associate dean of alumni affairs and development, cornell ......fundraising, to ensure a well-...

CORNELL UNIVERSITY BACKGROUNDER | 1

Associate Dean of Alumni Affairs and Development,

Cornell College of Engineering

Cornell University Ithaca, NY

www.cornell.edu

http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/

Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:

Jill Lasman

Senior Vice President

617-262-1102

[email protected]

The Opportunity:

Based in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a

leading privately endowed research university and as

the federal land-grant institution of New York State,

Cornell University has a responsibility – unique within

the Ivy League – to make contributions in fields of

knowledge to help improve the quality of life in its

state, the nation, and the world.

Its global campus footprint in Ithaca, New York City,

Doha, Qatar and other regions across the world serves

http://www.cornell.edu/

http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/

mailto:[email protected]


21,500 students. To provide these students with the highest level of education possible, Cornell University

employs more than 9,500 faculty and staff. Its entire workforce – faculty and staff – contribute to the fabric

of the community and the possibility for building on a long and recognized tradition of alumni relations and

development excellence.

Cornell University’s College of Engineering is a

rigorous and dynamic intellectual community that

plays an important role in the interdisciplinary life

of a uniquely broad and renowned research-

intensive university.

According to Cornell College of Engineering Dean

Lance Collins, “Our goals for the next decade will

propel Cornell Engineering to the forefront of

education and research in Engineering and a

position among the top-five best engineering

schools in the United States.”

The incoming Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs and Development is a seasoned and strategic advancement

professional, who will serve as the primary thought partner to Dean Collins, a visionary and accomplished

academic leader, who is also an unrelenting fundraiser.

Working at one of the top engineering schools in the country, which is also one of the highest-performing

fundraising units at Cornell University, the Associate Dean will provide strategic direction to a team of eight,

with particular focus on high-level gift solicitations. In addition to managing his/her own portfolio of top

prospects, the Associate Dean is an internal collaborator who will sustain strong and critical relationships

with the central advancement team, including the principal gifts team.

Advancement professionals who bring an understanding and appreciation of engineering, science, and

medical research, coupled with management experience and a track record of closing principal gifts, will

thrive working with one of the best constituencies at Cornell University.


Cornell University

Overview:

Cornell is an innovative, Ivy League university and the land-

grant university for New York State. Cornell's mission is to

discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge; produce

creative work; and promote a culture of broad inquiry

throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell

also aims, through public service, to enhance the lives

and livelihoods of its students, the people of New York,

and others around the world.

The University strives to be widely recognized as a top-ten research university in the world, and a model

university for the interweaving of liberal education and fundamental knowledge with practical education and

impact on societal and world problems.

Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the University was intended to teach and make

contributions in all fields of knowledge – from the classics to the sciences, and from the theoretical to

the applied. These ideals, unconventional for the time, are captured in Cornell's motto, a popular 1865 Ezra

Cornell quotation: "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

Cornell values the arts and humanities as well as advanced scientific and technological research.

Cornell's faculty members have a history of being intellectually diverse and entrepreneurial and "thinking

otherwise." This reflects a deep commitment to academic freedom and a belief that such freedom is

essential to creativity and innovation.

Cornell is also a university open and accessible to all who

merit entrance. Its commitment to student access has been

tested in recent years, given significant competition with peer

institutions, and Cornell has addressed this challenge

successfully with a most generous program to reduce the

costs of a Cornell education for students from families in low

income families.

Click to view the Cornell video

https://150.cornell.edu/


Among its core values, the University is committed to search for knowledge-based solutions to societal and

world problems. Public engagement is an interpretation of the University's outreach mission that

emphasizes being proactive (actively engaged) and having a public impact. It implies a broadening of the

historic land grant mission of the university.

Cornell is ranked 15th in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report National Universities ranking, and 13th globally

in an academic ranking of world universities by Academic Ranking of World Universities in 2015, and hosts

many top ranking academic programs.


This is a most exciting time to be in the College

of Engineering at Cornell. Twenty-first century

engineering is at the epicenter of an explosion

in new knowledge. Revolutionary discoveries in

science, engineering, medicine, mathematics,

and the social sciences have not only changed

the way we interact with the world around us

but have blurred the boundaries between

academic disciplines. Engineering is the catalyst

for bringing disciplines together and pushing

forward the amazing advances made possible

by those collaborations.

The interdisciplinary approach requires depth and breadth intrinsic to Cornell and unparalleled at other

institutions. The Cornell College of Engineering is one of a constellation of Cornell colleges and schools that

make up a world-class research university. Engineering draws from and contributes to the University’s

strengths in such fields as medicine, veterinary sciences, and the life sciences, and it leverages that

excellence through twelve academic units within engineering.

