Associate Dean and Executive Director of Development ......Soumitra Dutta, previously the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of Johnson, is the founding dean of the new College of Business

CORNELL UNIVERSITY BACKGROUNDER | 1

Associate Dean and Executive Director of Development,

Cornell College of Business

Cornell University Ithaca, NY

www.cornell.edu

http://business.cornell.edu/

Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:

Jill Lasman

Senior Vice President

617-262-1102

[email protected]

The Opportunity:

Based in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a leading

privately endowed research university and as the federal land-

grant institution of New York State, Cornell University has a

responsibility – unique within the Ivy League – to make

contributions in fields of knowledge to help improve the quality

of life in its state, the nation, and the world.

Its global campus footprint in Ithaca, New York City, Doha, Qatar

and other regions across the world serves 21,500 students. To

http://www.cornell.edu/

http://business.cornell.edu/

mailto:[email protected]


provide these students with the highest level of education possible, Cornell University employs more than

9,500 faculty and staff. Its entire workforce – faculty and staff – contribute to the fabric of the community

and the possibility for building on a long and recognized tradition of alumni relations and development

excellence.

Cornell University announced in January 2016 that it will establish an integrated College of Business with the

transformative excellence, scope and scale to cement the University’s position as a world-class center of

teaching and research for business management and entrepreneurship.

Launched on July 1, 2016, the Cornell College of Business comprises Cornell’s three accredited business

programs: the School of Hotel Administration, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and

Management, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. Each school will maintain its

unique identity and mission, while their collective capabilities will be strengthened by bringing together

faculty, curricular offerings, and programs within a cohesive College.

The establishment of the College, through a change in the University’s bylaws, was unanimously approved

by the Cornell Board of Trustees at its meeting on January 30, 2016. Plans for the academic processes,

governance and other necessary elements of the new College were developed with broad input from faculty,

students, staff, and alumni of the three schools.

Soumitra Dutta, previously the Anne and Elmer

Lindseth Dean of Johnson, is the founding dean of

the new College of Business which has over 240

faculty and nearly 2,900 undergraduate,

professional, and graduate students. The Cornell

College of Business is one of the most

comprehensive business schools in the nation.

Overseeing development and alumni affairs efforts

at one of the top 3 business schools in the country in terms of size, scope and scale, the incoming Executive

Director is an energetic visionary, not daunted by ambitious and exciting ventures. S/He will enhance

relationships with Cornell’s top prospects, working with one of the University’s most affluent and passionate

donor and alumni bases.

To shape and plan the future of a “start-up” business school is a rare career opportunity. To do so at an Ivy

League university makes this position all that much more extraordinary. There are strong foundations on


which to build with a dedicated and loyal alumni base who are giving regularly at each of the College’s three

schools.

Cornell University

Overview:

Cornell is an innovative, Ivy League university and the land-

grant university for New York State. Cornell's mission is to

discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge; produce

creative work; and promote a culture of broad inquiry

throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell

also aims, through public service, to enhance the lives

and livelihoods of its students, the people of New York,

and others around the world.

The University strives to be widely recognized as a top-ten research university in the world, and a model

university for the interweaving of liberal education and fundamental knowledge with practical education and

impact on societal and world problems.

Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the University was intended to teach and make

contributions in all fields of knowledge – from the classics to the sciences, and from the theoretical to

the applied. These ideals, unconventional for the time, are captured in Cornell's motto, a popular 1865 Ezra

Cornell quotation: "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

Cornell values the arts and humanities as well as advanced scientific and technological research.

Cornell's faculty members have a history of being intellectually diverse and entrepreneurial and "thinking

otherwise." This reflects a deep commitment to academic freedom and a belief that such freedom is

essential to creativity and innovation.

Cornell is also a university open and accessible to all who merit entrance. Its commitment to student access

has been tested in recent years, given significant competition with peer institutions, and Cornell has

addressed this challenge successfully with a most generous program to reduce the costs of a Cornell

education for students from families in lower income quintiles.


Among its core values, the University is committed to search for knowledge-based solutions to societal and

world problems. Public engagement is an interpretation of the University's outreach mission that

emphasizes being proactive (actively engaged) and having a public impact. It implies a broadening of the

historic land grant mission of the University.

Cornell is ranked 15th in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report National Universities ranking, 9th nationally in

the latest WSJ/Times ranking, and 13th globally in an academic ranking of world universities by Academic

Ranking of World Universities in 2015, and hosts many top ranking academic programs.


