CU to move quickly in hunt for new fundraising chief

The University of Colorado Board of Regents on Wednesday voted 7-0 to allow President Bruce Benson to deviate from the standard search process as he looks for a chief fundraiser to oversee a realignment of CU’s fundraising and advancement efforts.

Benson told the board the executive vice president position will play a critical role in the many moving parts that make up the restructuring of the university’s fundraising operations, so it is important to proceed quickly with a search. He also said he intends to provide governance groups an opportunity to meet the candidate(s) before a final decision is made. The search committee will comprise Benson, the four campus leaders and Vice President and Chief of Staff Leonard Dinegar. The search will begin immediately.

The new executive vice president position is one of the primary recommendations made by Grenzebach, Glier and Associates, a leading international philanthropic services firm, which has been working with CU to assess its fundraising and advancement activities and recommend improvements.

Transition teams at the university and the foundation are working on details of moves and coordinating efforts.

“We’ve done a great job with our fundraising in recent years, but given the continual declines in state funding and bleak prospects for its future, we have to raise the bar on attracting private support to CU,” Benson said. “These efforts will help us take fundraising to the next level.”