New campus foundation to focus on fund-raising

by Barbara Pitoniak, News Office staff

n a bid to boost the involvement of volunteers in fund-raising efforts, Chancellor John V. Lombardi this week announced the creation of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation, a private, non-profit corporation established to raise private support for the campus.

     "In its last capital campaign, UMass Amherst demonstrated its capacity to raise significant funds," said Lombardi. "The success of that campaign indicates the campus has the ability to participate at a higher level of private fund-raising, and that we can build on that earlier success. The UMass Amherst Foundation is the vehicle to accomplish that goal.

     "The foundation is a mechanism for harnessing the support of volunteers," Lombardi said. "Private donors and volunteers tend to be 'campus-specific' in offering support. Their enthusiasm is generated by their respect for faculty and students. The foundation is a way for us to capture that enthusiasm and mobilize volunteer leadership in support of the campus."

     The endowment for the UMass Amherst Foundation presently totals $56.5 million. Lombardi said all funds raised by the foundation would be spent at the Amherst campus. The campus foundation will maintain an account with the system-wide University of Massachusetts Foundation, which will in turn act as the campus's "investment banker."

     Lombardi explained that while the foundation will have a small staff, the "fund-raising enterprise" will remain a part of the University, though the structure of the foundation will allow for a connection between the two. The foundation initially will employ one major gifts officer, whose responsibility will be to cultivate major donors for significant gifts to the campus. As fund-raising efforts become more successful, Lombardi said, the number of major gifts officers will increase, with up to five on board within the next three years.

     Further, Lombardi said 14 development officers will remain attached to each of the University's 10 schools and colleges, the Athletic Department, University Libraries, and the Fine Arts Center, with the potential of an additional 14 to be hired within the next several years. Those individuals remain employees of the University. Any additional positions will be filled using existing funds from within the development operation. The approximately 30 staff members who provide support services for development such as research and gifts processing will also remain employees of the University.

     "As fund-raising increases," Lombardi said, "the size of the foundation and the development operation will increase. The University employee base will grow as the endowment grows."

     Elizabeth Dale, as interim vice chancellor for University Advancement and executive director of the foundation, will oversee development and alumni affairs. She will also be responsible for the operations of the foundation, including establishing the corporation and working with its board of directors, managing staff, instituting policies and procedures, and facilitating the links between the foundation and the University. She was named interim vice chancellor in November and previously served as assistant chancellor for Advancement.

     Creation of the foundation, said Lombardi, is part of the initiation of the campus' second capital campaign. "Former Chancellor David Scott launched the campus on its current path with the success of Campaign UMass. He created the belief that the campus could establish a culture of giving. Now we need to build on that success. As we operate on a higher level, it will take a more professional approach, and more careful planning to do so. We will be working with the foundation board in the coming months to map out a strategy for the next campaign.

      "President Bulger has been highly supportive of our efforts, and from the beginning signaled his intention to lend his support in establishing a UMass Amherst Foundation. We also have the strong support of Grace Fey and the entire UMass Board of Trustees.

     "The membership of the foundation board is a diverse group of individuals who have demonstrated their interest in the University and contributed their support in many ways. I look forward to working with them on behalf of UMass Amherst," Lombardi said.

     The members of the UMass Amherst Foundation Board of Directors are John A. Armstrong of Amherst, retired vice president, science and technology, IBM Corp.; Doug Berthiaume, chief executive officer, Waters Corp., Milford; Randolph W. Bromery, former chancellor for UMass Amherst; attorney George "Trigger" Burke of Burke, Cunningham & Burke, Quincy; former interim Provost Patricia H. Crosson; Beth Gamel, vice president, Pillar Financial Advisors, Waltham; Melvin Howard, president and chief executive officer, Sector Management, Inc., Waltham; Eugene Isenberg, chairman and chief executive officer, Nabors Industry, Inc., Houston, Tex.; Martin G. Jacobson, president and director, Jayco Associates Inc., Tierra Verde, Fla.; James "Jess" Kane, dentist and orthodontist, Kane, Tesnini & Sporowski in Natick; Gordon N. Oakes Jr., president and founder, Oakes Interactive Inc., Needham; Andrew Rudd, chairman and founder, BARRA Inc., Berkeley, Calif.; and Earl W. Stafford, president and founder, Unitech Inc., Centreville, Va.

     Along with Lombardi and Dale, ex officio members include former trustee Ned A Dubilo, senior vice president, Salomon Smith Barney Inc., Boston; trustee Robert M. Mahoney, vice chairman, Citizen's Financial Group Inc., Boston; trustee Diane Bissonnette Moes, attorney, Foley, Hoag & Elliot, Boston; Charlena Seymour, interim senior vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and provost; Joseph Cofield, executive vice president, University of Massachusetts Foundation; and Joyce M. Hatch, interim vice chancellor of Administration and Finance.
Lombardi is serving as president of the board, while Hatch has been named treasurer and Burke has been appointed clerk.