Assistant Dean for Advancement College of Visual …...In 2016, the Department of Drama was ranked No. 8 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 25 best drama schools. The publication

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY BACKGROUNDER | 1

Assistant Dean for Advancement

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Syracuse University Syracuse, NY

http://www.syr.edu/

Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:

Zena Lum

Search Director

617-262-1102

[email protected]

The Opportunity:

As a top research institution, Syracuse University (SU)

educates students for the world, in the world. At its

home in Syracuse, at its major hubs across the U.S.,

and at its SU Abroad programs in more than 30

countries, students gain a broader perspective as

they prepare to become active citizens of today’s

global society.

The vision of the College of Visual and Performing

Arts (VPA) at Syracuse University is founded upon the

belief that art and scholarship can affect change. It is

committed to the education of cultural leaders who will engage and inspire audiences through performance,

transmedia, visual art, design, creative scholarship and research, and commentary. The College provides the

tools for self-discovery and risk-taking in an environment that thrives on critical thought and action.

http://www.syr.edu/


It is important for the continued fundraising success in the College of Visual and Performing Arts that this

position be filled with a solid major gifts closer who brings a successful track record in securing gifts from

individuals at the 6+ figures level. As a member of

the Dean’s senior leadership team, the Assistant Dean

for Advancement will bring his/her expertise in

building and expanding VPA’s culture of philanthropy

among alumni, students, friends, faculty, and staff.

With a new Dean and an illustrious board at the helm

of VPA, a new Provost and completed academic plan

under the power of the Syracuse University brand,

there are tremendous assets for the ideal candidate

to build philanthropic momentum in preparation for

the University’s sesquicentennial anniversary in 2020.

Position Overview – Assistant Dean for Advancement, College of Visual

and Performing Arts

The Assistant Dean for Advancement for the College of Visual and Performing Arts has a dual report to the

Vice President for Development/Schools and Colleges (also a current search underway) and the Dean of the

College. The Assistant Dean for Advancement will be responsible for the coordination of the College’s

fundraising efforts, and will have a personal portfolio of major prospects and donors to solicit and steward.

S/He will work closely with the College’s volunteer leadership board, which includes a number of the

College’s top donor prospects.

Ideal candidates will be metrics- and goal-driven and comfortable in an environment of accountability for

meeting targets for prospect visits, solicitations, and gifts closed. The Assistant Dean will also be evaluated

on his/her success in managing direct reports and in completing implementation of unit and central

development strategies.

The position is supported by a development associate and will partner with staff and faculty colleagues both

within the College and in the University’s central offices for annual giving, principal gifts, corporate and

foundation relations, research, alumni relations, and communications.


Major Responsibilities:

Cultivates relationships between donors and the College of VPA.

Directs the department in planning, organizing, and managing all aspects of the departmental

functions including direct supervision of the staff.

Travels nationally to cultivate, solicit, and steward six-and-seven-figure donors and prospects.

Oversees all initiatives including planning, solicitation, and acknowledgment related to the Dean’s

Fund.

Oversees the College’s donor relations and prospect research activities.

Serves as the liaison between VPA and the central development office assuring the College is

properly aligned with the central development office objectives and that the use of all available

resources and support services are being optimized.

Meets with faculty to identify funding opportunities.

Specialized Knowledge/Skills:

The Assistant Dean will demonstrate success in major gift fundraising and the ability to lead and manage a

comprehensive development operation. S/He must possess outstanding communication skills, both written

and oral, and the ability to build collaborative relationships. S/He must have an in-depth understanding of

academic advancement and development. In addition to strength in overall development best practices, the

successful candidate will bring a basic understanding of campaign operations and fundraising. S/He must

have the ability to build effective teams and demonstrate confidence in managing and directing an

experienced, professional staff. The Assistant Dean must be a team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

Education and Experience:

A Bachelor’s degree is required; a Master’s degree and/or equivalent combination of education and

experience is preferred. Considerable experience fundraising for the arts is required, and experience in

higher education settings is preferred. A track record of successful regional fundraising with West Coast and

East Coast constituencies is a plus.

Development Overview

The Campaign for Syracuse University closed in December 2012, surpassing its goal of $1 billion despite the

economic downturn. A total of $1.044 billion was raised of which $24 million is attributed to the College of

Visual and Performing Arts. Post-campaign, fundraising has slowed a bit University-wide. Syracuse brought


in $107 million in FY16; VPA raised $1.5 million. The University has an endowment valued at approximately

$1.1 billion.

