Mission Statement:

To provide a means by which alumni of the baseball program of Rice University are able to remain connected to the players with whom they once played, to the program for which they once played, and the university they once attended. The Organization seeks to provide an infrastructure through which alumni of the baseball program of Rice University are able to advance one another professionally as well as the program financially and in local and national recognition.

Vision Statment and Progress Report

Six Step Process

Step One: Establish RUBPA as sub-group of Alumni Association

Reasons

ü Maintain autonomy from Athletic Department.

ü Highlight that we are an Association of former student-athletes.

ü Secure 501(c)3 status through greater Alumni Association so as to eliminate tax concerns for individuals and corporations.

Step Two: Launch www.rubpa.com

Features

ü Updates of RUBPA events and meetings as well as forum for dissemination of relevant information.

ü Password protected database of former players’ contact information.

ü Calendar of University, athletic and Association events.

ü Periodic spotlights and biographies of former players.

ü Pertinent links, including a links to statistics of all former Owls currently playing professionally.

Step Three: Host Alumni-centered events

ü Continue to build Alumni database by proving value of Association and its ability to fulfill mission statement.

• We have 200 registered members of an estimated 350 living Rice Baseball Alumni.

ü All proceeds above and beyond cost going to Association in order to fund Step Six (along with other fundraising efforts).

ü Guarantee proceeds strictly for benefit of Rice baseball whether through RUBPA, RBI Club or other organization.

Step Four: Assume control of biennial Alumni Game

Improvements

ü Print Alumni Game program with messages from Association, RBI Club, baseball program, etc. directed to Association membership.

ü Take steps to ensure day is focused solely on Association membership, i.e. former players.

ü Generate greater community interest.

ü Host post-game Association-only dinner in keeping with bullet point 2 above.

Step Five: Gain significant voice in University affairs

Explanation

• Association will be the largest sub-group of the Alumni Association. The next time a McKinsey Report comes along the Association will be the voice of the program’s alumni.
• Through shear involvement gain voice in coaching hires (Coach Graham cannot coach forever) and athletic department organization/staffing, guaranteeing all these years of hard work are not wasted by institutional changes.

Step Six: Make program self-sustaining

How

• Grow the membership of the Rice Baseball Insiders Club so that the operating budget of the program is never at the mercy of University or Athletic Department budgeting.
• Raise funds to endow all 11.7 scholarships.
  • Per Office of Development: a $50,000 gift provides $2,000 per year in scholarship in perpetuity.
  • Per www.rice.edu: 2006-2007 cost of attendance at Rice is $38,914.
  • At these costs and assumptions: RUBPA will raise $11.7million to fully fund all 11.7 scholarships.
    • Adjustments to these numbers will be made as needed.

Goals

Year One: Get it off the ground

ü Establish RUBPA as subset of greater Alumni Association (Winter 2005).

ü Organize structure of RUBPA (Spring 2006).

ü Recruit original board members (Spring 2006).

ü Fund website development and design (Summer 2006).

ü Launch website (October 2006).

ü Host first series of events.

o Suite at Minute Maid Park for Rice vs. Baylor baseball game 2007 (February 2007).

• Host crawfish boil for Saturday game of home C-USA series with Tulane (May 2007).
• Host tailgate tent outside Reckling Park for Rice vs. Texas A&M Super-Regional NCAA tournament (June 2007).

Year Two: Grow RUPBA

ü Host Alumni Game for first time (February 2008).

• Register every living former Rice University baseball player in RUBPA.
• Begin process of endowing 11.7 scholarships.

Year Ten: Complete Step Six