The impact of first-rate research on the educational enterprise is immeasurable. Cornell’s engineering

students, immersed in this atmosphere of collaborative discovery, learn from and work with faculty members

who are pioneering new knowledge at the forefront of their fields.

Ezra Cornell sought to found an institution where “any person can find instruction in any study.” The Cornell

College of Engineering is a showcase of his vision; the breadth of its program is nationally unique.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities


The richness of Cornell’s scientific community is

enhanced by the presence of interdisciplinary

centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs in

which members come together from across the

campus to collaborate on research, teaching, and

outreach. The College of Engineering’s Duffield

Hall is one of the country’s most sophisticated

research and teaching facilities for nanoscience

and nano-engineering – continuing the College’s

preeminent leadership in the field.

Faculty and students also break the intellectual barriers to finding solutions at the national research centers

on campus, including the Center for Nanoscale Systems, the Cornell Center for Materials Research, the

Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, the Cornell Nanoscale Facility, the Cornell Theory Center, and the

Nanobiotechnology Center – many of which were established and are led by engineering faculty members.

The campus is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs that

support faculty research and enhance graduate and undergraduate education.

The College stands on a tradition of innovation with its roots in mechanic arts – one of the original units of

Ezra Cornell’s university. Grounded in more than a century of invention and excellence, Cornell Engineering

is committed to breaking from the past to build a better future.

Role of the Associate Dean of Alumni Affairs and Development, Cornell

College of Engineering

The Associate Dean will join and lead a team that has experienced incredibly highs, and secured historic

gifts, under the leadership of a dynamic Dean. Cornell Engineering has wisely leveraged the strengths of

Cornell Tech and is seen as a driver on campus in terms of an unprecedented fundraising run. With

Cornell’s ultimate goal of becoming the “Silicon Valley of the East,” there is no other engineering school in

the country making the transformation impact that Cornell Engineering is making; this visionary drive,

heightened by exciting and innovative endeavors, has donors realizing that now is the time to invest in

Cornell.

Furthermore, Cornell Engineering’s fundraising totals in the last 3-5 years illustrate its upward thrust. Two

schools were named at the College in the past two years in recognition of $50 million gifts. The College’s

almost $90 million in new gift commitments in FY15 set a record for the highest single year fundraising total

http://tech.cornell.edu/


by any of Cornell’s colleges. The College has the third largest alumni population of Cornell’s colleges, and

among the most philanthropically capable.

Specific Opportunities and Expectations for the Associate Dean:

The Associate Dean must be an experienced, tireless, creative and strategic fundraising professional, who

will find a strong partner in Dean Lance Collins in addition to many other faculty members of Cornell

Engineering who take fundraising very seriously.

STRATEGIC VISION:

Working in a highly innovative and entrepreneurial environment, it is not surprising that creativity is

embraced when it comes to fundraising strategies, especially relating to donors and volunteers

capable of gifts at the 8-figure plus range. The incoming Associate Dean will fashion the narrative

and serve as the primary thought partner to the Dean in maximizing relationships with alumni and

donors.

CREATE STRATEGIES, ENHANCE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRINCIPAL GIFT DONORS:

At Cornell, a principal gift is classified as a gift over $10M. It is imperative that the Associate Dean

bring a strong track record of cultivating and soliciting gifts of $1M and above, in partnership with

academic leadership, other college units, and central gift departments.

LEAD AND INSPIRE A TEAM OF HIGH PERFORMERS:

Managing a team of 8 high performers, the Associate Dean will lead by example and inspire the

team to adhere to best practice metrics, create new strategies to maximize donor relationships, and

build on momentum that will eventually lead to a $100M annual pathway. The donor pool has the

capacity to achieve this goal; the Associate Dean will create the plan to make this a reality.

HARNESS THE COLLEGE’S FULL POTENTIAL WORKING COLLABORATIVELY ACROSS CAMPUS:

Surrounded by a spirit of innovation, entrepreneurialism and passion for Cornell, the Associate Dean

will join and lead the College at the peak of its success with incredible opportunity to reach even

greater heights. The Associate Dean will continue to leverage the efforts of Cornell Tech, while

seeking increased potential in the emergence of Cornell’s campus in New York City. With the

audacious vision to be the “Silicon Valley of the East,” Cornell’s New York City presence makes this a

unique inflection point for the University and the Cornell College of Engineering.