Currently in the quiet planning phase of a new campaign, the University is preparing to time the launch

around its 2020 sesquicentennial anniversary year (goal is still TBD). Boasting Syracuse University’s second-

largest alumni base, strong enrollment, and new leadership, VPA is well-positioned for a creative, driven

development leader to grow the philanthropic program to new heights.

Client Overview

Syracuse University, commonly referred to as

Syracuse, 'Cuse, or SU, is a private research

university located in Syracuse, New York.

Officially chartered in 1870 as a private,

coeducational institution offering programs in

the physical sciences and modern languages,

Syracuse University is located in the heart of

Central New York and is within easy driving

distance of Toronto, Boston, Montreal, and New York City. Its extended campus offers a rich mix of

academic programs, alumni activities, and immersion opportunities in numerous centers in the U.S. and

around the globe, including major hubs in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Syracuse University is a

research university with a high level of research activity. Through the University's Office of Research, which

promotes research, technology transfer, and scholarship, and its Office of Sponsored Programs, which

assists faculty in seeking and obtaining external research support, SU supports research in the fields of

management and business, sciences, engineering,

education, information studies, energy, environment,

communications, computer science, public and

international affairs, and other specialized areas.

Syracuse University athletic teams, known as the

Orange, participate in 20 intercollegiate sports. SU is

a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for all

NCAA Division I athletics, except for women's ice

hockey and the rowing team. SU is also a member of

the Eastern College Athletic Conference.


College of Visual and Performing Arts:

With a total enrollment of 2,151 students, the College has 1,926 undergraduate and 225 graduate students.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts is comprised of six schools and departments that offer a total of

32 undergraduate and 22 graduate degree programs, as well as 17 minors.

Creating the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 1972, Syracuse is one of the first universities to unite

the creative disciplines in this format. VPA was the first degree-conferring institution of its kind in the United

States. Its first alumnus graduated in 1875 with a bachelor of painting degree.

In 2016, the Department of Drama was ranked No. 8 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 25 best drama

schools. The publication ranked the film program in the Department of Transmedia No. 23 on its list of the

top 25 film schools. The Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies was named the host of the

prestigious Biennial Public Address Conference. DesignIntelligence ranked the Department of Design’s

environmental and interior design program No. 9 in the nation for undergraduate interior design programs.

Its many notable alumni include writer/producer Aaron Sorkin ’83; producer Arielle Tepper Madover ’94;

artists Bill Viola ’73 and Sol LeWitt ’49; broadcast journalist Ted Koppel ’60; actors Frank Langella ’59, Jerry

Stiller ’50, Taye Diggs ’93, and Vera Farmiga ’95; actor/singer Vanessa Williams ’85; designers Betsey

Johnson ’64 and Thom Filicia ’93; singer-songwriter Pete Yorn ’96; supermodel Emme ’85; syndicated

cartoonists Brad Anderson ’51 and Robb Armstrong ’85; and director Bryan Buckley ’85.

Each academic year, the College hosts hundreds of events that are open to the public, including exhibitions,

theater performances, music performances, and lectures/ performances by visiting artists and scholars. The

majority of these events are free.

School of Art:

Syracuse celebrates offering a dynamic art school within

the context of a major university. The School provides

unique and exciting opportunities for students who are

passionate about art in all of its diverse possibilities. It

teaches the next generation of artists – those who are

adventurous, complex, precocious, innovative, noisy,

reflective, curious, socially conscious, and dedicated to a

life in the visual arts.

http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/art/


In pursuing this goal, the School no longer decodes images – it re-codes them. It embraces dialogue and

difference and appreciates the value of the individual. It embraces art in action and its impact on our society.

Academic and creative research-based practice is at the core of the school’s ethos, recognizing that there is

a spectrum of practices and professional outcomes. The School honors the innovators of the past while

preparing the next generation of creative leaders. It shares in the passion for inclusive teaching and learning

practices to provide the best experience for its student-artists.

The School offers state-of-the-art facilities and studios, from the handmade to the digital. Its professionally

active faculty fosters internships, as well as international and national opportunities, and brings the creative

industries to the studio. Through guided mentorship, its student-artists craft their own course of study.

