C24-108 Vice President For Institutional Advancement (201423)

Institutional Advancement

VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Central Connecticut State University (CCSU, Central) is seeking applications for the full-time position of Vice President for Institutional Advancement, who will also serve as the Executive Director for the University’s Foundation. We are looking for a highly entrepreneurial, dynamic, and articulate individual with experience in corporate or community relations and foundation management. The ideal candidate will be instrumental in expanding our prospect base to ensure the continued growth of The CCSU Foundation, Inc. and its nearly $100 million endowment. As we recently celebrated 175 years of academic excellence and innovation, we invite you to be a part of our mission at Central. Explore the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our students and the broader community, please visit Central to learn more.

ABOUT CENTRAL’S OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
The Division of Institutional Advancement is responsible for an integrated, comprehensive external relations program including alumni affairs, constituent relations, community and business relations, and university development. We are committed to fostering educational excellence and advancement to drive the growth and success of the institution. Central’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, resource allocation, and the finalization of its new strategic plan leaves it well positioned for the future. Its current operating budget is approximately $220 million and as of the June 30, 2024, Audited Financial Statements, the University had unrestricted reserves of approximately $90.2 million. It has ended the past several years with operating budget surpluses. Funding from the State provides approximately 39 percent of its revenue; gross tuition and mandatory fees provide 47 percent. The CCSU Foundation assets are approximately $104 million as of October 2024, the largest of Connecticut’s regional comprehensive universities. In-state tuition and mandatory fees for 2024- 2025 total $13,050; room and board are $13,086. The institutional advancement effort at Central is well established with an engaged Foundation Board. The top fundraising priority for the University has been the growth of the endowment, which has steadily increased with each year featuring an increased giving target goal. Its success has enabled the Foundation to increase its scholarship support to students to over $2.8 million. Central has 92,000 living alumni, 78 percent of whom live in Connecticut. The Alumni Association Board is active and has effective leadership, and the affection for Central by its alumni is palpable. The alumni have a three percent participation rate in university fundraising.

POSITION PROFILE
The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is a leadership position that reports directly to the University President and serves as a member of the Executive Committee. The successful incumbent will provide vision, leadership, oversight, planning, assessment, and management of all aspects of development to advance Central’s mission, including academic, community, corporate, and alumni relations. This position will oversee the operations of the following: CCSU Foundation, Inc., Alumni Affairs, Institutional Advancement, and Advancement Services. The primary emphasis of this position will be diversification of revenue sources for the University. The incumbent will ensure compliance with all Federal, State, Board of Regents, and Central fundraising and ethics laws, regulations, and policies. May be required to work evenings, weekends, and some travel.

APPLICANT EVALUATIVE CRITERIA
Applicant profiles and supplementary materials will be evaluated for appointment based on the following:

Required Qualifications

Education:
All applicants must possess a Master’s degree in business, public administration, public policy, law, or similar field.

Experience and Training:
Minimum of eight (8) years of professional managerial experience in leading teams of professional staff in fundraising, foundation affairs, and/or not-for-profit management.

• Proven ability to effectively work with a culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse faculty, staff, and students.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated information technology literacy skills such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.).
• Demonstrated track record of successful major gift fundraising and building productive internal and external partnerships and private foundation operations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage an organization in fundraising, relationship building, and partnership development.
• Demonstrated ability to manage funds, property, or other assets with integrity and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and embrace change in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to be a collaborative team member; effectively manage professional, managerial, and support staff, and apply sound principles in human resource management.
• Demonstrated knowledge of development, fundraising, not-for-profit, and alumni relations principles and best practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial, property and other asset procurement and management.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to interpret relevant state and federal laws, statutes, and regulations.
• Evidence of strong interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications
Preference will be given to Applicants with the following:

• Demonstrated experience launching and championing a successful capital campaign.
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising and ethics compliance within a public sector setting.

TO APPLY

To begin the application process, select the apply button and electronically submit the following documents by January 15, 2025.

• Letter of interest addressing the qualifications for this position.
• Current Résumé.
• Names of three current professional references with title, email addresses and telephone numbers

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. E-mailed, and mailed applications will not be accepted. Please redact any personally identifiable information (i.e., Social Security Number, date of birth, marital status, country of origin) from any documents submitted.

Inquiries may be sent to Christopher Wethje, Search Committee Chair, at 860-832-1752 or cwethje@ccsu.edu

COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is compensated at the Executive 3 salary level in accordance with Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Human Resources Policies for Management and Confidential Professional Personnel. For more information, please visit Management & Confidential Policies.

The State of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University are proud to offer its employees competitive wages and a wide range of fringe benefits including voluntary and supplemental benefits. Fringe benefits include: paid personal, vacation and sick leave accruals; medical, dental, and prescription plans; group life insurance; retirement; retiree health care; tuition waiver for employee and eligible dependents at any of the Connecticut State Universities (Central, Eastern, Southern or Western) as well as an array of voluntary and supplemental benefits such as Deferred Retirement Contribution plans, Dependent Care Assistance and Medical Flexible spending accounts; long and short term disability insurance plans.

For more detailed information, please visit Central Human Resources.

As an affirmative action employer, Central Connecticut State University actively seeks and encourages applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

The University: The largest of Connecticut’s regional comprehensive universities, Central currently enrolls 11,880 students. This includes 7,605 full-time undergraduates, 1,949 part-time undergraduates, 648 full-time graduate students, and 1,678 part-time graduate students. A third of its undergraduates are students of color, the largest group being Hispanic. Ninety-three percent of the students are from Connecticut. An increasingly residential campus, 64 percent of Central’s first-year students live on campus; 24 percent of all undergraduates live on campus. For more information about Central Connecticut State University, please visit www.ccsu.edu.

The Community: Located nine miles southwest of Hartford, New Britain is a city of some 70,000. Part of the Greater Hartford area of 1.2 million residents, New Britain is centrally located in the state and is within easy reach of much of Connecticut and several metropolitan areas in the region. New Britain’s population is characterized by a high degree of racial and ethnic diversity. Known as “Little Poland,” 17 percent of its population are of Polish background. It is the home of three Polish language newspapers and one television station, and annually hosts the Little Poland Festival. Significant portions of its population come from Puerto Rican, Italian, and Irish backgrounds. Currently, 37 percent of its population are Hispanic; 11 percent are African American; 25 percent live below the poverty line.

In addition to all that Hartford provides, New Britain is 40 minutes from Springfield, Mass., two hours from Boston, and two hours from New York City. It is also part of the Hartford-Springfield “Knowledge Corridor” and, therefore, within easy driving distance of a host of private and public institutions of higher education and many cultural opportunities.