Dear Cook Alumni Association Member:

As a multi-year or lifetime member of the Cook College Alumni Association we cannot thank you enough for your dedication to our school, the new School of Environmental and Biological Science, and the entire Rutgers alumni community.

As you may have heard, many changes are in place for Rutgers’ alumni programs. One significant change is that Rutgers University has requested that all the alumni associations stop collecting dues as of July 1, 2008. The Cook Alumni Association will accommodate that request and is committed to finding alternate sources of funding for the valuable programs it provides.

If you recently paid for a life or multi-year membership, we would like to provide you with the following options:

1) A refund of your membership, based on the criteria listed below.

2) Having your membership continue to support the Cook Alumni Association’s programs and services to the Cook community, including:

• Annual Outstanding Alumni and student leadership awards
• Support of School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Support of the Rutgers Gardens, the Cook History Project and other programs
• Support of Ag Field Day and Cook College Commencement
• Annual “thank you” lunch for retired faculty
• Financial and in-kind contributions for student initiatives
• Financial and in-kind contributions to scholarship programs
• Communication vehicles with alumni: email, web, printed material
• A voice at the table in Rutgers University issues and initiatives

Please contact Carol Broccoli at cookalumni@alumni.rutgers.edu for further information.

The refund request must be sent via e-mail to: cookalumni@alumni.rutgers.edu. The request must include full name, address, telephone, e-mail address and class information. You may use the “contact us” form at the upper right of this web site's home page. If you are also a member of another Rutgers University alumni association you must request a refund from that group directly.

If you choose to have the remainder of your dues donated to the Cook Alumni Association to continue its work on the George H. Cook Campus, thank you very much.  Please let us know if you would like a receipt documenting the donation.

All refund requests must be received no later than June 30, 2008.  Members who have not contacted us by this date will waive their opportunity for a refund.

Thank you very much for your support of the Cook Alumni Association.

Best wishes,

Carol Broccoli, ‘83, Treasurer

Refund Formula

The following formula has been established for refunds of life and multi-year memberships. Rutgers' 19 alumni associations researched other U.S. alumni groups that changed from a dues to non-dues program. These refunds are consistent with standards set by peer institutions.

Life member

*For life memberships paid prior to June 30, 2008:

• Prepaid life members who paid more than 5 years prior to June 30, 2008 are not eligible to receive a refund.
• Prepaid life members in the fifth year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 6.66% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid life members in the fourth year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 20% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid life members in the third year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 40% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid life members in the second year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 66.66% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid life members in the first year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 100% of the amount prepaid.

Multi-year payments

• Prepaid three-year members in the third year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 33.33% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid three-year members in the second year of membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 66.66% of the amount prepaid.
• Prepaid three-year members in the first year of such membership as of July 1, 2008 are eligible to receive refund of 100% of the amount prepaid.

The Cook Alumni Association treasurer will verify the membership status of each request based on payment records provided by Rutgers University.