Housing three business schools and dozens of degree programs, Cornell Business offers more customization

than any top university in the world. The newly created College of Business will provide more diverse and

rigorous learning and research opportunities for both students and faculty to help strengthen

entrepreneurship, business and finance,

technology, globalization, and management

education. The College will enable the expansion

of Cornell’s domestic and global programmatic

initiatives, including further development and

diversification of programs at Cornell Tech and

educational collaborations with institutions across

the globe. The combined College will bring

together faculty in departments that can offer a

critical mass of colleagues, as well as combine

resources for key recruitments, to attract and

Click to view the Cornell video

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http://tech.cornell.edu/

https://150.cornell.edu/


retain excellent faculty at all levels. It also will create a stronger and unified center from which to manage

recruiting and corporate relationships, executive education, continuing education, and faculty research.

“Today, every leading university must have a

great business school to maximize its global

impact. Bringing together the faculty, curricular

offerings and programs of Cornell’s three

excellent business schools will enhance the

reach and recognition of our business studies in

an increasingly competitive environment. This

follows Cornell’s long history of successfully

sharing academic units in a way that preserves

each program’s identity and focus, while

creating lasting benefits for our students, our

faculty, and the rest of our global University community,” said Chairman Robert S. Harrison, Cornell Board of

Trustees.

The integration of the three schools into one College of Business will create significant impact:

Enhancing Opportunities for Undergraduate, Graduate and Post-Doctoral Students

By unifying all three accredited business schools, Cornell is creating a more comprehensive and

collaborative business management program that will benefit students at all academic stages.

Students will have greater opportunity to learn across disciplines and collaborate with a broader

network of faculty and fellow students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. This

new environment will create even more learning opportunities that have yielded popular,

progressive programs, such as Cornell’s undergraduate Business minor and the new Johnson Cornell

Tech MBA, and will enable students from any school to pursue a specialty focus in unique programs

such as hospitality, real estate, or resource and developmental economics.

Fostering a More Collaborative Research Environment for Faculty

The cohesive College of Business will enable Cornell’s business and management faculty to

collaborate more easily and effectively in cross-disciplinary research and significantly increase the

national and international influence of faculty scholarship and achievements.

Sharing resources and expertise across schools will strengthen the University’s capabilities and its

reputation among leading business and management programs, which will help to continue to


attract and retain outstanding faculty. At the same

time, a unified College of Business will allow Cornell

to diversify the scholarly focus of its faculty members

and enhance the breadth and depth of its course

offerings in all the key areas of business education,

while preserving the core focus of the individual

schools.

Establishing a More Effective Administrative Structure

Bringing together Cornell’s three business schools will also establish an effective administrative

structure that will be immensely beneficial to the University’s ability to continue to attract the best

and brightest faculty and students.

Each school is presided over by a dean of the School who will have responsibility for that school’s

admissions and academic program. Each school’s faculty will maintain oversight over its academic

program. Integration of the schools will occur with the goal of linking faculty of equivalent

disciplines in departments that span the individual schools so as to enhance collaborations in

teaching and research and coordinate faculty recruitment.

Dyson will remain within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and also join the College

of Business, with Dyson students admitted to both colleges and those who are New York State

residents continuing to enroll at the New York State contract college tuition rate. Faculty in Dyson

will be appointed in both CALS and the new College of Business. School of Hotel Administration and

Johnson faculty will be appointed in the new College of Business.

One Extraordinary College-Three Excellent Business Schools:

School of Hotel Administration:

Grounded in hospitality, reinventing education, and

innovating the business world, the School of Hotel

Administration (SHA) offers service-oriented

undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree

programs. Each is designed to help shape the global

knowledge base for every aspect of hospitality

management. Cornell’s is once again the No. 1 hospitality

program in the world, according to TheBestSchools’

recent ranking of the 30 best hospitality degree programs.

https://sha.cornell.edu/

https://sha.cornell.edu/

http://www.thebestschools.org/rankings/best-hospitality-degree-programs/


SHA’s students are pioneers – and they have been for more than 90 years. The School ventures through

uncharted territory, clearing a path for the future of hospitality. Beginning in hotel operations in 1922 and

growing to incorporate expertise in areas from food and beverage to real estate and finance,

entrepreneurship, and labor and employment relations, it explores the most exotic places in travel and

leisure, pushes the boundaries of knowledge and research, and invites the world to follow its path to

discover and create the future of the industry.

