SUMMARY: Lenoir-Rhyne University, a dynamic and growing private liberal arts institution, seeks an innovative, visionary, and strategic individual to serve as a member of the newly named President’s cabinet and lead all University Advancement initiatives for the school.
INSTITUTION: In 1891, four Lutheran pastors founded Highland College to provide young people with a sound education based upon religious principles and Christian values. A lawyer, Captain Walter Lenoir, donated the land, near the Hickory, NC business district, as a campus for a church-sponsored college. This co-educational school, progressive for its time, opened with 12 students. In 1895, now chartered under the name of Lenoir College, the College assumed its first official synodical sponsorship, which continues today, with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college became Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1923 in honor of Daniel E. Rhyne, a Lincoln County industrialist who boosted the endowment and other assets of the institution. In 1928, the college was admitted into the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In 2008, Lenoir-Rhyne University (LRU) was officially created. In 2012, LRU merged with Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC. and opened The Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville. The Center for Graduate Studies of Columbia, SC opened in the spring of 2014. Today, celebrating its 125
th anniversary, LRU operates as one university with three campuses.
LRU has enrollment of over 2,300 students; the average class size is 16 students; the student/faculty ratio is 13:1; and 79% of the faculty hold doctoral degrees. With over sixty undergraduate, graduate and seminary majors and programs, LRU offers two undergraduate degrees: B.A. and B.S.; four graduate degrees: M.A., M.S., M.B.A., and M.P.H.; and four Seminary degrees: M.A.C.M., M.Div., M.A.R., and S.T.M. In January 2016, the new Health Sciences Center hosted its first class in the physician assistant studies program.
Although affiliated with the ELCA, LRU is open to students from all religious backgrounds. Active student life includes over 70 student clubs and organizations. Athletically, the University competes in the NCAA Division II as a member of the South Atlantic Conference and sponsors 11 men’s and 11 women’s intercollegiate teams, along with cheerleading and an intramural program.
In pursuit of the development of the whole person, Lenoir-Rhyne University seeks to liberate mind and spirit, clarify personal faith, foster physical wholeness, build a sense of community, and promote responsible leadership for service in the world. As an institution of the North Carolina Synod of the ELCA, the University holds the conviction that wholeness of personality, true vocation, and the most useful service to God and the world are best discerned from the perspective of Christian faith. As a community of learning, the University provides programs of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing study committed to the liberal arts and sciences as a foundation for a wide variety of careers and as guidance for a meaningful life.
For additional information, visit the Lenoir-Rhyne University website at
www.lr.edu.
REPORTS/RELATIONSHIPS:
The Vice President for Institutional Advancement reports directly to the newly appointed President, Dr. Fred Whitt, who began his tenure February 1, 2017.
THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT: The office has raised between $7 million and $11 million annually over the last three years for the annual fund, major gifts, capital campaigns, and donations to the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.
In 2015, a successful capital campaign was completed, raising $66.5 million in gifts and commitments.
The endowment is approximately $100 million.
The office includes 15 staff members plus the vice president on the Hickory campus, and three full-time fundraisers at the Seminary in Columbia, SC.
BASIC FUNCTIONS:
The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is responsible for planning, implementing, and promoting programs and activities to advance the understanding of and support for Lenoir-Rhyne University as established under the leadership of the newly appointed President and adopted by the Board of Trustees.
Specific responsibilities for this position include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Create an environment that supports innovative, ethical, and intelligent uses of the offices of institutional advancement.
- Develop strategies with, and give oversight to, the fund-raising and constituent relations activities of the Directors for Annual Giving, President’s Society, and Seminary Advancement.
- Support the leadership boards and committees of the University including the Trustee Committee on Promotion and Development, Alumni Association Board of Directors, Board of Visitors, and Business Council.
- Maintain accurate records for current and prospective donors with pertinent data including giving history and other information for strengthening relationships and encouraging their active leadership and financial support of the University.
- Work closely on external communications with the Marketing Office to achieve a comprehensive, balanced program of institutional understanding and support.
- Cooperate with the academic affairs office and faculty in the procurement of grants which support educational programs of the University.
- Collaborate with the administrative staff in the development, implementation, and monitoring of the institutional advancement program budget and projecting gift revenue as part of the institutional budgeting process.
- Exercise oversight for timely, accurate, and thorough gifts receiving, reporting, and acknowledgements operations of the University.
- Attend conferences focused on institutional advancement and resource development in higher education, and maintain other public contacts with community, civic, and business leaders to further the reputation and advancement of the University.
- Review and evaluate the operation and effectiveness of the institutional advancement program in carrying out goals and objectives in fulfilling the mission of the University.
- Perform other tasks as needed and assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:- Three to five years of fundraising experience, preferably in higher education.
- Command of fundraising software, preferably Raisers Edge.
- Undergraduate degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
COMPENSATION: Compensation will be commensurate with experience, which includes a competitive base salary and benefits.