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies:

The Department of Communication and

Rhetorical Studies creates communities of

competent communicators. It engages with

others in innovative, inclusive, and

collaborative inquiry into the various theories,

perspectives, and methods of human

communication.

In the fall of 1910, Syracuse University

inaugurated the Department of Oratory, one

of the nation’s first academic programs

devoted to the study of communication and

rhetoric. Since that time, the department became part of the School of Speech and Dramatic Arts, then the

Department of Speech Communication, and now continues as the Department of Communication and

Rhetorical Studies (CRS). The College of Visual and Performing Arts celebrated the centennial of the

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies in 2010-11 with a special series of public lectures.

Scholars, activists, and practitioners from a wide variety of backgrounds spoke to the vital importance of

communication in forging into the next 100 years.

Students and faculty in the discipline of communication and rhetorical studies (CRS) focus on

communicative discourse and its interactional consequences. Its collective goals are to articulate the variety

and complexity of communication phenomena and the co-creation of social realities that grow out of this

process. As researchers of this process, students and faculty use social scientific and humanistic methods in

order to describe, explain, or critique communication practices.


The study and practice of communication is a prominent feature of the educational mission at Syracuse

University.

School of Design:

The School of Design is an inquisitive and intelligent

community of students and faculty that addresses

firsthand the issues of the world around it. It takes

pride in its professionally oriented programs, many of

which are top-ranked in the United States and have a

long history at Syracuse University. Concern for

sustainable design practices, social issues, and

excellence in professional practice forms the core of its

programs.

The School of Design offers undergraduate degree programs in communications design, environmental and

interior design, fashion design, and industrial and interaction design. The School also offers graduate degree

programs in collaborative design and museum studies. Its faculty are active professionals who practice in

their fields while they teach. They are dedicated to ensuring that students reach their potential and provide

one-on-one instruction in its studio classes.

The School maintains a special relationship with the Syracuse community through the activities of its various

student groups (including chapters of professional design organizations) that continually work on projects

with nonprofit agencies, as well as funded research design collaborations. All design programs are housed

in The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, SU’s building in downtown Syracuse, which allows students and faculty to

benefit from a city atmosphere and interactions with local design firms. Students are also encouraged to

reach beyond the local community and study abroad at one of the University’s many international centers,

including Florence, Italy and London, England.

Integral to its curricula are opportunities to acquire career development skills critical for professional

designers. Professional practices are addressed in many of its courses, while visiting and resident designers

provide unique insight into their respective disciplines. Internships provide invaluable experience in a real-

world setting. Undergraduate students may choose to minor in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises,

which is offered through SU's Martin J. Whitman School of Management and includes coursework in

essential business tools.

http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/design/about/facilities

http://whitman.syr.edu/index.aspx


Design students present their portfolios each spring at events in New York City. Fashion design majors

present their senior collections at the annual on-campus fashion show and may have their collections

selected for the annual New York City fashion show.

Department of Drama:

The Department of Drama envisions a world

transformed through the power and transcendence

of the theater arts. It strives to make this vision a

reality by equipping its students with the skills

necessary to compete and succeed in the

profession; developing imaginative, courageous,

and passionate theater artists; and creating an

artistic environment that fosters excellence in

scholarship, professionalism, and collaboration. The

Department’s mission is enlivened by its synergistic

relationship with Syracuse Stage and enhanced by

the global resources of Syracuse University.

The Department of Drama offers conservatory-style training at a major American university, combined with

a level of integration with a professional theater company that is unparalleled among undergraduate

programs. The Department offers four bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree programs: acting, musical

theater, stage management, and theater design and technology. Students may also apply for direct

admission to the theater management track of its bachelor of science (B.S.) degree program.

Undergraduates put classroom theory into practice through productions and various special opportunities,

including Wednesday Lab, study abroad, and numerous community engagement initiatives. These

productions and programs are open to the community at large.

A dedicated faculty of working professionals; a unique affiliation with Syracuse Stage, an outstanding Equity

theater company that shares the department’s theater complex, as well as the knowledge and experience of

its working professionals; opportunities to learn by experience – in Syracuse, New York City, Los Angeles,

and abroad – in various areas of the entertainment industry; and the academic resources of a major

American university – all of these combine to create an undergraduate theater training program with a

unique scope and a proven record of success.

http://www.syracusestage.org/


Setnor School of Music:

The Rose, Jules R., and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music offers opportunities for the highest level of

professional musical development and accomplishment within the context of a broad, humanistic education.

