 49ers
homecoming celebration.

The early alumni association was formed as an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization for the
purpose of holding a club liquor license, allowing Tech to use the Association for holding fundraising
and other events. Originally as an arm of Techs Office of Publications, it was used as a marketing tool
and to recruit students. Techs Admissions Office held alumni receptions in cities like Denver, Houston,
San Diego, Seattle, and Huntington Beach in the homes of alumni. No monies were allocated by Tech
for alumni receptions, with food and drinks provided by alumni.

Alumnus Tom Dillon (Class 75) served on the Association Board of Directors during the 1980s,
recalling that the officers only participated in a couple of events each year. One year, Tom spoke during
commencement ceremonies along with then U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici. They [Tech] gave us
meaningful platforms to talk to students, Tom recalled. However, the Associations Board of Directors
had no stake, control or accountability for monies received from or on behalf of its alumni.

With the opening of Macey Center in 1982 and the organization of the New Mexico Tech Club, Tech
moved the liquor license it used for fundraising away from NMTAA. Tom recalled, They [Tech] no
longer really needed the alumni association, and because they didnt really need it, they didnt pay
attention to it and then it died. In 2001, Tech chose not to file a required state tax registration form for
NMTAA and the IRS suspended the Associations 501(c)(3) status.

The organization became inactive as a recruiting tool of Tech and eventually existed in name only.
Membership dues occasionally came in and were deposited in a fund at Tech.

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A Renewed NMTAA
On September 11, 2001, Tech graduate Victor J. Saracini was killed while piloting the hijacked aircraft
United Airlines Flight 175 that was forced to crash into the second tower of the World Trade Center
(read more: United Airlines Flight 175).

Soon after, Saracinis former roommate Geza Keller (Class 76) and Tom Dillon proposed creating the
Victor J. Saracini Memorial Scholarship to help students like Victor, who experience financial hardship
while attending Tech. To launch the fund in 2006, alumni raised the $15,000 needed to establish an
initial endowment for it. The NMTAA was a natural choice of an organization to sponsor and manage
the truly alumni-based effort.

New Mexico Tech also found new use for the Association. As part of a five-year strategic plan, the
Tech Office for Advancement was challenged to create a viable alumni association and use it as a
source for financial donations. The renewed NMTAA began in 2007 with nine members on the Board
of Directors, including five elected officers and four members selected by New Mexico Tech.

The Association struggled from 2007 2009 to establish governing bylaws and to develop resources
for communicating with alumni. Tech representation on the Board of Directors frequently changed.
Although Tech considered the Association to be part of the Tech Office for Advancement, funds were
not allocated for Association operations. Citing budgetary constraints, Tech stopped providing
teleconference capacity for board meetings and never developed a website for NMTAA or email
address access for use by alumni.

While progress during this period was difficult, the Association made significant advances:
In 2007, the first draft of NMTAA bylaws was created and approved.
The Association obtained temporary teleconference lines donated by Conoco-Phillips; a
permanent third-party provider was established by 2008.
The first NMTAA social gathering took place in 2008, with donated food, at the home of Judy
Lovelace, an Association supporter and daughter of Tech graduate Carl A. Oliver (Class 41). It
was attended by 75 alumni.
The Association began holding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) during 49ers as an
opportunity for alumni and their supporters to communicate directly.
The NMTAA gradually became involved in 49ers events, a trend that continues
to today.
The Association negotiated with Tech to provide each student with a campus
.edu email.
In 2009, the Association created an endowment fund from contributions by the classes of 1975
and 1976 to finance operations of the NMTAA.

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Music Brings Alumni and Students Together
In 2012, NMTAA launched what has become an annual fundraising and musical event around the
Victor Saracini Memorial Endowment Fund, held during 49ers.

Seeing how popular the annual performances by the Vigilantes band had been for alumni and students
for the past 35 years, the Association worked to expand the musical participation of other alumni and
students as a way to bring more alumni to 49ers festivities each year and to help foster some of the
relationships that alumni enjoyed during their time at Tech.

In 2013, the Association began planning and funding two musical events during 49ers at Old Town
Bistro. That year, the second night was a Bob Dylan tribute.

With the retirement of the Vigilantes in 2016, the Association worked to identify new music groups for
49ers 2017 and carry on this beloved 49ers tradition. It has been one of the few events to survive the
Tech administrative curtailment of high-spirited 49ers activities that were once a hallmark of the 70s,
80s, and early 90s.

