Jeff Wright says he lept at the chance to work with and for the students at St. Thomas University because the school represents his passion and values. He says he’s a product of his undergraduate experience at Acadia University and is looking forward to a liberal arts university with small classes in the small city of Fredericton. Wright will start as the new vice president of advancement at St. Thomas University in January.
Wright is STU’s first vice president of advancement. STU president Dawn Russell says this is a step in the right direction.
“One of the areas that other universities are ahead of STU on is alumni engagement and fundraising because most universities have both a provincial grant, tuition revenue from students and fundraising,” Russell said.
“That’s something where STU can do more and by doing more we can improve the quality of education at St. Thomas for our students, whether it’s through finding guest lecturers or chairs that pay for faculty positions or scholarships and bursaries. Those are all important efforts that improve the quality of education.”
Wright says advancement is “a current term used to combine communications, alumni relations and fundraising.” He also says it involves two goals, engaging alumni and securing and identifying philanthropic support.
He graduated from Acadia University in 1995, majoring in Canadian studies with focuses in economics and history. He worked as the associate director of advancement at the University of Alberta for nine of the last 12 years. He says his family is excited to move back to the Maritimes.
“I worked at the alumni office at Acadia so I’ve been in the world of advancement for some time and was very excited in the year 2000 to find a job at the University of Alberta in the development office.”
In his first year, Wright hopes to revamp the annual giving program to further its reach. He also plans to work closely with the alumni board of directors to determine the road ahead for alumni engagement.
“Alumni engagement is something greater. The last thing we want is to move from a handshake to a handout. We want to develop a relationship with our alumni where they have pride in their alma mater, St. Thomas and see benefit in a lifelong relationship.”
Wright says there is more to his role than fundraising. Alumni can give back to the STU community in other ways. He says maybe alumni can help recruit students, create new internships, practicums, co-op opportunities, or be mentors.
“Alumni support is very important but it does not come on its own. We don’t expect people to just write a cheque and be done with the university or feel like they have to give back. We want them to feel like they want to give back.”
Russell says Wright’s extensive work in advancement will be crucial to help STU increase alumni engagement and further the university’s reputation and success.
“If we have an addition to a building or a new building they all come through alumni engagement and fundraising efforts with alumni or other donors. That’s an area where someone with experience, like Jeff Wright, the new VP of advancement would be able to move St. Thomas forward,” Russell said.