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management:

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is a top-ranked business school with direct

connections to the vast research and teaching resource of Cornell and its extensive alumni network. It is an

intense, collaborative community that continues to attract top candidates with a performance-learning

approach that yields understanding while demanding results. These elements combine for an MBA journey

that shapes students into entrepreneurial leaders who know how to harness the collective strengths of

others for extraordinary results.

In the heart of the largest Ivy League university,

the Johnson School emphasizes that to succeed in

business, one has to know more than business.

Today’s dynamic business world demands an MBA

program that’s equally dynamic. Organizations

must increasingly address complex challenges and

opportunities that require leaders who have

interdisciplinary insight as well as expertise

beyond the business realm.

Johnson students benefit from the wisdom and experience of its world-class faculty, working side by side

with them, and with classmates, in this intense, collaborative community. Students are immersed in a

performance learning experience and have access to the School’s vast network of Cornell connections and

become part of it.

Johnson teaches students how to harness the strengths of those around them, combining strengths and

creating progressive and impressive high-performance solutions to business challenges – and to other

challenges facing the world at large. Students may also customize their MBA experiences to fit unique

aspirations through coursework at the University’s other top-ranked schools.

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/

http://poetsandquants.com/2016/09/30/meet-cornell-johnsons-mba-class-2018/


Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management:

The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and

Management’s international renown in the areas of

expertise in food and agricultural economics,

management, environmental and resource economics,

and international and development economics work in

concert to fulfill the School’s mission to inform and

foster the public stewardship and private management

of businesses, organizations, livelihoods, and natural

resources. The Dyson School offers the B.S., M.S., M.P.S.,

and Ph.D. degrees, and conducts frontier research and

delivers innovative extension/outreach programs in all four of the School’s areas of expertise. Its

undergraduate degree is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate

Schools of Business.

Ranked in the 2016 top 10 Best Undergraduate Business Programs by U.S. News & World Report, The Dyson

School is a highly regarded leader in applying practical, applied economics and management tools on every

continent to solve the world's most significant business and social issues. From the economics of biofuels

and imperiled water resources, to oil production in the Middle East; from trade agreements with the

European Union to forging economic relationships with the rapidly developing economies of China, India,

and Africa; from the determinants of poverty at the household level to the causes of global financial

contagion; from insights into the economics of consumer behavior and food psychology, to their impacts on

food consumption and nutrition; and from the management of all types of businesses, from farms and

family owned firms, to global food retailers, Fortune 500 businesses, and entrepreneurial endeavors – the

Dyson School has been the springboard of a wide array of innovative programs that puts Cornell's research

at the forefront of the most important global challenges of today and Cornell's footprint at the highest

levels of policy advice on the global stage.

Role of the Associate Dean and Executive Director of Development,


The Cornell College of Business’s Alumni Affairs and Development program will be led by the Associate

Dean and Executive Director of Development, who in consultation with the three school deans will supervise

AAD program leaders for each of the College’s three schools. S/He will have responsibility for working with

Dean Soumitra Dutta, Dean of Cornell College of Business, to create and implement Cornell Business’s

https://dyson.cornell.edu/

https://dyson.cornell.edu/

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-overall


comprehensive fundraising and engagement strategies. The Executive Director will also work closely with

the deans and associate deans at the three business schools to ensure a unified vision while maintaining the

unique identify and focus of each entity. In addition, the incoming Executive Director serves as the primary

staff liaison to the College’s advisory board.

The new Executive Director will be the primary advocate for the College with other elements of the Cornell

AAD organization, centrally as well as in other colleges and units. S/He will coordinate Dean Dutta’s AAD

involvement, including the prioritization of prospect visits, event attendance and overall participation in high

level college AAD activity. The Executive Director will lead the overall college AAD program, coordinating

day-to-day staff supervisory responsibility with the three school AAD program heads. (For more detail about

the organization structure, see Appendix).

The Executive Director will staff 25-50 high capacity prospect households. Much of his/her work will involve

interacting with prospects managed by other gift officers, particularly those managed by principal gifts

officers, in conjunction with the vice president for alumni affairs and development and other senior college

and university officers.

The Executive Director will be a member of the College’s senior leadership team and be viewed as an

extension of, or surrogate for, the dean with respect to prospect interactions. Once development priorities

for the College are established by the deans and associate deans, the Associate Dean and Executive Director

of Development, with Dean Dutta, will be responsible for communicating those to other members of the

AAD division, to volunteers, and to the various constituents/stakeholders of the College. Identifying and

engaging prospects with the ability to help the College meet its goals will be a key aspect of his/her

responsibility, including alumni and parents of the College’s three schools, corporate partners, philanthropic

organizations, and individuals who care about the focal areas of the College, whether they have a previous

connection to Cornell or not.

