CSU is looking for someone to show them the way.
The Vice President for Development and University Relations
position, filled by interim vice president Kathleen Henry since
October 2003, is critical to CSU’s leadership actions and
ambitions, said Lance Perryman, dean of the College of Veterinary
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and head of the search
committee.
“This is a key leadership position for the university,” Perryman
said. “Our goal in this search process is to find the right person
for the job and move as quickly as possible, in that order.”
The person placed in this position is responsible for
fundraising, alumni relations, communications, marketing and public
relations.
“It’s a very important job,” said Tom Milligan, spokesperson for
CSU and member of the search committee. “If you look at what’s
going on in higher education, it’s critically important that
Colorado State continues to build and serve private support.”
Each of the three candidates for this position visited CSU to
hold interviews and open forums.
Following the interviews, Perryman said CSU President Larry
Penley should have a tough decision to make when selecting the
person for the position.
“I’m very pleased with all three candidates,” Perryman said.
“All three candidates have done well.”
Mark Lindemood is currently the vice chancellor for
institutional advancement and chief operating officer of the Texas
Tech Foundation for the Texas Tech University System in Lubbock,
Texas.
Lindemood highlighted his passion for building alumni
relations.
“At the end of the day you would hope Colorado State alumni
throughout the world would be able to advocate the academic
richness of Colorado State,” he said.
In his tentative plans for CSU, he stressed his plans to
emphasize alumni both in fundraising and developmental
activities.
“There is a tremendous interest in the alumni program,”
Lindemood said. “Texas Tech has had a very stable alumni program
for the last 25 years.”
Lindemood has worked in a variety of fields, ranging from a
Methodist Minister at a church in South Dakota to the executive
director of university development at Ball State University in
Muncie, Ind.
He said CSU’s mounting budget concerns wouldn’t be an easy
mountain to climb, but he is ready to face them.
“The challenge for Colorado State is there’s not much money
available to do developmental work,” Lindemood said. “When
resources get tight you simply can’t be all things to all
people.”
Donald Fry currently serves as director of advancement at Purdue
University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Fry said he has grand plans for CSU’s fundraising campaigns.
“It really takes a short amount of time to energize the
community and hopefully bring in a lot of money to the university,”
Fry said.
Fry referred back to his fundraising achievements at Purdue
University. He said it is important to have the right people
involved.
“You have to have individuals with the right skills that
complement the team,” Fry said.
Fry has filled many positions at Purdue, beginning with
associate professor of military science and ending up as the
director of advancement.
He said CSU’s budget problems are nothing he has not encountered
before.
“I like what I see,” Fry said. “Every public institution is
having a problem. You’re not the only school that has problems with
budgets.”
He looks forward to having an opportunity to reverse the current
budget situation.
“I’ve learned that there would be a few challenges here at
Colorado State,” Fry said. “It’s something that I thrive on.”
Stephanie Grinage currently fills the position of senior
development officer and director of development for the Arizona
State University Foundation and Office of Development at ASU in
Tempe, Ariz.
Grinage said she wanted to get a good feel for CSU’s
organizational structure before she made any recommendations.
“I would hate to just come in here and change everything,”
Grinage said. “That’s not the way I do things.”
Grinage has worked in development at ASU and many other places,
including the University of Illinois and Wichita State
University.
She wants to make sure all members of the CSU community are
actively involved in the fundraising and development process.
“Faculty members are an integral part of the process,” Grinage
said. “Connections between you and your students will be the
lifelong connections.”
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