The Time for an Independent Alumni Association

The NMTAA bylaws established structure for the organization, but raised disagreement between
NMTAA alumni and Tech regarding the Associations purpose. As part of Techs Office for
Advancement, the Board of Directors was an advisory entity only, with no control over the monies
donated by alumni that were intended for alumni or Association activities.

The Associations Board believed in a purpose that focused on bringing alumni, students, and Tech
together for the common purpose of supporting alumni interests. Board actions to incorporate this
vision into NMTAA bylaws and act on them met resistance from Techs representatives on the Board
and from the Tech administration itself. Requests to access a Tech alumni database for contact
information were declined, although at the time NMTAA was a part of Techs Office for Advancement.
The Associations officers realized that they would be unable to make a significant impact in service to
alumni under that structural arrangement.

The NMTAA moved in 2009, after lengthy research of and consultation with similar national alumni
organizations, to re-establish its 501(c)(3) status as an independent legal entity, separate from New
Mexico Tech. In line with the Boards move toward independence, the Association adopted new bylaws
in 2011, which changed its purpose from simply an advisory board to a corporate form, giving the
Association Board a stronger legal status to engage the university and represent alumni interests.

The NMTAA Story 3

The NMTAA drafted a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to define the working relationship between
the Association and Tech, to continue as a separate organization that still worked closely with Tech for
its alumni. However, frequent changes in Tech administration personnel caused agreement on MOA
provisions to falter. Consultants used by Tech to audit the university in 2012 recommended an inclusive
and growth-oriented relationship with NMTAA, but Tech repeatedly declined to sign any MOA, citing
concerns over possible fundraising conflicts. Tech also cited perceived issues it might have with a not-
for-profit corporate entity given certain provisions in the New Mexico State Constitution. Yet, as
NMTAA moved closer to becoming a separate legal entity by 2014, efforts to reach agreement on the
MOA renewed.

On May 9, 2014, NMTAA Board President John Dowdle (Class 60) and Tech President Dr. Dan Lopez
formally signed an MOA. The primary tenets of the agreement aimed at promoting the Alumni
Associations vision to become a self-governing, self-determining and separately incorporated legal
entity. The MOA is the current basis under which NMTAA and Tech jointly develop priorities, goals,
and actions. (Visit the NMTAA website for the MOA document.)

The New Mexico Tech Alumni Association (NMTAA) on July 14, 2014 proudly re-established being
an independent 501(c)(3) organization. It was no longer part of New Mexico Tech, but through an
MOA signed by both parties, groundwork was laid for a productive working partnership.

Doubling Down, Moving Forward

In 2015, with NMTAA established as an independent organization and a renewed partnership with Tech
under the new MOA operational agreement, Tech transferred funds of $59,158 to NMTAA control.
Tech indicated that the funds were a result of alumni membership dues and contributions that had
accumulated over the years when NMTAA was part of Tech but inactive. The Association was
unwilling to use the funds until written confirmation was provided by Tech (following a Tech financial
audit in 2017) that indicated the funds belonged to NMTAA. In 2017, the Association invested the
funds in interest-bearing accounts for Association use in activities to benefit its members. The audit
also identified that the Alumni Lifetime Scholarship Fund held by Tech contained more funds than
previously known, totaling $417,149. At the request of NMTAA, Tech transferred $8,000 to the
Association which had been raised in 2008 for use in a new alumni-related endowment fund.

Dr. Stephen Wells became the latest New Mexico Tech president, following Dr. Dan Lopezs retirement
in May 2016. With renewed efforts under Dr. Wells, the Association and Tech increased joint
participation in the planning of Tech 49ers homecoming activities. Also, Tech became more open to
information sharing with the Alumni Association. To show the Associations appreciation, Geza
Kellers band, Breaking the Code, began the tradition during 49ers performances of playing a song by
Tom PettyDr. Wells favorite artistin his honor.

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In 2017, the NMTAA began significant efforts to expand its reach and services to Tech alumni. The
Association established its own database to process member dues and maintain alumni contact
information. The Association created its first official NMTAA website (visit www.nmtaa.org) to
facilitate connections among alumni. The NMTAA approved in 2017 the establishment of a travel
discount program for active members. And Tech agreed that alumni providing contact information at
Tech events would have the option to make the information also available to NMTAA.