Specific Opportunities and Expectations for the Executive Director:

Cornell’s recent decision to consolidate three high-performing and premier schools of business into one of

the top 3 largest colleges of business in the world is a bold and strategic move that will have a positive

impact on not only the College’s academic performance but on fundraising totals as well.

Leading the development and alumni affairs efforts at the highly sophisticated, innovative and newly created

Cornell College of Business, the ideal candidate must possess an entrepreneurial spirit and a comfort with

ambiguity.


MANAGE A HYBRID TEAM STRUCTURE:

The Executive Director will lead a team of 25, comprised of the existing and high-performing staffs of

the 3 schools of business. S/He will be the architect of a new model and structure brought about by

the merging of these three schools, while recognizing the need to preserve the distinct alumni

identity of each entity. The ideal candidate is a deft manager, who will inspire an esprit de corp with

a unification of new efforts, synergies and efficiencies during an exciting time of transition.

CREATE STRATEGIES, ENHANCE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRINCIPAL GIFT DONORS:

At Cornell, a principal gift is classified as a gift over $10M. It is imperative that the Executive Director

bring a strong track record of cultivating and soliciting gifts of $1M and above, in partnership with

academic leadership, other college units, and central gift departments. It should be noted that while

donors and alums are overall receptive and proud of the decision to create the Cornell College of

Business, there are some donors who will need further information and assurances.

HARNESS THE COLLEGE’S FULL POTENTIAL WORKING COLLABORATIVELY ACROSS CAMPUS:

Surrounded by a spirit of venture capitalism, entrepreneurialism and passion for Cornell, the

Executive Director not only has the good fortune of leading the College at its historic inception but

also at moment in time when the College can leverage the efforts of Cornell Tech, in addition to the

advantages of the building of Cornell’s New York campus. With the audacious vision to be the

“Silicon Valley of the East,” Cornell’s New York City presence makes this a unique inflection point for

the University and the Cornell College of Business.

At the core of Cornell’s ethos is a strong and longstanding culture of collaboration, seen at both the

academic and fundraising level. Commitment to a donor-centric approach is also integral to Cornell’s

fundraising success. Respecting these core principles, the Executive Director will be a key part of

scaling up an operation with tremendous upside potential and a donor base not fully tapped. A

recent screening revealed over 300 donors with capacity of $1M or more who gave gifts to one of

the three schools comprising the Cornell College of Business.

SET STAGE FOR THE NEXT CAMPAIGN:

The incoming Executive Director will be the architect for the College’s next campaign, which will be

rolled out in coordination with the University’s next comprehensive campaign. The momentum at

Cornell continues to build as Cornell’s fundraising efforts grow post campaign.


Position Overview:

The Associate Dean and Executive Director of Development, Cornell College of Business provides overall

leadership and direction for fundraising, alumni programs, donor relations, and stewardship for the College

of Business. S/He has primary responsibility for raising private, philanthropic funds through a wide range of

fundraising initiatives. The Executive Director provides direction to a staff of 25 alumni affairs and

development professionals. Reporting dually to the dean of the College of Business and to the associate vice

president for colleges and units (AVP), the Executive Director works closely with the AVP and College of

Business leadership in developing annual and long-term fundraising goals based on approved college

priorities and interdisciplinary initiatives. The Executive Director will work collaboratively with faculty, staff,

and other senior administrators at the college, to understand, interpret, and promote College of Business

programs and initiatives. The Executive Director also serves as a member of the College of Business senior

management team and as a member of the extended management team for the University’s Division of

Alumni Affairs and Development.

The Executive Director is responsible for the design and execution of all fundraising activities, including

identification, qualification, and assignment of individual and institutional prospects. S/He will lead in

matching college goals to donor desires while developing and implementing strategies for prospect

cultivation and approach, including soliciting gifts and rolling out corresponding stewardship strategies. The

Executive Director will serve as the College of Business’ senior executive related to all alumni affairs and

development activities.

