A University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication alumni is making a big career change that will affect both incoming and current students, as well as alumni. The University of Oregon Alumni Association (UOAA) has recently selected Tim Clevenger to serve as the new executive director. Clevenger will replace Dan Rodriguez, who has chosen to retire after serving as the UOAA executive director for 23 years.
Clevenger will begin assume his position beginning May 31st, which will mark a new era for the alumni association. Shortly after Clevenger’s installation, on June 10th the University will celebrate a grand opening for the new Allyn Ford and Sheryl Ramberg Ford Alumni Center. The University of Oregon, which has never had a facility for alumni, will now be able to offer more opportunities for alumni to get involved. Clevenger “will lead our team at an exciting time for the institution when alumni involvement is needed more than ever,” stated Fred Poust, the President of the UOAA Board of Directors
As a native Oregonian and a graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications, Clevenger has been an active member of the Eugene-Springfield community for many years. After working as a principal for two advertising agencies and holding a variety of leadership positions on campus, including the UO Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the Journalism Advancement Council, Clevenger has 25 years of experience to offer the University and its alumni.
With 180,000 current alumni and a new facility, Clevenger hopes to bring new ideas and opportunities to the table. He hopes to utilize his “ability to work with a variety of constituents” through his advertising agency experience with the “traditionally broad-based alumni relations,” Clevenger said. Under Clevenger, the UOAA will “target both incoming and current students and continue to work with older alumni” and “link the two by reaching out to older alumni, on a regular basis and have them partner with and help out with orientation, recruitment and develop interaction among all alumni,” stated Clevenger. He also plans to revamp alumni benefits and add a one-year free membership to students as graduation gift. In the past, Oregon alumni meetings have often consisted of tailgating events. As the new executive director, Clevenger would like to continue that Duck tradition but incorporate other, more formal events.
In addition to updating and upgrading alumni benefits, the UOAA will now work with new students. Upon entering the UO, student orientation will be now sponsored and provided by the University of Oregon Alumni Association instead of Johnson Hall. The new facility will also become the new home to the student ambassador’s offices. The Allyn Ford and Sheryl Ramberg Ford Alumni Center will also house a banquet hall, meeting offices and a public alumni database.
Oregon faculty is excited about Clevenger as an addition to the UOAA, including Dr. Michael Redding, the Vice President of University Relations: “Tim started at the UO as a student as has continues to be involved in alumni, academic and cultural endeavors on campus and in the community. He brings a wealth of perspective and leadership to our alumni engagement efforts,” said Redding.
Due to Oregon’s current low penetration of the alumni sector (low ability to reach out to and connect with alumni on an annual and continual basis), the UOAA has many exciting opportunities ahead of them. With a new, fresh outlook on ideas, new opportunities from Clevenger, and a new facility to host events, UOAA expect to see a rise in membership and involvement. With experience working with a variety of constituents, Clevenger will work to get all his Ducks in a row.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Five Practical Ways for Parents to Show Kids the Facts of Financial Responsibility
5 Practical Ways for Parents to Show Kids the
Facts of Financial Responsibility
Financial responsibility is a difficult thing to learn, especially when many real-world opportunities don’t arrive until teens head off to college or leave home and are faced with bills of their own.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, says, “It’s vital for kids to have these practical financial experiences before they have to handle these situations on their own. Parents can be instrumental in the teaching kids though everyday responsibilities.”
CreditCards.com recommends parents make time for these five skill-building experiences:
1. Buy a Family Stock: Investing is an abstract concept that may be difficult for your child to understand. To teach this idea, buy a single stock in a public company that everyone in the family knows and loves. Once children grasp the idea that if their company does well, they do well, your kids will be excited to check in and follow their gains (and losses).
2. Shop for Groceries: Taking your child to the grocery store allows them to develop a sense of what things cost. Between assembling the ingredients for pizza, sides and drinks, budgeting in tax and figuring out how to maximize nutrition for their money, your kids will get a practical lesson in both math and responsible spending.