It encourages the widest possible range of creative options for students, recognizing that the Western

classical tradition continues to grow and expand and that it is only one in a world of myriad others.

Music has thrived at Syracuse University since 1877, when the Department of Music was founded and

Syracuse became the first university in the United States to grant a degree in music. Today, the School

continues this proud tradition by offering professional-level training through challenging and relevant

degree programs that allow talented musicians and future music industry leaders to excel both collectively

and as individuals.

The School believes all its areas of emphasis –

instrumental and vocal performance, conducting,

music education, music industry (including a

performance-based music industry program and the

multidisciplinary, non-performance-based Bandier

Program), audio arts, sound recording technology,

voice pedagogy, and composition – are

interdependent and integral to the success of the

school, the health of the profession, and the

evolution of culture, and it therefore strives for the

highest standards in every one of these degree

programs.

It recognizes that inherent in these endeavors is a responsibility to the campus community, the community

beyond campus borders, and its culture as a whole. Hence, the school is committed to serving a larger

public through outreach and education, working to create an inclusive environment in which all can develop

their gifts.

What makes the Setnor School a great place to study music?

Its students are curious, self-motivated, and driven.

Its faculty are practicing professionals and teachers with whom students can establish close,

supportive relationships.

Its programs offer classical training with an inquisitive, open approach to world and popular music

styles.


Its performing ensembles offer instrumental and choral ensembles of all sizes and musical styles.

In terms of visiting artists and speakers, its lively and diverse schedule includes musicians, as well as

top music industry professionals.

In terms of community, Setnor students and faculty form a close-knit group and love to collaborate

with and challenge each other.

Its University offers unlimited opportunities for musical growth and professional development within

the major setting of SU.

Department of Transmedia:

The Department of Transmedia is a major

academic center for the education of

contemporary artists and media arts

professionals. Its programs offer rewarding

studio experiences in well-equipped

facilities, simultaneously integrated with

rigorous academic studies and challenging

curricula in contemporary art, media, and

cultural theory.

The department offers degree programs in

art photography, art video, computer art and

animation, and film. The centerpiece, however, of its curriculum is a four-year core program that emphasizes

collaborative and interdisciplinary practice, innovative thinking, and a critical understanding of new

technologies. Students emerge from the Department of Transmedia highly skilled in their individual

disciplines, ready to tackle the demands of contemporary art and commerce.

Transmedia alumni have leadership positions in the creative industry, including at DreamWorks, Pixar,

Yahoo, Apple, Cosmopolitan, Photo District News, and Showtime. Graduates of our program have exhibited

at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MIT List Center, the New Museum, and the Houston Center for

Photography and have held screenings at Sundance, MOMA, and such international venues as Oberhausen

Short Film Festival and Berlin’s Transmediale Festival.

An ever-growing network of alumni can help students succeed with careers in the film industry as

producers, directors, screenwriters, animators, and special effects design; in photography with magazine,

editorial, fashion, and book publication; as curators in fine art galleries and contemporary art museums; and,

of course, as practicing artists.


The transmedia department sponsors a yearly international film festival and closely collaborates with Light

Work, an internationally recognized artist-in-residence program housed on campus, and the Urban Video

Project, which commissions artists to create artworks for outdoor projection on the Everson Museum of Art

in downtown Syracuse.

Programs abroad especially designed for students in transmedia include semester-long programs in

London, Prague, Berlin, and Florence. Summer programs offer additional opportunities to study in Venice,

Santiago, and Moscow. Students may also apply to participate in Sorkin Week to meet with industry

professionals in Los Angeles as well as the six-week summer LA Semester, which offers internship-based

learning.

The faculty in transmedia are working artists with active careers. Exhibitions and screenings among the

faculty include the Venice Biennale, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Ars

Electronica, the Brooklyn Museum, Pacific Film Archive, Mass MOCA, the LA County Museum of Art, the

Walker Arts Center, Harvard, and SIGGRAPH. Grants and awards include the John Simon Guggenheim

Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, and

the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

College of Visual and Performing Arts Leadership

Michael S. Tick

Dean

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Michael S. Tick joined Syracuse University as dean of the College of Visual and

Performing Arts on July 1, 2016 after serving six years as dean of the College of

Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky. Prior to that he was chair of the

Department of Theatre at Louisiana State University, where he also served as artistic director of Swine

Palace, Louisiana’s premiere professional theater company.