In addition to possessing superior people-management and development skills, highly effective

interpersonal communication abilities, and a sense of urgency, the successful candidate must be profoundly

collaborative and have the gravitas and leadership presence to interact with high-level donors, corporate

leaders, public officials and dignitaries, academic leaders and faculty, alumni, and volunteer leadership. The

Executive Director must be transparent, open-minded, resourceful, organized, politically savvy, results-

oriented, and data-driven, and should possess a good sense of humor and diplomacy. The demonstrated

ability to think strategically and creatively and to get things done in an efficient fashion is essential for

success. Most importantly, s/he must be committed to and passionate about the missions of Cornell

University and the College of Business.

The Executive Director should be seen as an acceptable surrogate to the dean in the solicitation of gifts and

at times will be staffed by major or principal gift officers. While the dean is also heavily involved in major

and principal gift solicitations, the Executive Director is intended to significantly increase the College of

Business’ capacity for high level solicitations.


Specific Responsibilities Include:

Serve as chief development officer for, and manager of, the College of Business’ alumni affairs and

development program. Provide the college with strong, creative, energetic, and strategic leadership

on all alumni affairs and development initiatives, programs, and functions, both short- and long-

term.

Plan and implement a comprehensive, integrated program that maximizes support for the College of

Business and includes alumni affairs and annual giving, individual gifts, planned and major gifts,

special events, acknowledgment and stewardship of new gifts and endowed funds, and all other

contributed revenue-related functions. Work collaboratively with the dean and senior members of

the Division of Alumni Affairs and Development to devise and realize fundraising goals, as well as

plans for continued alumni engagement and outreach. Establish a plan for growth that includes

achieving and/or surpassing revenue goals.

Promote the College to internal and external constituencies in ways that earn trust, emphasize

shared interests and opportunities for collaboration, and elicit buy-in among disparate groups of

stakeholders.

In partnership with the associate deans of the Johnson School, Dyson School and School of Hotel

Administration,, oversee, manage, and prioritize the deans, department chairs, program directors,

and faculty's involvement in alumni affairs and development-related activities and events, including

coordination of travel as needed, ensuring that their involvement is applied strategically and

efficiently; prepare briefings, proposals, reports, correspondence, and other materials in support of

this involvement; serve as co-strategist with the dean on cultivation and solicitation strategies for

transformative gifts. Facilitate and promote alumni affairs and development staff relationships with

the dean, academic leaders, faculty, and college staff. Serve as a chief liaison between the Division of

Alumni Affairs and Development and the College of Business’ dean, academic leaders, faculty, and

college staff.

Hire, train, manage, and evaluate a strong alumni affairs and development team composed of

professional and support staff. Develop a strong sense of teamwork, instill an ethos of university-

wide collaboration, establish an environment of mentoring and support, and bring strategic focus to

the team. Ensure adherence to policies and best practices of the Division of Alumni Affairs and

Development.


Initiate and execute cultivation strategies for individuals in coordination with centrally based major

and principal gift officers and provide direction to ensure this team is focused on meeting College of

Business goals and priorities.

Identify new major gift sources and serve as the College of Business’ primary knowledge source for

funding opportunities and philanthropic outlets. Maintain current knowledge of important

developments within national and international funding environments as they relate to the College’s

mission and programs.

With the director of prospect management for the Division of Alumni Affairs and Development,

identify and qualify new tracked prospects at both the major and leadership gift levels.

Collaboratively develop strategies for engagement of identified prospects with an eye toward

aligning college priorities and major/principal gift opportunities.

Travel extensively, including internationally, in support of college priorities, including events and

personal cultivation and solicitation visits with alumni and prospects; give particular attention to

effectively leveraging the College of Business’ network of relationships.

In collaboration with the associate vice president of university alumni affairs, develop and implement

an overall strategic plan for alumni affairs programming in support of constituency and volunteer-

leadership development. Plan and coordinate strategic, high-quality College of Business-related

alumni affairs and development events on and off campus; ensure development of program content

and negotiate staff responsibilities surrounding each event. Ensure that events are efficiently

managed to the bottom line and yield maximum revenue or good will.

Manage the creation of, and provide ongoing support for the engagement and involvement of the

College of Business Board of Visitors. In partnership with school deans and faculty, develop an

integrated network of program/department/school advisory councils that will provide increasingly

sophisticated volunteer engagement and individual and institutional prospect cultivation

opportunities, as well as facilitate important external input for priority academic programs.

Collaborate with and provide information for college and university communications, corporate and

foundation relations, and public affairs, as appropriate. Maintain an environment of transparency and

information sharing across units.