At the core of Cornell’s ethos is a strong and longstanding culture of collaboration, seen at both the

academic and fundraising level. Commitment to a donor-centric approach is also integral to Cornell’s


fundraising success. Respecting these core principles, the Associate Dean must be a strong partner

to the central development and alumni affairs team, especially as it relates to Principal Gift

fundraising, to ensure a well- coordinated and highly donor-centric approach.

Position Overview:

The Associate Dean is responsible for planning and implementing an integrated approach to development

and alumni-relations programs that maximizes support for the College of Engineering, including ten

departments and schools. S/He will serve as chief development officer for, and manager of, the College's

alumni affairs and development program, with responsibility for securing private philanthropic support in

excess of $40 million, annually. The Associate Dean can manage his/her own portfolio while also providing

strategic vision on the overall direction of the college’s principal gift activity, major gifts work and alumni

affairs program.

Position Responsibilities:

Travel in support of College priorities, including personal cultivation and solicitation visits and events.

The Associate Dean will travel extensively with the Dean as well as with Faculty members, who are

highly engaged and committed to the fundraising process.

Initiate and execute cultivation strategies for individuals in coordination with major giving officers in

Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD), and provide direction to ensure this team is focused on

meeting Campaign goals and priorities.

Lead and oversee a staff of at least eight, who provide professional and administrative support for

the dean and department chairs, including managing the dean's and department chairs' involvement

with prospective and current donors; prioritizing their role and involvement for on-campus and off-

campus AAD related events; and preparing reports, briefings, and other materials in support of this

involvement.

Serve as a chief liaison between other staff in the Division of Alumni Affairs and Development and

the dean/chairs/faculty.

As the leader of a college-based staff team, oversee and, as needed, participate in the creation of

proposals, briefings, and dean’s letters; manage acknowledgement and stewardship processes; and

ensure adherence to division policies and best practices.

With the dean and senior members of the University Development team, set Campaign and annual

fundraising goals for the College.

In collaboration with the Associate Vice President for College Alumni Affairs and Development and

the Associate Vice President of University Alumni Affairs, develop and implement an overall strategic


plan for alumni affairs programming in support of constituency and volunteer-leadership

development.

Oversee management of the College Alumni Association and its Board and, in collaboration with the

dean, the College's Advisory Council. Promote the College to internal and external constituencies.

Hire, train, mentor, manage, and evaluate staff, as well as develop and manage the annual budget.

Prepare reports and provide data for the College related to fundraising and alumni-relations

activities.

Serve as a member of the dean’s senior management committee.

Serve on division-wide committees and task forces that support the further development of the

College's and University's alumni affairs and development program.

Qualifications:

Required

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of seven to ten years of progressively responsible fundraising and

leadership experience, including individual fundraising.

Must have demonstrated supervisory, organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills (verbal

and written).

This position requires significant travel, including possible international travel.

Must have strong computer skills, which should include desktop software, databases, and networked

information systems.

Must be able to establish and maintain effective relationships on behalf of the College and

University. Must be able to motivate others, including staff, faculty, and volunteers; must be able to

work in a team-oriented environment.

Preferred

Familiarity with technical and engineering disciplines. Excellent writing skills.

Experience working in a large, complex institution or university with an engineering and/or medical

college. Experience working with high-level individuals to advance relationships that will lead to their

investment in priority areas.

Diversity and inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. It is a recognized employer and educator

valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.


Leadership – Cornell College of Engineering

Lance Collins

Dean


Lance R. Collins, professor and the S.C. Thomas Sze Director of the Sibley

School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, was named the

Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering in July 1, 2010 and began his second five-

year term in 2015.

As dean, Collins is the chief academic and administrative officer for the

College, which has about 240 faculty, 250 non-professorial academics, nearly

3,000 undergraduate and 1,400 graduate students, and about 225 staff. As a

member of Cornell's senior administration team, the dean reports to the provost and works closely with

other deans and executive officers on behalf of the University as a whole.

Collins joined Cornell in 2002, following eleven years as assistant professor, associate professor, and

professor of chemical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Since 1999, he has also held a joint

appointment in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at Penn State, and in 1998 he was a

visiting scientist at the Laboratoire de Combustion et Systemes Reactifs (a National Center for Scientific

Research laboratory in Orleans, France) and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was director of graduate

studies for aerospace engineering at Cornell from 2003 to 2005, and he served this academic year on

Cornell's Strategic Plan Advisory Council.

