Sigma Pi - Cornell University

Attention: This newsletter is intended for alumni and parents. If your son is attending Cornell University, he will receive a copy at the chapter house. If he has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. MU CHAPTER OF SIGMA PI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION Mu Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity P.O.Box 876 Ithaca, NY 14851-0876 Address service requested Brothers Attend Sigma Pi Leadership Conference D uring the weekend of January 6-8, Mu Chapter sent five brothers to Sigma Pi's Mid-Year Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Mo. There, the group sat in on lectures with the fraternity's national officers, participated in small group discussions with regional directors regarding the duties for each executive board position, and networked with brothers from across the country. The conference was a terrific experience, as the Mu Chapter brothers shared our best practices for our operations with other chapters and learned from the operations of the other chapters. All five brothers who attended were recently elected to serve on next year's executive board, and they are excited to implement what they learned at the Mid-Year Leadership Conference. Thank you to our alumni for enabling this experience. Fraternally, Justin Bredahl '17 The Memorial Room donor plaques. Honor a Deceased Brother with a Memorial Gift to the Educational Foundation H onor a deceased brother through a tax- deductible $5,300 gift ($5,000 gift and $300 for the plaque) to the Mu Chapter Educational Foundation in his memory. Most of the memorial plaques have been funded by groups of alumni. Mu Chapter alumni corporation, in partnership with the Educational Foundation, recently updated and added giving and scholarship-recognition plaques in the Memorial Room. There is now a wall in the Memorial Room that highlights giving to the Foundation. The centennial plaque is now hanging in the West Lounge. Please visit the Educational Foundation's website to learn more about making a memorial gift at www.musigmapifoundation.com/donate. T he Foundation's portfolio saw growth of over 20% during the 2016-17 fiscal year due to a strong performance of our investments and an increase in donor activity. The portfolio began the year at $178,693 and ended at $214,635. In addition to net contributions, the portfolio grew via investment earnings of $25,092. The portfolio returned 14.17% (net) as compared to a similarly weighted composite index return of 12.51%. We continue to maintain and diversify our holdings among liquid mutual and exchange traded funds with 65% of funds in equity (roughly 80% domestic and 20% international) and 35% in short-term fixed income and cash. One key change in the management of the Foundation's portfolio was the formation of an Investment Management Committee at the January 3, 2017, board meeting. It was established to streamline the investment strategy efforts in conjunction with Burt Hilton at Morgan Stanley and to improve the performance of the Foundation's portfolio with respect to both earnings and long- term sustainability. The committee is led by Tom Garr '76 and consists of Jarett Wait '80, Bert Harrop '61, and myself. The continued success and growth of the Foundation is dependent on the expansion of our donor base. In 2016-17, we saw the number of donations increase by more than 30%, which led to a 19% increase in donor revenue. We look forward to broadening our horizons on Sigma Pi, Cornell, and the greater Ithaca community through your support. Fraternally, Aaron Klein '12 Treasurer Foundation Experiences Financial Growth musigmapifoundation.com Sigma Pi Mu Chapter Alumni @CornellSigmaPi @CornellSigmaPi Follow Us Online l i

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