Serve as a member of the College of Business senior management team. Advise the dean, senior

administrative and academic colleagues, and volunteer leadership on all matters related to alumni


affairs and development. Work as a collaborative member of the senior management team to

influence and address all matters of significance to the College of Business, as well as its

stakeholders and supporters.

Serve on Division of Alumni Affairs and Development committees and tasks forces that advance

college and university alumni affairs and development programs.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree and strong academic credentials that will be

credible to donors and alumni are preferred.

A minimum of 10 years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership positions,

which includes work in all functional areas of development and leadership of a major capital

campaign (planning, implementation, management, and successful conclusion); demonstrated ability

to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with at least five years of significant

supervisory experience.

A demonstrated track record of successful frontline fundraising for an institution of higher education,

not-for-profit organization, or other environment of similar complexity with multiple stakeholders;

previous work experience in higher education and in a hybrid centralized-decentralized fundraising

model involving colleges/schools is preferred.

Hands-on major and principal gift experience, including cultivation through solicitation and

stewardship, as well as experience working with planned giving, corporate and foundation relations,

and alumni affairs and annual fund strategies for grooming the next generation of leadership

donors; success in securing gifts from both defined and undefined constituencies.

Particular strength in developing strategic and comprehensive fundraising plans, executing against

these plans to achieve goals and objectives, developing fundraising strategies, and creating and

managing a budget is critical; experience working directly with the most senior levels of an

organization is very important; ability to effectively strategize and engage various groups and

constituents, including the dean, faculty, senior administrators, major and principal gift officers,

alumni, donors, and major benefactors.

A strong record of recruiting and developing exceptional people and fostering a transparent work

environment where collegiality is a key to success.


Ability to develop trust and strong collaborative working relationships; experience nurturing and

motivating high-level volunteers and expressing appreciation for their role in building an effective

development network.

Experience in international fundraising and the cultural sensitivity it requires; knowledge of the

players, strategies, and trends in in global philanthropy.

Strong computer skills, which should include desktop software, databases, and networked

information systems; familiarity with technology and other innovations that can streamline the

development process and contribute to the integration of alumni affairs and development functions.

Personal Qualities and Competencies:

Commitment to, and passion for, the missions of Cornell University and the College of Business;

ability to communicate and create excitement about mission, vision, programs, and fundamental

strengths.

A penchant for diplomacy and the ability to work collaboratively with other colleagues within the

university community while demonstrating cultural sensitivity and a strong respect for differences;

must be a team builder who takes a non-hierarchical approach to leadership and who empowers

subordinates to get the job done while providing the support and information they need.

Superior presentation skills, including the presence to deal effectively with academic leaders, faculty,

senior administrators, senior executives, alumni, donors, prospects, and volunteers, together with the

ability to make the appropriate connections among members of these groups and to nurture strong

and long-lasting individual and institutional relationships; excellent communication skills, including

the ability to write and speak clearly and effectively and deliver an effective, coherent, and consistent

message; a communication style that is open, cordial, and compelling.

Outstanding organizational skills, with the ability to complete projects on a timely basis and to

manage multiple priorities.

A self-starter with a sense of urgency, a clear set of priorities, a strong work ethic and the ability to

adapt to changing circumstances in a highly collaborative academic environment; must have a

creative approach to problem solving, and the ability to take advantage of emerging opportunities; a

good sense of humor, a high level of energy, self-confidence, a positive “can-do” attitude, charisma,


a commitment to self-development, and the ability to function at peak level in a high expectation

environment are essential.

Unimpeachable integrity and trustworthiness; mature judgment in handling sensitive and

confidential information.

Leadership – Cornell College of Business

Soumitra Dutta

Dean


Professor of Management

Soumitra Dutta is the founding Dean of the College of Business at Cornell

University, New York. From July 2012 to June 2016, he was the Anne and

Elmer Lindseth Dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of

Management. Previously, he was on the faculty of INSEAD, a leading

international business school in France and Singapore.

He is an authority on technology and innovation policy and is the co-editor

and author of the Global Information Technology Report, published by the

World Economic Forum and the Global Innovation Index, published by the World Intellectual Property

Organization - two influential reports in technology and innovation policy.

Dean Dutta is on the board of Sodexo (a food services and facilities management multinational), and

advisory boards of several business schools. He has co-founded two firms, including Fisheye Analytics which

WPP group acquired. He is also the Vice-Chair and Chair-elect of AACSB, the leading global body for the

accreditation of business schools. Dutta is a member of the Davos Circle, an association of long-time

participants in the Annual Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum, and has engaged in a number of

multi-stakeholder initiatives to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Dean Dutta received a B. Tech. in electrical engineering and computer science from the Indian Institute of

Technology, New Delhi, a MS in both business administration and computer science, and a PhD in computer

science from the University of California at Berkeley.