3. Give an Allowance (and teach the 40/30/20/10 savings formula): Whether you give your kids $1 a week or $20, it’s imperative to help your kids plan where to put their money. One smart system: the 40/30/20/10 savings formula: 40% to spend, 30% toward short-term savings goals (for instance, a Smartphone for teens or a pricey Lego set for younger children) and 20% toward long-term savings goals, such as college. The last 10% goes to charity.
4. Set a Savings Goal: Children as young as 5 or 6 can imagine where they’ll be in 10 years and what might be high on their list of must-haves - perhaps a computer, a car or a college education. Help them draw a picture of one thing they think they’ll want, so when they dedicate a portion of their allowance to long-term savings, they’ll know exactly what they’re sacrificing for.
5. Give your Teen a (limited) Spending Card: While the Credit CARD Act of 2009 made it harder for people under 21 to get a credit card, it hasn’t completely kept cards off campus. It is crucial that high school students learn to handle plastic before they leave the nest. Consider loading their monthly allowances on a prepaid credit card. They’ll get the experience of swiping a card, but you won’t worry that they’ll overspend. Another option is to kids use a debit card attached to their own checking accounts. However, this option is not foolproof, and you still run the risk of over drafting and the fees that accompany it.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, is available to discuss the importance of being financially prepared for an emergency and the steps to achieving it. To arrange an interview with Woolsey, please contact Christie High at 212.871.3020, ext. 114, or email chigh@jgordonassociates.com. For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/8-money-experiences-your-kids-need-to-have-now-1279.php.
###
About CreditCards.com:
CreditCards.com, recently named a “Best Site for Managing Your Credit” by MSN Money, is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and credit card issuers together. At its free Web site, consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers from America’s leading issuers and banks and apply securely, online. CreditCards.com is also a destination site for consumers wanting to learn more about credit cards. Offering advice, news, features, statistics and tools, CreditCards.com helps consumers make smart choices about credit cards. In 2010, more than 12 million unique visitors used CreditCards.com to find the right credit card to suit their needs.
Facts of Financial Responsibility
Financial responsibility is a difficult thing to learn, especially when many real-world opportunities don’t arrive until teens head off to college or leave home and are faced with bills of their own.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, says, “It’s vital for kids to have these practical financial experiences before they have to handle these situations on their own. Parents can be instrumental in the teaching kids though everyday responsibilities.”
CreditCards.com recommends parents make time for these five skill-building experiences:
1. Buy a Family Stock: Investing is an abstract concept that may be difficult for your child to understand. To teach this idea, buy a single stock in a public company that everyone in the family knows and loves. Once children grasp the idea that if their company does well, they do well, your kids will be excited to check in and follow their gains (and losses).
2. Shop for Groceries: Taking your child to the grocery store allows them to develop a sense of what things cost. Between assembling the ingredients for pizza, sides and drinks, budgeting in tax and figuring out how to maximize nutrition for their money, your kids will get a practical lesson in both math and responsible spending.
3. Give an Allowance (and teach the 40/30/20/10 savings formula): Whether you give your kids $1 a week or $20, it’s imperative to help your kids plan where to put their money. One smart system: the 40/30/20/10 savings formula: 40% to spend, 30% toward short-term savings goals (for instance, a Smartphone for teens or a pricey Lego set for younger children) and 20% toward long-term savings goals, such as college. The last 10% goes to charity.
4. Set a Savings Goal: Children as young as 5 or 6 can imagine where they’ll be in 10 years and what might be high on their list of must-haves - perhaps a computer, a car or a college education. Help them draw a picture of one thing they think they’ll want, so when they dedicate a portion of their allowance to long-term savings, they’ll know exactly what they’re sacrificing for.
5. Give your Teen a (limited) Spending Card: While the Credit CARD Act of 2009 made it harder for people under 21 to get a credit card, it hasn’t completely kept cards off campus. It is crucial that high school students learn to handle plastic before they leave the nest. Consider loading their monthly allowances on a prepaid credit card. They’ll get the experience of swiping a card, but you won’t worry that they’ll overspend. Another option is to kids use a debit card attached to their own checking accounts. However, this option is not foolproof, and you still run the risk of over drafting and the fees that accompany it.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, is available to discuss the importance of being financially prepared for an emergency and the steps to achieving it. To arrange an interview with Woolsey, please contact Christie High at 212.871.3020, ext. 114, or email chigh@jgordonassociates.com. For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/8-money-experiences-your-kids-need-to-have-now-1279.php.
