March Executive Committee Meeting; March 9th 7:01-8:12pm

In attendance:

  • President: Bob Persiko
  • Treasurer: Bruce Truitt
  • Past President: Melanie Miller Foster
  • Membership Committee Chair: Daniel Foster
  • Secretary: Sarah Knorr
  • Cultural Luncheon: Shannon Holiday

Location:

  • This meeting was held via virtual method (Zoom) due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic

Topics of Discussion

Agenda

  • Minutes of January meeting – action items
    1. Executive Committee members approved February minutes with change listed above
  • President’s report
    1. Global Programs – Jennifer (if present)
      1. i) Jennifer will be moving on to another position at Penn State; Wenjie Fu will be new point of contact for Global Programs Office ([email protected])
  • Membership Committee – Daniel verbal report
  1. Membership committee meeting on third Thursday of every month
  2. Goals set during committee meeting include: membership retention, recruitment, target population, and refining membership joining process
  • Treasurer/Finance Committee – Bruce verbal report
  1. Standardization of passwords
    1. Clean up list of passwords associated with accounts
    2. Find secure location to store password document
  2. ROI on account at First Commonwealth
    1. Suggestion made to either split funds into higher yield with Commonwealth CD vs interest bearing account, or consider looking at broker account
    2. Finance committee to come up with proposal for account switching
  • Program Activities – Kieran, et al. not present
  • Public relations, website and social media – Lauren not present
  • Unfinished business:
    1. Budget for 2021
      1. i) Bruce will compile questions and comments of responses and will be sending out list via email
    2. Update on airport sign – Melanie verbal report
      1. i) Susan and Melanie are working on airport sign; considering languages to feature on sign; will be working with graphic designer to design boh a static and digital display
    3. Committee restructuring and bylaws changes – Daniel verbal report
      1. i) Motion to postpone discussion on restructuring and reorganizing to next schedule Executive Committee meeting
      2. ii) No objections, motion passed
  • New business:
    1. Digital Education programming update – Melanie verbal report
      1. i) Occurs on the third Monday of every month; provides information to international community; encourages person invitation for international community members to events
    2. WPSU digital series World Kitchen – Bruce verbal report
      1. i) A Global Connections member requesting Global Connections to promote ongoing WPSU digital series, World Kitchen
      2. ii) World Kitchen: Learn to make dishes from around the world while hearing from guest chefs about the cultures, history, and traditions each dish represents. WPSU’s new digital series, World Kitchen, is a free interactive cooking class presented on Zoom so that you can follow along to create the recipe with each guest chef.
  • iii) https://wpsu.psu.edu/digital/worldkitchen/
  • Miscellaneous

Action Items

  • Bob to find contact information for Humphrey Fellow’s program coordinator
  • Bruce and Sarah to go through password list to clean up unused accounts
  • Bruce to risk assess accounts
  • Sarah to email George re: securing password account
  • Finance Committee to draft proposal re: switching bank accounts
  • Lauren/Sarah to add Global Connections pitch to Google Drive
  • Continue to brainstorm ideas for how to celebrate Global Connections 60th anniversary, May is the month of anniversary; Shannon suggests WPSU radio announcement, newspaper announcement, and proclamation from Mayor/Borough council recognition
  • Bruce to compile list re: Budget and distribute to members

Adjournment 8:12pm