Collins' research combines simulation and theory to study a variety of turbulent flow processes. His work on

mechanisms of droplet breakup in turbulence was recognized with the 1997 Best Paper Award from the

American Institute of Chemical Engineers. In 2007, he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Collins earned his B.S.E. in 1981 at Princeton University, and his M.S. in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1987 at the

University of Pennsylvania, all in chemical engineering.


Division of Alumni Affairs and Development Overview

The Division of Alumni Affairs and Development

(AAD) encompasses a staff of 350 and operates with

a budget of $55 million. Led by Fred Van Sickle,

Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development

(VP), AAD is responsible for the comprehensive

engagement and fundraising programs for the

Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses. It comprises

Alumni Affairs (which includes the Cornell Annual

Fund); Principal Gifts; the fundraising teams for

Cornell Tech and Northeast Corridor; and University Development, which is led by the Senior Associate Vice

President for Alumni Affairs and Development. University Development includes the central Major Gifts

program; College-and-Unit based programs; Trusts, Estates, and Gift Planning; Leadership Gifts; Prospect

Management and Research; Communications; and Operations. Weill Cornell Medicine does not report to

this office.

With an extraordinarily loyal alumni base and deeply committed volunteers, Cornell University is considered

one of the nation’s top-performing fundraising operations, historically ranked in the top five to ten annually.

In a banner year for fundraising, Cornell raised $672.9 million in fiscal year 2015, which ended June 30,

vaulting the Cornell Now — The Campaign for Cornell above $6 billion and setting new records for dollars

raised and participation. Cash giving to the University totaled $590.6 million, surpassing its previous annual

fundraising record of $545.4 million. The Campaign, which began in 2006, concluded in December 2015.

The Campaign for Cornell was driven by several large transformational gifts. Overall, 179,000 donors made

gifts to the Campaign; of those, 685 were gifts over $1 million, including 28 gifts over $50 million. The

College of Engineering secured $505 million of the University’s overall $6.3 billion campaign, with 96 gifts of

$1 million or more, including 9 of over $10 million. This success represents almost 31,000 gifts, growing

from approximately 2,300 in 2005 to more than 3,600 in 2015.

Leadership:

Fred Van Sickle

Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development

In December 2015, Fred Van Sickle was named Vice President for

Alumni Affairs and Development.


Most recently serving as Chief Development Officer at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New

Jersey, from 2014 to 2016, Fred previously served as executive vice president for university development and

alumni relations at Columbia University, where he oversaw the completion of a seven-year, $6.1 billion

capital campaign in 2013. At the Institute for Advanced Study, he was responsible for fundraising,

constituency outreach and communications. Under his leadership the institute completed a $212 million

campaign. He joined Columbia in 2002 as deputy vice president for university development and served as

vice president from 2003-10 before being named executive vice president in 2011. Fred was a key architect

of the $6.1 billion capital campaign, one of the most successful fundraising efforts undertaken by any

university. He also oversaw creation of a five-year, integrated alumni and development “post-campaign”

plan and launched Columbia’s first Giving Day, which used social media to raise $6.8 million from 5,000

donors in one day; and developed a professional training program for internal talent.

At Cornell, Fred is responsible for a comprehensive and integrated development and alumni relations

program, working collaboratively with academic, administrative and volunteer partners to increase

philanthropic support and strengthen alumni engagement.

A career fundraiser, Fred has held positions at the University of Michigan, Lake Forest College, Princeton

University and Wesleyan University.

He earned a B.A., cum laude with distinction, in history from Lake Forest College in 1983, a Master of

Education degree from Harvard University in 1989, and a Doctor of Education degree, with distinction, from

the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Jon Denison

Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units

Appointed in November 2012, Jon Denison is the Associate Vice President for

Colleges and Units. He previously was the associate dean for external affairs at

Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, where he provided strategic direction for

alumni affairs, development, corporate affairs and communications.

Denison came to Cornell with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education. He

served as director of corporate relations and associate director of development and

alumni services at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Earlier, he served as

vice president for institutional advancement at Utica College in Utica, N.Y. Denison also held several

positions at Syracuse University, including executive director of corporate and foundation relations.


Denison holds a bachelor's degree in advertising and an associate's degree in journalism from Ferris State

University. He earned a master's degree in management science with a concentration in human resource

management at Binghamton University.

Location

Ithaca, NY:

Located on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake

in Central New York, Ithaca is a major

educational center. It has been named one of

the top 100 places to live, a top 10 recreation

city, a best green place to live, and one of the

"foodiest" towns in America. The City of

Syracuse is under an hour away, and frequent

buses to NYC allow for day trips. In 2010, the

city's population was 30,014, and the

metropolitan area had a population of 101,564.