###
About CreditCards.com:
CreditCards.com, recently named a “Best Site for Managing Your Credit” by MSN Money, is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and credit card issuers together. At its free Web site, consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers from America’s leading issuers and banks and apply securely, online. CreditCards.com is also a destination site for consumers wanting to learn more about credit cards. Offering advice, news, features, statistics and tools, CreditCards.com helps consumers make smart choices about credit cards. In 2010, more than 12 million unique visitors used CreditCards.com to find the right credit card to suit their needs.
Eight Ways To Be Prepared For A Natural Disaster
The experts at CreditCards.com offer steps to avoid financial crisis during an emergency situation
Recent events in the northeast, including Hurricane Irene and a ground rattling earthquake centered in Virginia, provoked many people to question their preparedness for a natural disaster in more ways than one.
According to CreditCards.com it is important to have access to money or credit cards in the event that an emergency should occur. Experts strongly suggest each household take the following steps prior to the occurrence of unexpected disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes or other natural disasters:
1. Keep some cash handy.
Have some emergency cash or travelers checks set aside in a safe, secure place. How much you need depends on your family's circumstances, but a few hundred dollars may be a good start. It should be easily accessible. Remember that banks and ATMs may be inaccessible if there are power outages, curfews or mandatory evacuations. Be careful with that cash, and put it back in the bank once the danger passes, because if it's lost or stolen, your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover only a limited amount.
2. List account numbers, institution phone numbers.
Keep a log of account numbers and toll-free telephone numbers for all of your banks, credit unions and lending institutions for credit cards and mortgage and car loans. You can make photocopies of the front and back of the cards or type up a list and e-mail it to yourself. This information should be kept in a secure but accessible place. The Federal Trade Commission has more tips to help keep financial documents up to date and portable for emergencies.
3. Flood-proof important papers.
Place photocopies of important documents in a plastic bag and double wrap them to protect against water damage. Consider putting them in a safe deposit box.
4. Use cell phone and email as backup record-keepers.
Save the toll-free telephone numbers to your credit card issuers in your cell phone contact list or email the list to yourself in an encrypted, password-protected file. If cards are lost or stolen, you will be able to quickly alert credit card companies. But beware: Cell phones and Internet access may be limited or completely shut down following a disaster. Don't make them your only recourse for retrieving your information.
5. Create a fire-safe records box.
Place important financial documents in a fire-safe box, but keep in mind that if mandatory evacuations are ordered and your neighborhood is inaccessible for any reason, you may not be able to get to the box.
6. Spread the wealth.
Don't give all of the credit cards and checkbooks to one family member. If you are separated for any reason, the other person may be stranded.
7. Set aside emergency-only credit card.
Designate one credit card for emergency use only. It should have enough available credit to accommodate purchases of food and supplies for a week or more. Making purchases on a credit card will help you document disaster-related expenses, which may be reimbursed by your insurance company or other assistance program. If you don't use this card very often, you may want to call the credit card issuer and let them know you will be using the card. Making several large purchases on a card that has been inactive or suddenly making transactions in a location away from your home may trigger a fraud alert and a freeze on the account.
8. Inform card issuers in advance, if possible.
Call the credit card issuers and alert them that you may be inaccessible and give them alternative numbers where you can be reached. Ask about your available credit limit and if you can increase it during the crisis, have late fees and finance charges waived temporarily or work out alternative payment plans.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, is available to discuss the importance of being financially prepared for an emergency and the steps to achieving it. To arrange an interview with Woolsey, please contact Christie High at 212.871.3020, ext. 114, or email chigh@jgordonassociates.com.
###
About Ben Woolsey/CreditCards.com:
Ben Woolsey is Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com and offers a perspective gained from a 20-year financial services career. Woolsey has been involved in the design of rewards programs and marketing both consumer and business credit cards for several of the nation's largest issuers.
