UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT UNDERGOES REORGANIZATION
With the arrival of Randy Talbot, new vice president for University Advancement, Utah State University begins a fresh emphasis on development and fund raising, and several changes in the university‚s basic structure have been made to support the efforts.
“We want Vice President Talbot to concentrate on what he does best ˆ build friends, reach alums and develop new revenues,” said Kermit L. Hall, Utah State University president. “This can best be done by reducing the number of offices that report to him, while centralizing all other university development efforts under him.”
As of July 1, Public Relations and Marketing is now under the Office of the President.
Utah Public Radio (KUSU) has been shifted to the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. University Advancement will retain the Alumni Association and the University Magazine. Although development officers will continue to be housed in their own colleges, they will now report directly to the vice president for University Advancement, including the development officer with Athletics, Hall said.
Lee Roderick, communications director and development officer with university Extension, has been moved under Government Relations. He will also handle some of the responsibilities that Craig Petersen, chief of staff, has been doing. Beginning Aug. 1, Petersen will be vice president for Student Services for a one-year term, replacing Patricia Terrell, who accepted a similar position at the University of Kentucky. The chief of staff position will remain vacant through the spring of 2003.
Government, public, community and media relations, as well as marketing and special events, all directly involve the university president and so fit naturally under the office of the president, Hall said. Therefore, Jan Appuhn, development officer with the College of Family Life and part-time events coordinator will be laterally shifted under the Office of the President to work half-time as a university special events coordinator. She will continue working 50 percent with University Advancement in support of alumni and development, Hall said.
He emphasized the positive impact this reorganization will have on the university‚s development efforts in raising much-needed private dollars.
“This past year has demonstrated the university‚s vulnerability to state funding fluctuations,” Hall said. “Future stability of our budget, and ultimately the quality of education we provide, depends on doing more to diversify revenue sources. By enhancing outside funding, we will be able to stretch scarce state dollars and minimize the consequent jeopardy we find ourselves in during inevitable periods of economic downturns.”
The same holds true, Hall added, with the millions in outside research dollars the university brings in annually. While research dollars do not substitute for state funding, they do enhance existing funding by providing opportunities for additional research space, equipment and personnel. Without these outside contracts, grants and private support, the current economic downturn would have affected the university even more severely.