Division of Alumni Affairs and Development Overview

The Division of Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD)

encompasses a staff of 350 and operates with a budget of

$55 million. Led by Fred Van Sickle, Vice President for

Alumni Affairs and Development (VP), AAD is responsible

for the comprehensive engagement and fundraising

programs for the Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses. It is

comprised of Alumni Affairs (which includes the Cornell

Annual Fund); Principal Gifts; the fundraising teams for

Cornell Tech and Northeast Corridor; and for University

Development, which is led by the Senior Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development.

University Development includes the central Major Gifts program; College-and-Unit based programs; Trusts,

Estates, and Gift Planning; Leadership Gifts; Prospect Management and Research; Communications; and

Operations. Weill Cornell Medicine does not report to this office.

With an extraordinarily loyal alumni base and deeply committed volunteers, Cornell University is considered

one of the nation’s top performing fundraising operations, historically ranked in the top 5-10 annually. In a

banner year for fundraising, Cornell raised $672.9 million in fiscal 2015 that ended June 30, vaulting the

Cornell Now – The Campaign for Cornell above $6 billion and setting new records for dollars raised and

participation. Cash giving to the University totaled $590.6 million, surpassing its previous annual fundraising

record of $545.4 million. The campaign, which began in 2006, concluded in December 2015.

The Campaign for Cornell was driven by several large transformational gifts. Overall, 179,000 donors made

gifts to the campaign; of those, 685 were gifts over $1M, including 28 gifts over $50M.

Leadership:

Fred Van Sickle

Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development

In December 2015, Fred Van Sickle, was named Vice President for

Alumni Affairs and Development.

Most recently serving as chief development officer at the Institute

for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, from 2014-16, Fred

previously served as executive vice president for university development and alumni relations at Columbia


University, where he oversaw the completion of a seven-year, $6.1 billion capital campaign in 2013. At the

Institute for Advanced Study, he was responsible for fundraising, constituency outreach and

communications. Under his leadership the institute completed a $212 million campaign. He joined Columbia

in 2002 as deputy vice president for university development and served as vice president from 2003-10

before being named executive vice president in 2011. Fred was a key architect of the $6.1 billion capital

campaign, one of the most successful fundraising efforts undertaken by any university. He also oversaw

creation of a five-year, integrated alumni and development “post-campaign” plan and launched Columbia’s

first Giving Day, which used social media to raise $6.8 million from 5,000 donors in one day; and developed

a professional training program for internal talent.

At Cornell, Fred is responsible for a comprehensive and integrated development and alumni relations

program, working collaboratively with academic, administrative and volunteer partners to increase

philanthropic support and strengthen alumni engagement.

A career fundraiser, Fred has held positions at the University of Michigan, Lake Forest College, Princeton

University and Wesleyan University.

He earned a B.A., cum laude with distinction, in history from Lake Forest College in 1983, a Master of

Education degree from Harvard University in 1989, and a Doctor of Education degree, with distinction, from

the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Jon Denison

Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units

Appointed in November 2012, Jon Denison is the Associate Vice President for

Colleges and Units. He previously was the associate dean for external affairs at

Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, where he provided strategic direction for

alumni affairs, development, corporate affairs and communications.

Denison came to Cornell with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education. He

served as director of corporate relations and associate director of development and

alumni services at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Earlier, he served as

vice president for institutional advancement at Utica College in Utica, N.Y. Denison also held several

positions at Syracuse University, including executive director of corporate and foundation relations.


Denison holds a bachelor's degree in advertising and an associate's degree in journalism from Ferris State

University. He earned a master's degree in management science with a concentration in human resource

management at Binghamton University.

Location

Ithaca, NY:

Located on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in

Central New York, Ithaca is a major educational center.

It has been named one of the top 100 places to live, a

top 10 recreation city, a best green place to live, and

one of the "foodiest" towns in America. The City of

Syracuse is under an hour away, and frequent buses to

NYC allow for day trips. In 2010, the city's population

was 30,014, and the metropolitan area had a population

of 101,564. It is also a stunningly beautiful place with great vistas, hiking and a variety of outdoor activities.