About CreditCards.com:
CreditCards.com, recently named a “Best Site for Managing Your Credit” by MSN Money, is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and credit card issuers together. At its free Web site, consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers from America’s leading issuers and banks and apply securely, online. CreditCards.com is also a destination site for consumers wanting to learn more about credit cards. Offering advice, news, features, statistics and tools, CreditCards.com helps consumers make smart choices about credit cards. In 2010, more than 12 million unique visitors used CreditCards.com to find the right credit card to suit their needs.
Recent events in the northeast, including Hurricane Irene and a ground rattling earthquake centered in Virginia, provoked many people to question their preparedness for a natural disaster in more ways than one.
According to CreditCards.com it is important to have access to money or credit cards in the event that an emergency should occur. Experts strongly suggest each household take the following steps prior to the occurrence of unexpected disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes or other natural disasters:
1. Keep some cash handy.
Have some emergency cash or travelers checks set aside in a safe, secure place. How much you need depends on your family's circumstances, but a few hundred dollars may be a good start. It should be easily accessible. Remember that banks and ATMs may be inaccessible if there are power outages, curfews or mandatory evacuations. Be careful with that cash, and put it back in the bank once the danger passes, because if it's lost or stolen, your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover only a limited amount.
2. List account numbers, institution phone numbers.
Keep a log of account numbers and toll-free telephone numbers for all of your banks, credit unions and lending institutions for credit cards and mortgage and car loans. You can make photocopies of the front and back of the cards or type up a list and e-mail it to yourself. This information should be kept in a secure but accessible place. The Federal Trade Commission has more tips to help keep financial documents up to date and portable for emergencies.
3. Flood-proof important papers.
Place photocopies of important documents in a plastic bag and double wrap them to protect against water damage. Consider putting them in a safe deposit box.
4. Use cell phone and email as backup record-keepers.
Save the toll-free telephone numbers to your credit card issuers in your cell phone contact list or email the list to yourself in an encrypted, password-protected file. If cards are lost or stolen, you will be able to quickly alert credit card companies. But beware: Cell phones and Internet access may be limited or completely shut down following a disaster. Don't make them your only recourse for retrieving your information.
5. Create a fire-safe records box.
Place important financial documents in a fire-safe box, but keep in mind that if mandatory evacuations are ordered and your neighborhood is inaccessible for any reason, you may not be able to get to the box.
6. Spread the wealth.
Don't give all of the credit cards and checkbooks to one family member. If you are separated for any reason, the other person may be stranded.
7. Set aside emergency-only credit card.
Designate one credit card for emergency use only. It should have enough available credit to accommodate purchases of food and supplies for a week or more. Making purchases on a credit card will help you document disaster-related expenses, which may be reimbursed by your insurance company or other assistance program. If you don't use this card very often, you may want to call the credit card issuer and let them know you will be using the card. Making several large purchases on a card that has been inactive or suddenly making transactions in a location away from your home may trigger a fraud alert and a freeze on the account.
8. Inform card issuers in advance, if possible.
Call the credit card issuers and alert them that you may be inaccessible and give them alternative numbers where you can be reached. Ask about your available credit limit and if you can increase it during the crisis, have late fees and finance charges waived temporarily or work out alternative payment plans.
Ben Woolsey, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com, is available to discuss the importance of being financially prepared for an emergency and the steps to achieving it. To arrange an interview with Woolsey, please contact Christie High at 212.871.3020, ext. 114, or email chigh@jgordonassociates.com.
###
About Ben Woolsey/CreditCards.com:
Ben Woolsey is Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for CreditCards.com and offers a perspective gained from a 20-year financial services career. Woolsey has been involved in the design of rewards programs and marketing both consumer and business credit cards for several of the nation's largest issuers.
About CreditCards.com:
CreditCards.com, recently named a “Best Site for Managing Your Credit” by MSN Money, is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and credit card issuers together. At its free Web site, consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers from America’s leading issuers and banks and apply securely, online. CreditCards.com is also a destination site for consumers wanting to learn more about credit cards. Offering advice, news, features, statistics and tools, CreditCards.com helps consumers make smart choices about credit cards. In 2010, more than 12 million unique visitors used CreditCards.com to find the right credit card to suit their needs.
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