During Tick's tenure, Swine Palace produced several regional and American premieres, including the world

premiere of Cocktail by Ping Chong. Tick’s production of Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles, the first

professional production of a Wasserstein play in Asia, was staged in Shanghai and Beijing. His production

of Antigone was staged at the Young Theatre Festival 젊은 연극제, Seoul, Korea.


At UK, Tick oversaw the Departments of Arts Administration, Theatre and Dance, the Schools of Art and

Visual Studies and Music, the Singletary Center for the Arts, and the UK Art Museum. During his tenure more

than $30 million in capital projects were realized, including a new home for the School of Art and Visual

Studies and a Creative Arts Living Learning Community, the centerpiece of a new 900-bed residential hall

opening fall 2016. Shortly before relocating to Syracuse, Tick and his colleagues launched a capital

campaign for a new music education building to support UK’s Wildcat Marching Band.

Before joining LSU in 1999, Tick served on the planning committee that established the Virginia Governor’s

School for the Arts (GSA) in 1985, a regional secondary arts school sponsored by the Virginia Department of

Education and affiliated with the Virginia Stage Company, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and the Virginia

Ballet Theatre. As founding chair of the GSA Department of Theatre, Tick also served on the faculty of Old

Dominion University. He has taught and directed at the University of Rhode Island, Northwestern University,

Harvard University Extension School, Rend Lake College (Illinois), the University of the Virgin Islands (St.

Thomas), and Bretton Hall College of the University of Leeds.

Tick received the M.A. in performance studies from Northwestern University and the Ph.D. in theater from

New York University (NYU). He began his professional career working as an actor on the long-running

sitcom M*A*S*H.

Raised in Newport, Rhode Island, Tick spent many years associated with Providence’s Trinity Repertory

Company, the Newport Music Festival, and the Newport Jazz Festival. While an adjunct professor at NYU,

Tick worked on Wall Street as a trading support specialist with Merrill Lynch’s High Yield Bond Group. He is

a proud member of AEA (Actors’ Equity Association) and SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Society).

Location

Syracuse, NY:

Whatever you are looking for, you are likely to find it in Syracuse.

Shops, restaurants, nightspots and cultural organizations fill

architecturally impressive buildings. Performing arts venues, parks,

and sports stadiums abound. Lakes and mountains are just a short

drive away and every conceivable type of home is available, and at

more affordable pricing than many other places. In 2010, Syracuse

was ranked #1 by CNN Money as the most affordable place to live,

and has also been placed at #4 on Forbes’ list of “Best Places to

Raise a Family.”


It is not surprising that the city was named one of the “top 10 healthiest cities” by Parenting magazine, as it

is an emerging leader in green living, and hosts a marathon, IRONMAN 70.3, and multiple half-marathons

and triathlons.

In addition to an outstanding K-12 system, there are 10 colleges and

universities in the immediate area and 25 others within a 100-mile radius.

Further information on living in Syracuse:

As of 2013, Syracuse’s population is 144,669 people. The median

home cost is roughly $106,000.

Syracuse public schools spend $9,294 per student. (The average

school expenditure in the U.S. is $5,691.) There are about 12.5

students per teacher in Syracuse.

Syracuse is home to the new Destiny USA; the 6th largest shopping

center in the US.

There are more than 50 state, county, and city parks and several nature centers in the area, as well as

40 golf courses (more than any other area in the Northeast).

There are 40 museums and galleries, including the nationally known Everson Museum of Art,

designed by I.M. Pei.

The Carrier Dome, home of Syracuse University athletics, is the only domed stadium in the northeast.

Alliance Bank Stadium seats 11,000 spectators and is home to the Syracuse Chiefs.

The New York State Fair, the longest running state fair in the country, annually attracts nearly 1

million people from across the Northeast.


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.

To learn more, call

Zena Lum, Search Director at

617-262-1102

or send nominations or cover letter and resume to

[email protected].

All inquiries will be held in confidence.

