As academic leaders are faced with the changing landscape of advancement, namely, increasing development responsibilities, it’s more important than ever for fundraising professionals to partner with deans, presidents, provosts, etc., to share best practices. As we gear up for CASE’s Development for Deans and Academic Leaders: Winter Session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in February 2020, we spoke with these faculty members and colleagues on the challenges facing academic leaders and their fundraising partners, leadership advice, and what they’re most looking forward to at the conference:

Dale Wright, associate dean and chief advancement officer for The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;

Rashid Bashir, dean of The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

CASE: Describe your career path. How did you get to your current role?

Dale Wright: My career began in 1999 when I started working for the University of Missouri Alumni Association as an alumni relations officer, primarily managing the student advancement programs and staffing alumni chapters. In early 2003, I had an opportunity to begin my career as a fundraiser during the For All We Call Mizzou capital campaign. From there I made a lateral move to work for the College of Business, now named the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business. From 2005-2014, I worked with outstanding colleagues, alumni, and friends and progressively expanded my leadership to ultimately serve as the Chief Advancement Officer for the B-school. The opportunity to be able to continue to work for my alma mater was more than I could have ever imagined. By 2014 I had been affiliated with the university since I entered as a freshman in 1994. When I received the invitation to work on behalf of one of the world’s most recognized colleges of engineering and one of the nation’s finest public universities presented itself, it was more than I could say no to, it turns out. I became the associate dean and chief advancement officer for The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in January 2015.

Rashid Bashir: After 10 years at Purdue, I moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the director of what is now the Nick Holonyak Jr. Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory. I became the head of bioengineering for five years and in that role helped conceive, and was in the core founding team of, the world’s first engineering-based medical school, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. After two years as the executive associate dean and chief diversity officer at the medical school, I became the 15th dean of The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. I certainly could not have envisioned or planned that path and I am very honored and humbled to be in my current role. 

CASE: What excites you the most about what you do?

DW: I truly enjoy understanding the impact a donor wishes to make and how we fit into their philanthropic goals. Being able to advocate on behalf of a wonderful university community makes coming to work so much fun.

RB: What excites me most is the potential to make an impact, to know that we can make a positive difference in the world today and in the future, and to communicate that with alumni, students, staff, and faculty. I want to envision the future and work with my colleagues across the college campus and beyond to address the grand challenges facing humanity today. What excites me is the possibility to combine scientific vision and purpose-driven, mission-oriented leadership with administrative leadership to advance the state of engineering research, engineering education, and make engineering accessible to all. 

CASE: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges deans face when working with their fundraising partners?

DW: I think it can be extremely challenging to balance the desires of the college or academic unit with what donors may have an interest in supporting. So, how do you create an environment where we can talk about our aspirations while also committing to understand what drives the donors’ philanthropic goals?

I think another challenge is just the sheer pressure to raise more money at a time when resources are restricted. This can lead to deans not positioning themselves or their institutions in the most effective way, which could lead to a mismatch for a donor that may actually be interested in a deep partnership—and support.

RB: Some of the challenges include developing a shared vision with the partners, to communicate that vision to the partners and stakeholders, to align goals and expectations across all aspects of the organization, and very importantly, to carefully listen to the partners and stake holders to understand their view of impact and success.

CASE: What can advancement leaders do to mitigate these challenges?

DW: We are facilitators in the process and must focus all of our efforts on being a trusted adviser internally and externally. We must help create an environment that is focused on outcomes that can be measured at the intersection of shared aspirations (donor and organization) through philanthropy. We must help make sure that the culture exists for our mutual success and that we help equip all who can play a role with the tools they need to be successful.

RB: Advancement leaders could provide ample communication with the deans and college leadership team, engage other members of the leadership team in the advancement mission to create an advancement culture, and collaborate to interface and interact with the student body to make them great and grateful alumni. 

CASE: What’s the best professional leadership advice you’ve received?

DW: I recently read a great article on inc.com about the one trait that Warren Buffett says is most important in spotting a great leader: integrity. That really hit home to me. He goes on to list 6 reasons you should consider basing your hiring of a leader on people with integrity. As leaders, it is our job to role model the culture we expect, not simply talk about what we expect our culture to be.

The other piece of advice comes from a little-known sermon from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entitled “The Drum Major Instinct.” Anyone who knows me well knows I listen to this sermon constantly and I mention it all the time. I think I connect to it differently each time I listen.  As King posits, we are all born with this “drum major instinct,” this desire for attention, to be first, the desire for praise and recognition, and the desire to be great. He further argues that this is a good instinct if we use it correctly, and if we don’t,  it can lead to a host of issues such as “exclusivism and the tendency to suppress others,” as well as all of us lacking self-awareness to recognize our own faults, which can ultimately hold us back as we seek to achieve individual and team success.

CASE: How would you describe your leadership style?

RB: Scientific vision and mission-driven, consensus building, and forward-leaning. 

CASE: What are you most looking forward to at the Development for Deans and Academic Leaders conference?

DW: I am looking forward to sharing tips on how we can demystify the overall advancement experience and how being focused on impact will lead to even better outcomes for everyone.

RB: I’m excited to meet colleagues from around the country and to learn from them and share best practices so we can work together to plan an exciting and financially sustainable future for all of us. 

CASE: What’s your favorite CASE resource?

DW: I would say CASE’s ability to get us together whether that entry point is through a district conference or larger educational program and help all of us to build our network of likeminded professionals to improve as individuals as well as collectively. Also, if you have not checked out the newly revamped library, what are you waiting for?