Jim Dicker, the vice president for institutional advancement, has left the university for a new position as vice president for development and alumni relations at the University of Delaware.
While at Temple, Dicker’s main responsibility was fundraising for the university and promoting alumni engagement. The proceeds from fundraising campaigns often trickled down to on-campus construction projects and new scholarship endowments, such as the Lewis Katz scholarship, which was established in 2015.
“The past three years that I’ve been [at Temple] have all been record-breaking fundraising years,” Dicker said. “This [fiscal year] that just ended on June 30 will be the highest. It’ll be a new record, and we’ll have final numbers in about ten days.”
Dicker began his position at the University of Delaware on Monday and is being replaced by Meaghan Hogan, the associate vice president of principal gifts, as the interim vice president for institutional advancement until the position is permanently filled.
It is unaware when a search for a permanent vice president of institutional advancement, said university spokesman Hillel Hoffmann.
Temple’s office of institutional advancement contains the fundraising and alumni relations departments, which focus on fundraising campaigns and raising donations for the university.
Dicker will be fulfilling the same duties at UD even though the job title is slightly different, he added.
“There’s a lot of momentum going on down there right now,” Dicker said about the University of Delaware. “There’s a new president who is very visionary with a lot of new initiatives and new ideas. They are launching the public phase of a comprehensive capital campaign in November. Those were all exciting reasons that drew me into looking into the position.”
Dicker came to Temple in 2014 after working for 26 years in a similar capacity at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. He was appointed in March 2014 after former President Neil Theobald’s first pick for the position was removed from consideration, The Temple News reported in 2014.
The 2014 fiscal year, which ended months after Dicker’s appointment, had record-breaking fundraising numbers, but Dicker told Philadelphia Business Journal the record was “not even close to where it need[s] to be.”
When Theobald, who focused the university’s efforts on alumni engagement, was removed from the university last year, Dicker told the Philadelphia Inquirer he would be “surprised” if the transition affected donation numbers. The 2016 fiscal year ended with $79 million in donations, exceeding Dicker’s donation goal by $4 million, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.
“One thing I’ve worked hard on over the last couple of years is building a culture of philanthropy within my department,” Dicker said. “I’m sure Meaghan will continue that culture and it’ll make for a smooth transition. I really wouldn’t anticipate any major changes.”
Hogan says the entire institutional advancement office will continue to maintain relationships with donors after Dicker’s departure. She hopes maintaining those relationships will yield more record-breaking fundraising years.
“For me, I want to understand the essential components of our team to achieve those levels, and continue to provide them with the support they need,” she said.
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