Setting the Standard in Development Search

420 Boylston Street, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02116

617.262.1102

www.LLLSearches.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lllsearches.com/


Appendix: University Leadership

Kent Syverud

Chancellor and President

Kent Syverud is Chancellor and President of Syracuse University. Appointed by the

University’s Board of Trustees in September 2013, he assumed the leadership post in

January 2014, becoming the 12th leader of the University since its founding in 1870.

Chancellor Syverud came to Syracuse University from Washington University in St.

Louis, where he served as Dean and Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University

Professor since 2006. Prior to that, he served eight years as Dean at Vanderbilt Law

School. During his tenure at Washington University, he led efforts to create university-wide programs in

Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Brookings Institution and in New York in partnership with the Olin

School. He also advanced efforts to expand online education opportunities, including development of an

innovative online master’s degree program.

Chancellor Syverud has served since 2010 as one of two Independent Trustees of the Deepwater Horizon Oil

Spill Trust, a $20 billion fund created by BP in negotiation with the White House to pay claims arising from

the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1981 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, he also was

an expert witness for the University of Michigan in the landmark affirmative-action case Grutter v. Bollinger.

After earning a Juris Doctor and an M.A. in Economics, Chancellor Syverud went on to serve as a Law Clerk

for Judge Louis Oberdorfer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and for U.S. Supreme Court

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He practiced law in the fields of litigation and insurance at Wilmer, Cutler &

Pickering in Washington, D.C., from 1985 to 1987. From 1987 to 1997, he served on the faculty of the

University of Michigan Law School, earning tenure in 1992 and advancing to Associate Dean for Academic

Affairs in 1995. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Cornell Law School, the University of Pennsylvania

Law School, and the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law and Politics.

A past Editor of the Journal of Legal Education, Chancellor Syverud also has served as President of the

American Law Deans’ Association, as Chair of the Board of the Law School Admission Council, and as

President of the Southeastern Association of American Law Schools. He is a past Chair of the accrediting

authority for law schools in the United States, the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the

Bar; and a past Chair of the Board of Access Group, which is evolving into the largest funded nonprofit

organization in the world benefitting legal education.


Chancellor Syverud has published numerous law review articles concerning civil litigation, insurance law, and

negotiation as well as a monograph on the professional responsibilities of insurance defense lawyers. His

more recent writings have concerned legal education and service as Dean, including the articles “Three

Principles of Effective Deaning,” “A Parable of Law School Leadership,” and “How Deans (and Presidents)

Should Quit.” A frequent speaker at conferences in the United States and abroad, he has received

outstanding teaching awards from students at both the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University.

Chancellor Syverud and his wife, Dr. Ruth Chen, are the parents of three grown sons: Steven, Brian and

David. Dr. Chen, an environmental toxicologist, holds a Professor of Practice appointment in the L.C. Smith

College of Engineering and Computer Science at SU.

Matthew Ter Molen

Chief Advancement Officer and Senior Vice President

Matthew Ter Molen provides counsel to Chancellor Kent Syverud to

determine long-term expectations for a best-in-class advancement

organization, including planning, timeline, allocation of resources,

capacity projections and infrastructure needs. He cultivates, secures and

stewards complex principal gifts, in partnership with the Chancellor and

gift officers, while creating an environment of continuous improvement for the advancement organization.

In February 2015, Ter Molen came to Syracuse from Northwestern University, where he had most recently

served as associate vice president and campaign manager for "We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern," a

$3.75 billion fundraising effort.

Ter Molen graduated from Miami University in Ohio. After nearly three years in the Peace Corps in

Honduras, his first fundraising position was in 1990 at the University of Chicago, where he started as an

assistant director in annual giving. From 1990 to 1998, he held successive positions there, spending four

years as the director for annual giving during its $500 million “Campaign for the Next Century,” as well as

time as a regional major gift officer.

In 1998, Ter Molen was hired as the assistant dean for development for the Weinberg College of Arts and

Sciences at Northwestern University, and led the arts and sciences portion of "Campaign Northwestern,"

directing the fundraising of $190 million for key college priorities over a five-year period. In 2003, Ter Molen

became the Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development at Northwestern, managing a

variety of giving teams.

Appendix: Organization Chart

Documents

Assistant Dean for Advancement College of Visual …...In 2016, the Department of Drama was ranked No. 8 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 25 best drama schools. The publication