A Development Advisory Council (DAC) has been established and is mobilizing representatives from every corner of campus to assist in the next major fund-raising campaign, which promises to be the most ambitious in Syracuse University history. Consisting of some 50 members, and chaired by Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw, the DAC is charged with a variety of duties, none more important than keeping the lines of communication flowing among the broad spectrum of campus constituencies and development professionals.
"The council gives us two valuable advantages. It ensures that the development office can focus its fund-raising efforts to directly support the needs and goals of the rest of the campus," says John D. Sellars, senior vice president for institutional advancement, who created the DAC. "At the same time, it gives us direct access to the strategic thinking and problem-solving prowess of some of the best and brightest minds on campus." Council members include deans, administrators, faculty and staff members, students, an alumnus and a trustee.
As preparations begin for the massive fund-raising effort, the DAC will articulate campaign priorities and objectives for recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The council will meet for the first time on Oct. 10, and at regular intervals throughout this academic year, to review data and recommend development strategies. Other council duties will include assisting in Chancellor's Roundtables and in the recruitment of volunteers for campaign tasks.
Chancellor Shaw is pleased to have this valuable new resource at his disposal. "The scope of the next campaign will be broader and deeper than any we have attempted so far," he says. "Therefore tapping the expertise and good will of this representative group is essential to ensure consensus on priorities and to help the whole campus to take ownership of the critical fund-raising process. I look forward to relying on the collected wisdom of this important council."
