Administrators agree with the assessment of the Stewarding Excellence @ Illinois team that studied the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement: It needs to advance.
In their Feb. 3 response to the Stewarding Excellence report, interim vice president and chancellor Bob Easter and Richard Wheeler, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, explained the actions they believe are needed for that to occur.
The project team had noted in its report several deficiencies within the university’s advancement efforts, most notably in the relationship between it and other units engaged in advancement efforts – including the UI Foundation, Alumni Association and Office of Corporate Relations – and charged with fundraising, alumni relations, marketing and communications.
“It is imperative that the University of Illinois and campus formulate and implement clear, creative and comprehensive advancement strategies, that the various components of advancement work in a coordinated and complementary manner, and that the results compare favorably with those attained at other premier research universities,” the project team reported.
While the Urbana campus has raised most of its $1.5 billion goal under the Brilliant Futures campaign, the report said, it lags behind other Big Ten schools in other measurements.
For example, in 2009 the UI ranked ninth among Big Ten schools in total gift income, 10th in endowment market value and 10th in alumni participation among solicited alumni.
“Changes in the structure and strategy of advancement on the Urbana campus are needed,” the report said.
In their February response, administrators said they agreed with the project team’s analyses. They also noted reforms already put into place and called for a more advanced study of the campus relationships with the Alumni Association and UI Foundation.
“The advancement model in existence at the University of Illinois has not fully realized its potential,” Easter and Wheeler said in their response.
The administrators said some changes already had been made in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, including redeploying UI Foundation regional directors for use on the Urbana campus and the adoption of new “performance metrics” for all units in an effort to standardize evaluations.
“In order to maximize the investment and talents of the advancement staff at all levels of the organization, organizational evolution is necessary,” Easter and Wheeler said. “No consensus has been achieved on how to define and structure an overall advancement strategy.”
Easter and Wheeler recommended that, in consultation with the Office of the President “as appropriate,” the following actions should occur:
- Internal/external review of the UI Foundation and Alumni Association advancement efforts.
- Clarification of responsibilities and accountability of deans, department heads and staff members.
- Integration of campus advancement activities through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement.
- Considering whether the Alumni
Association should remain a separate organization, how it should interact with other campus units and the adoption of a new reporting structure.
“An advancement model must be clearly articulated and fully implemented so that Illinois honors and realizes the full potential of these relationships,” the administrators concluded. “Our stakeholders expect and deserve nothing less.”
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