From the Nominator

"The University of Rochester’s Office of Alumni Relations launched the seven-part "Coffee or Tea with the B.O.T." virtual meeting series in March 2021. Now in its third year serving as a collaboration among our board, presidential, student activities, and career services offices, the series was designed to provide unique and strategic opportunities for undergraduate student leaders—including members of our Student Alumni Ambassador program, Students’ Association Government, Senior Giving Committee, and class councils—to engage with members of the board of trustees in intimate, small-group settings. Each hour-long session is held over Zoom and features one trustee, a student moderator, and 8-12 student attendees. Through a question-and-answer discussion, participants learn about each trustee’s background, their experience at the university, where life has taken them personally and professionally, the lessons and advice they’ve acquired, and why they’ve chosen to champion and stay involved with the institution.   

To date, the series has engaged 162 student participants (98 unique) and 15 trustees, with a goal to invite all board members over the course of the program’s lifetime. We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, including their appreciation for the intimate meeting size, candid flow of conversation, and the inspiring and often deeply personal stories and advice that is shared. The series has proven to be a simple yet effective way to connect our student leaders with the board of trustees and inspire their continued involvement as we seek to cultivate the next generation of alumni leaders at the University of Rochester."

From the Judges

This is a creative way to bring the board of trustees and their experiences to a small group of student leaders and allow them to learn from these highly regarded individuals who help shape the university landscape. It also bridges that gap between the board of trustees members and students which could have an impact on how they all view each other and the decisions that are made at the university level.