An Invitation to Apply for the Position of Vice President for Advancement
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An Invitation to Apply for the Position of Vice President for Advancement Schenectady, New York Union College, a nationally recognized, distinguished liberal arts college with a long history of engineering and computer science, seeks a motivated and strategic professional to develop and lead an ambitious development and alumni relations program though a transformative campaign and beyond. As part of its recent strategic planning efforts, the College has developed a new vision statement: “Developing every student to lead with wisdom, empathy, and courage, in ways large and small, now and across multiple tomorrows.” Union seeks a vice president who can inspire the team to tell the Union story to our alumni and friends to increase engagement and philanthropy. Founded in 1795, and located in Schenectady, New York, Union College is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the nation. As the first college to redefine the traditional liberal arts education with modern languages, science, and engineering early in its history, Union is committed to integrating the humanities and social sciences with science and engineering in new and exciting ways. It is an exciting moment at Union as Dr. David Harris joined the College as its 19th President in July 2018. President Harris has engaged the students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and Board of Trustees in an ambitious path for the next generation of the College. Based on the new vision and plan for the College, Union publicly launched Powering Union: The Campaign for Multiple Tomorrows, on February 21, 2020. To date, the campaign has raised $221 million towards a goal of $300 million, including a $51 million gift, the largest in Union’s history. Reporting to President David Harris, the vice president for advancement (VP) will oversee and influence all fundraising and alumni relations efforts across the College and successfully lead the current campaign. To this end, the VP will strengthen and transform Union’s development and alumni relations programs through the implementation of best practices, team and capacity building, and the application of data- driven outreach and fundraising strategies that will create an increasingly effective philanthropic enterprise. Union seeks a vice president who is imaginative, experienced, and capable of building and deploying a first-rate advancement operation. The VP will be the president’s principal advisor on all advancement-related matters and will serve as a key member of his senior leadership team. The successful candidate will be an accomplished individual with a track record of success as a senior advancement professional, preferably in a higher education institution. Key qualifications include: superb skills and demonstrated success in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship at major and principal Boston | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Washington, DC Union College Vice President for Advancement gift levels; significant experience managing staff and programs within a sophisticated development and alumni relations operation across all stages of a campaign life-cycle; experience developing and implementing effective fundraising and engagement strategies; demonstrated ability to build and lead diverse teams; excellent communication skills; proven ability to work effectively in a collaborative environment; and an ability to embrace the culture and values of Union College. The ideal candidate will also be able to articulate the mission and aspirations of Union College with passion and conviction, intellectually curious, and committed to active engagement in the campus and local communities. A bachelor’s degree required; an advanced degree is preferred. Union College has retained Mr. Jack Gorman of Isaacson, Miller, the national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. All inquiries, applications, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed to the search firm. UNION COLLEGE Union College is thriving, 230 years after its founding, amidst more than a decade of global technological, social, and economic transformations that are challenging all institutions in fundamental ways. A Union education is rigorous, innovative, and encourages students to work beyond the limits of disciplinary boundaries, allowing them to think globally and lead creatively in a world where problem solving requires breadth across humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering without sacrificing depth of preparation. Faculty are committed equally to the classroom and their own academic research, spurring intellectual inquiry and partnership across the college’s many disciplines. In the fall of 2018, Union began a strategic planning process to assess its current strengths and plot a course towards its future. In November 2019, the College shared The Power of Union: A Strategic Plan for Union College with the Union community. In order to achieve the college’s new vision, the strategic plan focused on two key goals: • Union will strengthen and enhance a vibrant community of learners, scholars, and teachers that blends the liberal arts and engineering, transcends disciplinary boundaries, bridges classroom and immersive experiences, and engages and embraces diverse experiences and perspectives. • Union will ensure that it has the resources required to thrive in a changing higher education landscape. Each goal is supported by specific objectives and accompanying activities that clearly delineate how the College will meet its aspirations by 2025. David Harris is the 19th President of Union College. Harris previously served as provost and senior vice president at Tufts University for six years. Prior to his time at Tufts, he served in multiple roles at Cornell University, including senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, vice provost for social sciences, deputy provost and interim provost, and the founding director of Cornell's Institute for the Social Sciences. In 2010 and 2011, he served in the Obama administration as a deputy assistant secretary in the US Department of Health and Human Services. He attended Northwestern University, where he earned a BS in human development and social policy, and a PhD in sociology. Additional information about Union College may be found in the attached addendum and online at www.union.edu Page 2 of 11 Union College Vice President for Advancement ADVANCEMENT AT UNION In order to realize its strategic plan, Union College must develop new models of financial sustainability to expand and diversify philanthropic revenue streams and engage generous donors. To that end, the College publicly launched Powering Union: The Campaign for Multiple Tomorrows on February 21, 2020. This $300 million initiative has four priorities: ensuring access; propelling the liberal arts and engineering; developing students beyond the classroom; and the Union Fund. During the campaign launch event, President Harris announced a $51 million gift from Class of 1980 graduates Rich and Mary Templeton. The gift, the largest ever for the College, will transform engineering and the liberal arts with the creation of the Templeton Institute for Engineering and Computer Science. The campaign has raised $221 million to date, and it is expected to conclude in 2023. Union’s prior campaign, You Are Union, closed in 2011 and raised $258 million. In recent years, the Union Fund achieved $4 million in unrestricted gifts, and the College has over 20,000 alumni of record. As of June 30, 2019, the College’s endowment was more than $427.6 million. Key Opportunities and Challenges for the next Vice President for Advancement The vice president for advancement will report directly to the president and serve as a member of his senior cabinet, working closely with Dr. Harris and other college leaders to identify and implement bold new philanthropic and engagement strategies. The vice president will also work closely with the campaign chairs and other key volunteers, board members, and faculty and staff to engage, educate, mentor, and otherwise support these key stakeholders in their respective fundraising efforts, ultimately resulting in a significant expansion and diversification of the principal- and major-gift donor base and increased, sustainable unrestricted philanthropic revenue for the College. The vice president is responsible for providing innovative, data-driven leadership and strategic vision over all aspects of the college’s fundraising activities and constituent relationships, including the current campaign. This individual will assess, plan, and oversee implementation of all aspects of a comprehensive program including capital campaign management, major and planned giving, the annual fund, alumni and parent engagement, donor relations, and advancement services. The vice president will also have the opportunity to evaluate and strategically realign the 43-person advancement function, as necessary, to ensure an effective and efficient infrastructure capable of supporting current and future fundraising efforts. The vice president will personally and successfully engage select prospects and donors; partner with gift officers to determine appropriate strategies and define mutually acceptable annual and multi-year performance goals; and ensure that the advancement operation effectively engages Union alumni, current and past parents, and other friends in the life of the College. The vice president’s major functions and responsibilities are as follows: