New VP has good skills for university progression
Private donations are among the new vice president for university advancement’s main concerns.
Randy Talbot, the new vice president, said he is excited to be living in Logan and working at Utah State University over the alumni relations office, university advancement, and the development office.
“I want to put USU on a path towards providing consistent, effective, and productive ways of raising private support,” Talbot said.
He also said he is trying to support the university in terms of the endowment and trying to leave a lasting legacy to the university. The endowment is really important, he said, because it is something that can be sustained over the years.
Talbot was formerly part of the Florida State University faculty as the vice president for constituent development. At the university he worked with college deans and fundraisers. He was there for more than 20 years. Florida State University is also where he attended school.
Talbot received a football scholarship to Florida State University. He majored in history and said it taught him a valuable skill for many jobs: how to read and write.
He coached the football team and got involved in and started a program recruiting national merit scholars. He then worked in the alumni office and finally in the development office.
“Utah is very different from Florida,” Talbot said. “I love the mountains in Logan. There is something about them that is very reassuring. I don’t miss the humidity and heat in Florida but I do miss the breeze, the palm trees and the beach. I have almost 49 years of memories there.”
At USU he works on day-to-day operations of university advancement and tries to generate private support. In his office he has development officers assigned to units or colleges on campus who go out and talk about the university. He helps articulate to donors the university’s needs through the deans. He does alumni operations and tries to promote the university through its athletics and academics. He works on recruiting outstanding students to Utah State. He also works on The Utah State Magazine, part of the operation to promote the
university.
One major part of his duties is athletic fundraising.
“Athletic fundraising can be really important. It builds good press,” he said. “Sometimes it is more newsworthy than academia. People have the perception that if a university has a good athletic team, they are a
good university.”
Talbot decided to come to USU for a variety of reasons. He thinks the campus was very beautiful, there is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many people of the Church of Jesus Christ are here, and he wanted to move west.
“I enjoy Logan, the people, the culture and the location which is unique. People here don’t know what they have,” Talbot said.
He said many people would die to live in a university town.
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere there isn’t a university. Logan is a unique and special place,” Talbot said. “We need to improve the quality of the university so it becomes a better place for all of us to enjoy.”
Joyce Albrecht, the assistant vice president for development operations said Talbot is accomplished and organized and has excellent donor relations, she said.
“He has had a lot of experience in capital campaigns, plus he has a lot of enthusiasm and commitment to helping us succeed.” Albrecht said. “He has developed a good rapport with the donors. He gains their confidence.”
Becky Casperson, a staff assistant in Talbot’s office, said he was very personable and nice to work for.
“Because of his dynamic personality, the university will really move ahead,” Casperson said. “As far as fundraising goes, he has an agenda and knows how to get there and will get there.”
-erina@cc.usu.edu