Reviving Tech 49ers Homecoming

The Tech 49ers homecoming celebration holds a special place in the hearts of students and alumni.
However, a number of activities that celebrated the schools lively past had faded into legend by the
early 2000s.

In December 2016, representatives of Tech, the Alumni Association, and the student activities board
held the first of many meetings to plan the 49ers activities of 2017. Through the use of Association
funds and efforts for the benefit of its students and alumni, NMTAA revived several heritage events
during 49ers, sponsoring friendly competitions with cash prizes to help campus student organizations.
In cooperation with Tech clubs and Tech, NMTAA brought back to 49ers the heritage events of the
Gold Panning Contest, the Single Strike Drilling Contest, the Swedish Saw Team Event Contest, and
Jackleg Drilling Demonstration.

Each year as part of Tech 49ers, NMTAA hosts the Victor J. Saracini fundraiser and social mixer to
raise funds for the scholarship and honor select past graduating classes, hosting a dinner celebration
with live music. The Association also conducts the Annual General Meeting (AGM) during 49ers
where active members gather for a NMTAA Year in Review and to elect new Association Board of
Directors members and officers.

The Association also conducts fundraising for student scholarships and events during Tech 49ers and
throughout the year. In 2016, NMTAA raised $1,805 for the Victor J. Saracini scholarship fund. The
Association also in 2016 received an additional $3,975 in donations for general activities to benefit its
members.

NMTAAs Mission and Vision

The New Mexico Tech Alumni Association (NMTAA) exists to encourage a lifelong connection
between New Mexico Tech and its alumni and friends, to serve the interests of New Mexico Tech
alumni, and to act as the official agent of New Mexico Tech alumni. Through a variety of actions,
events, services, and communications, the Association is dedicated to strengthening the ties between
alumni and encouraging mutual support between the Institute, its alumni, and the communities the
Association serves.

The NMTAAs organizational vision is to build an organization whose mission-driven and values-
driven programs serve and foster the engagement of alumni, students, and friends with New
Mexico Tech.

The NMTAA Story 5

NMTAAs core values:
Recognition - We recognize the value of the education New Mexico Tech has provided and
share this recognition through the celebration of the individual and collective strengths and
successes of the Institute and its alumni.

Traditions - We celebrate and honor the legacy of past generations. We strive to foster and
sustain the traditions that connect our alumni while encouraging new events and experiences to
become enduring traditions. Tradition will unite and enrich Tech alumni.

Community - We are committed to developing and nurturing meaningful partnerships that

strengthen the alumni community. We advance learning, education, service and outreach to
benefit past, present, and future members of the New Mexico Tech family.

The Road Ahead

It has been a long road for the New Mexico Tech Alumni Association to go from its beginnings to the
growing organization it is today. The NMTAA began as a way for New Mexico Tech to recruit students
and has today evolved into a separate organization that instead serves its alumni and students as the
primary focus. The challenge ahead for the Association is to continue clearly differentiating itself as an
organization independent from New Mexico Tech and the Office for Advancement, which serves both
the institution and alumni. In fact, it is common for alumni to engage Tech, mistaken that it represents
the Alumni Association and its alumni, when NMTAA is actually the entity that represents Tech alumni
and advocates on behalf of alumni interests. The Associations Board of Directors will continue to
encourage Tech to partner with NMTAA in making the distinction between Tech and the Association
clear to alumni who interact with the Office for Advancement.

The alumni association will always be a partner with New Mexico Tech in its creation of the next
generation of highly talented alumni. But the Alumni Associations mission and story is broader and
ongoing. The road ahead that NMTAA has set for itself is to further develop and nurture connections
among past and present Techies while building world-wide professional networking opportunities,
scholarships and professional opportunities for students, and the local community through our common
bonds as Techies. By being a Tech alumnus you are already an important part of the NMTAA story. You
can be a bigger part in our growing story by becoming an active member, serving on the Board of
Directors, and/or volunteering your skills, time, and talents to NMTAA.

The Association Board believes that there is still much room for improvement. Even though the MOA
between the NMTAA and Tech was signed over three years ago, significant aspects of that agreement
remain unfulfilled. With the advent of Dr. Stephen Wells as President of New Mexico Tech, a renewed
spirit of cooperation and pursuit of common interests seems to be possible.

The NMTAA has come a long way from its early beginnings. It is now an organization composed of
Tech alumni, guided by Tech alumni, and intended for Tech alumni. Its ongoing mission is to
strengthen and promote the connections between Techies worldwide.

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