year on improvements in the early ‘90s to investing between $3 and $5 million per year over the past decade and $7 million during the past year. Even after the Club’s turnaround, long-range planning meant little more than forecasting capi- tal expenditures five years out and conducting an occasional survey of the membership to assess de- mographics and needs. Three years ago, the Club formalized the practices and procedures developed and implemented in the ‘90s to restore the Club’s vitality and sustainability and created a detailed strategic planning framework to look at least ten years ahead. This was necessary not only to keep up with the demands of an aging clubhouse, but also to ensure that the Club’s offerings continue to appeal to a changing membership. To get things started, the Club hired a consultant to develop and process the feedback from an extensive member- ship questionnaire covering a wide range of top- ics, and to facilitate heart-to-heart conversations among members of the Governance on what priorities and directions the Club should pursue. The resulting Master Plan challenged some ba-
“The only constant,” he said, “is change, and we will continue to poll our members to assess their shifting needs.” Glascock raised the interesting point that while the name of the Club is the Yale Club of New York City, its membership is not geographically confined, unlike other area-based Yale clubs and associations without clubhouses throughout the U.S. and abroad. “We’re really the Yale Club of the world,” he said, noting that the majority of members are either non-resident from other cit-
tion by about ten years, which is natural since it is a club for alumni. Over the past twenty years, the Club’s membership base has become more diverse, not only geographically, but also with greater numbers of women and minority groups, and Glascock pointed out that the Club has reached out more recently to Yale’s Shared Interest Groups, known as SIG’s, which represent alumni in various ethnic groups or who share passions such as music, entrepreneurship, or nonprofit ser- vice. Outreach efforts have also been directed at alumni of Yale Law School and the Yale School of Organization and Management, many of whom work and/or reside in the New York area. When I asked Glascock what he thought about Yale’s plans to build two new residential colleges in New Haven and expand its undergraduate population by 600-700 students, he smiled and said that a larger alumni pool would surely mean more po- tential members for the Club. I queried Glascock what the Club’s plans were for the big 100th anniversary celebra- tion of the 1915 clubhouse next year. “We’ll be
sic assumptions and identified hundreds of action items, and Glascock remarked with pride that over half of these have been fully completed. Now, the Club’s Implementation Committee oversees the execution and con- tinued refining of the Master Plan to ensure that the Club will retain its well-deserved reputa- tion for excellence and maintain its strong value and appeal for its diverse group of over 11,000 members. Some of the ongoing projects include installing sprin- klers throughout the Clubhouse to meet fire codes; replacing
starting early,” he said, “with a series of events this fall and culminating with a big cock- tail party and dinner dance in the summer of 2015. We’ve designed a new centennial logo, and we’re also printing a beautiful centennial book on the history of the Club.” The book, he explained, will be a hardcover keepsake, sold to members at a subsidized price, filled with stories and photographs documenting the rich history and remarkable evolution of both Club and clubhouse over the past cen-
tury. Before Glascock and I left the Lounge, he for a committee meeting and I to head up to the Library–where laptops are now welcomed with plentiful outlets and free Wifi–to work on some writing, I asked him if he would like to share a favorite story about the Club. “Well,” he replied, “During prohibition, establishments were forbidden from purchasing and selling alcohol, but they were allowed, after the law passed, to sell whatever they had on hand. It’s rumored, and I emphasize rumored, that the Yale Club stocked up, and stocked up so suf- ficiently, that during the 14 years prohibition was in effect, the bar here never closed.” “Well,” I replied, “the Club always has taken good care of its members.” *
the 100-year-old original motors that power the Club’s elevators to take members and their guests more quickly and comfortably from the Lobby all the way up to the Roof Dining Room on 22; a complete renovation of the Tap Room restaurant and third-floor kitchen, along with the implemen- tation of a seasonal plan for consolidated service among the Club’s restaurants to eliminate having two kitchens in operation at any time; and plans and programs to make the clubhouse and Club events more family-friendly–a desire expressed by the membership and reflective of the needs of the Club’s members with children. Glascock indicated that the Club would continue to adjust and read- just to provide members with a top tier social club where they can enjoy friendship, learning, and fun.
TOP: HISTORIC PHOTO OF YALE CLUB LOUNGE
BOTTOM: YALE CLUB, MAIN LOUNGE
ies or countries, or suburban members living in the Tri-State area, with a minority being actual New York City residents, compared to 50 years ago when this latter group largely dominated the Club. Glascock also noted that reciprocal clubs, which now number close to 100, have become a highly popular feature for Club members, en- abling them to visit and stay at clubs of similar quality in other cities and countries, while bring- ing additional business to the Yale Club from members of its reciprocal institutions. While the Club’s membership and the University’s demo- graphic are similar, Glascock explained that the Club tends to lag behind Yale’s student popula-
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