The Ithaca City School District, which encompasses Ithaca and the surrounding area, enrolls about 5,500 K-

12 students in eight elementary schools, two middle schools, Ithaca High School, and the Lehman

Alternative Community School. Several private elementary and secondary schools are located in the Ithaca

area, including the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception School, the Cascadilla School, the New Roots

Charter School, the Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School, and the Ithaca Waldorf School. Ithaca has two

networks for supporting its home-schooling families: Loving Education At Home (LEAH) and the Northern

Light Learning Center (NLLC).

The economy of Ithaca is based on education, with technology and tourism in supporting roles. As of 2006,

Ithaca has continued to have one of the few expanding economies in New York State outside New York City.

It draws commuters for work from the neighboring rural counties.

Ithaca has many of the business characteristics of small American university towns: bookstores, art house

cinemas, craft stores, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants. The collective Moosewood Restaurant, founded in

1973, published a number of vegetarian cookbooks. Bon Appetit magazine ranked it among the thirteen

most influential restaurants of the 20th century. Ithaca has many local restaurants and chains both in the city

and town with a range of ethnic foods. It has become a destination and residence for retirees, and Cornell

has programs to appeal to them.


The Ithaca Farmers Market, a cooperative with 150 vendors who live within 30 miles of Ithaca, first opened

for business on Saturdays in 1973. It is located at Steamboat Landing, where steamboats from Cayuga Lake

used to dock.

Culturally, Ithaca has much to offer. Founded in 1983, the Sciencenter, is a non-profit hands-on science

museum, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and is a member of the Association of

Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). The Museum of the

Earth is a natural history museum created in 2003 by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI). The PRI

was founded in Ithaca in 1932 and is the publisher of the oldest journal of paleontology in the western

hemisphere. Exhibits cover the 4.5 billion-year history of the earth

in an accessible manner, including interactive displays. As of

2004, the PRI is now formally affiliated with Cornell.

The Cayuga Nature Center occupies the site of the 1914

Cayuga Preventorium, a facility for children with tuberculosis;

treatment of what was then considered an

incurable disease was based on rest and good nutrition. In 1981,

the Cayuga Nature Center was incorporated as an independent, private, non-profit educational organization,

offering environmental education to local school districts. In 2011, the PRI merged with the Cayuga Nature

Center, making it a sister organization to the Museum of the Earth.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is located in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity.

The Lab's Visitors' Center and observation areas are open to the public. Displays include a surround sound

theater, object-theater presentation, sound studio, and informational kiosks featuring bird sounds and

information.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art houses one of the finest collections of art in upstate New

York. Special exhibitions are mounted each year, plus selections from a global permanent collection, which is

displayed on six public floors. The collection includes art from throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas,

graphic arts, medallic art, and Tiffany glass, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary.

The Center for the Arts at Ithaca, Inc., operates the "Hangar Theatre". Opened in 1975 in a renovated


municipal airport hangar, the Hangar hosts a summer

season and brings a range of theatre to regional

audiences including students, producing a school

tour and Artists-in-the-Schools programs. Ithaca is

also the home to Kitchen Theatre Company, a non-

profit professional company with a theatre on West

State Street; and Civic Ensemble, a creative

collaborative ensemble staging emerging

playwrights' work and community-based original productions.

Ithaca is noted for its annual community celebration, The Ithaca Festival. The Constance Saltonstall

Foundation for the Arts provides grants and summer fellowships at the Saltonstall Arts Colony for New York

State artists and writers. Ithaca also hosts one of the largest used-book sales in the United States.

The city and town also sponsor The Apple Festival in the fall, the Chili Fest in February, the Finger Lakes

International Dragon Boat Festival in July; Porchfest in late September, and Ithaca Brew Fest in Stewart Park

in September.

Ithaca has also pioneered the Ithaca Health Fund, a popular cooperative health insurance. Ithaca is home to

one of the United States' first local currency systems, Ithaca Hours, developed by Paul Glover.

To learn more, please visit: www.visitithaca.com.

Background Checks:

Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. LLLS does verify academic

credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an

offer.

http://www.visitithaca.com/


To learn more, call

Jill Lasman, Senior Vice President at

617-262-1102

or send nominations or cover letter and resume to

[email protected].

All inquiries will be held in confidence.

Diversity and inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. It is a recognized employer

and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

Setting the Standard in Development Search

420 Boylston Street, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02116

617.262.1102

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Documents

Associate Dean and Executive Director of Development ......Soumitra Dutta, previously the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of Johnson, is the founding dean of the new College of Business