It is also a stunningly beautiful place with great vistas, hiking and a variety of outdoor activities.

The Ithaca City School District, which encompasses Ithaca and the surrounding area, enrolls about 5,500 K-

12 students in eight elementary schools, two middle schools, Ithaca High School, and the Lehman

Alternative Community School. Several private elementary and secondary schools are located in the Ithaca

area, including the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception School, the Cascadilla School, the New Roots

Charter School, the Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School, and the Ithaca Waldorf School. Ithaca has two

networks for supporting its home-schooling families: Loving Education At Home (LEAH) and the Northern

Light Learning Center (NLLC).

The economy of Ithaca is based on education, with technology and tourism in supporting roles. As of 2006,

Ithaca has continued to have one of the few expanding economies in New York State outside New York City.

It draws commuters for work from the neighboring rural counties.

Ithaca has many of the business characteristics of small American university towns: bookstores, art house

cinemas, craft stores, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants. The collective Moosewood Restaurant, founded in

1973, published a number of vegetarian cookbooks. Bon Appetit magazine ranked it among the thirteen

most influential restaurants of the 20th century. Ithaca has many local restaurants and chains both in the city


and town with a range of ethnic foods. It has become a destination and residence for retirees, and Cornell

has programs to appeal to them.

The Ithaca Farmers Market, a cooperative with 150 vendors who live within 30 miles of Ithaca, first opened

for business on Saturdays in 1973. It is located at Steamboat Landing, where steamboats from Cayuga Lake

used to dock.

Culturally, Ithaca has much to offer. Founded in 1983, the Sciencenter, is a non-profit hands-on science

museum, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and is a member of the Association of

Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). The Museum of the

Earth is a natural history museum created in 2003 by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI). The PRI

was founded in Ithaca in 1932 and is the publisher of the oldest journal of paleontology in the western

hemisphere. Exhibits cover the 4.5 billion-year history of the earth

in an accessible manner, including interactive displays. As of 2004,

the PRI is now formally affiliated with Cornell.

The Cayuga Nature Center occupies the site of the 1914

Cayuga Preventorium, a facility for children with tuberculosis;

treatment of what was then considered an incurable disease was

based on rest and good nutrition. In 1981, the Cayuga Nature

Center was incorporated as an independent, private, non-profit educational organization, offering

environmental education to local school districts. In 2011, the PRI merged with the Cayuga Nature Center,

making it a sister organization to the Museum of the Earth.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is located in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity.

The Lab's Visitors' Center and observation areas are open to the public. Displays include a surround sound

theater, object-theater presentation, sound studio, and informational kiosks featuring bird sounds and

information.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art houses one of the finest collections of art in upstate New

York. Special exhibitions are mounted each year, plus selections from a global permanent collection, which is

displayed on six public floors. The collection includes art from throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas,

graphic arts, medallic art, and Tiffany glass, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary.


The Center for the Arts at Ithaca, Inc., operates the

"Hangar Theatre". Opened in 1975 in a renovated

municipal airport hangar, the Hangar hosts a

summer season and brings a range of theatre to

regional audiences including students, producing a

school tour and Artists-in-the-Schools programs.

Ithaca is also the home to Kitchen Theatre Company,

a non-profit professional company with a theatre on

West State Street; and Civic Ensemble, a creative collaborative ensemble staging emerging playwrights' work

and community-based original productions.

Ithaca is noted for its annual community celebration, The Ithaca Festival. The Constance Saltonstall

Foundation for the Arts provides grants and summer fellowships at the Saltonstall Arts Colony for New York

State artists and writers. Ithaca also hosts one of the largest used-book sales in the United States.

The city and town also sponsor The Apple Festival in the fall, the Chili Fest in February, the Finger Lakes

International Dragon Boat Festival in July; Porchfest in late September, and Ithaca Brew Fest in Stewart Park

in September.

Ithaca has also pioneered the Ithaca Health Fund, a popular cooperative health insurance. Ithaca is home to

one of the United States' first local currency systems, Ithaca Hours, developed by Paul Glover.

To learn more, please visit: www.visitithaca.com.

Background Checks:

Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. LLLS does verify academic

credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an

offer.

http://www.visitithaca.com/


To learn more, call

Jill Lasman, Senior Vice President at

617-262-1102

or send nominations or cover letter and resume to

[email protected].

All inquiries will be held in confidence.

Diversity and inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. It is a recognized employer

and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

Setting the Standard in Development Search

420 Boylston Street, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02116

617.262.1102

www.LLLSearches.com



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