A Message from the Vice President
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May has been an interesting and busy month. The Board of Trustees has given their thumbs up to the university’s new strategic plan, and DAR has received a substantial boost to its annual budget. Now we can officially begin the process of growing, innovating and creating impact.
At the recent board meeting, I set some expectations; I wanted our trustees to know three things: 1) we are beginning the process of adding new staff at every level of the organization in preparation for a campaign; 2) it takes time to implement innovative programs in DAR, and increasing donations does not happen overnight; and 3) in order to generate impact, we first have to determine the feasibility of achieving bigger goals (e.g. do we have the donors for specific projects?).
Solidifying the university’s strategic plan and increasing the budget are important steps to clarifying a vision for our organization, and toward that goal, we also are getting close to filling some new senior leadership positions. At the same time, all roads are leading to being in a quiet phase of a comprehensive campaign in FY25. Athletics already has some ambitious fundraising goals, and I’ve hired GG+A to help with a feasibility study this summer to determine how much we think we can raise for their projects. However, we don’t want to just lead with Athletics, as there are a myriad of other priorities that are emerging, such as endowing more faculty chairs, building several new buildings, supporting the new institutes, expanding financial aid and more.
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All these priorities will crystallize in early FY25. It is bound to be an exciting next few months. As we add new staff members, please recognize that we all need to participate in some fashion in their onboarding. Building an excellent culture is our collective responsibility. I feel very fortunate to be doing this with each of you.
Warm regards,
Stephen Bayer
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Rice University
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Volunteer Leadership Conference
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On May 18, with the help of our amazing colleagues, Alumni Relations hosted the Volunteer Leadership Conference. Corinne Hodgson and Mayra De Leon were the best strategic partners in planning, and Katie Reiter, Madeline Greely and Kara Timberlake were incredibly helpful committee members. So many departments played a role in getting us to the finish line, including staff members (Emily Ball, Mayra Castillo, Tyvia Chandler, April Cole, Cristina Diaz, Katie Donovan, Sofia Horadam-Kalmus, Felicia Huerta, James Hurley, Danielle Jones, Amanda Martindale, Francel Regondola, Helen Toombs, Emily Wolfe, Erin Wolfe, and Christina Woods) who moderated and presented. We are so grateful for your commitment to Rice Volunteers!
— From Shannon Burnett, Director of Alumni Engagement
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YOUR WISDOM AT WORK
Updates from Talent Management
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Talent Management is excited to announce our next "Owls in a Day's Work" presentation featuring Sara L. Rice and Ginny Jones, who will give an overview of Major Gifts. The live Zoom session will be held on Friday, May 31, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. You can join using this link.
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DAR Employee Referral Program
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Did you know that DAR employees can be awarded up to $500 for referring candidates to positions within the division? As part of our commitment to attracting top talent to DAR, employees who refer a candidate who is hired will receive $250 within 60 days after the referred candidate’s probationary period concludes and an additional $250 after the candidate completes their first year in their position. Learn more about the program here.
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Plans, organizes and manages the development of complex major gift support for each of the deans, as well as their constituent departments and centers.
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Develops programs and resources that strengthen and support student and recent alumni engagement.
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Identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards planned/complex gifts from alumni, parents and friends.
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LaCole Garza Gongora, Staff Assistant
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The OCFR team is excited to welcome LaCole Garza Gongora as a staff assistant, effective May 8. LaCole holds a degree in international studies from Texas State University. LaCole spent 13 years at Trade Winds Beach Club Condominium Association, gaining expertise in customer service, event planning and purchasing. In her spare time, LaCole loves cooking, reading, traveling and spending time with her family.
— Katie Cervenka, Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
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Stacey Mueller, Director of Development (Northeast Region)
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The Major Gifts team is thrilled to welcome Stacey Mueller as director of development for the Northeast region, effective May 13. Stacey attended college on a softball scholarship at Seminole State College in Seminole, Florida, and then at St. Peter's University in Jersey City, New Jersey. She has worked in development at the Baptist Health Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In her free time, Stacey volunteers for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Breeders Greeters Committee and enjoys concerts and spending time outdoors.
— Ginny Jones, Executive Director of Development, Major Gifts
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Virginia Mayo, Staff Assistant
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The Alumni Engagement team is thrilled to welcome Virginia Mayo as a staff assistant, effective Monday, May 13. Virginia is a native Houstonian who is excited to return home and join the Alumni Relations team. She earned her BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University and has a background in administrative accounting. In her spare time, you can find Virginia on stage or at home with her two cats, Goose and Mabel.
— Shannon Burnett, Director of Alumni Engagement
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Genevieve Robinson, Principal Gifts Specialist
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The Principal Gifts Team is thrilled to welcome Genevieve Robinson as the principal gifts specialist on May 6. Genevieve earned her B.A. in history and international studies from Trinity University in San Antonio. As a native Houstonian, she grew up attending Rice Owl volleyball games and enjoying walks around the inner loop. In 2019, Genevieve began her three-year career at Rice as a program coordinator with the Office of Academic Advising. After leaving Rice, she worked as an executive assistant at a local estate appraisal firm.
— Ronica Smucker, Associate Vice President, Individual Giving
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Beatrice Capra, Staff Assistant
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The Major Gifts team is thrilled to welcome Beatrice Capra as a development officer for the Southeast Region, effective May 1. Beatrice (who goes by Trice) attended Duke University, where she received her B.A. degree in anthropology. After graduation, she joined The Iron Dukes, the fundraising arm for Duke Athletics, as an assistant director of prospect management. Most recently, Beatrice worked at Salesforce, working directly with nonprofit organizations.
— Ginny Jones, Executive Director of Development, Major Gifts
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FROM THE PERCH
A Preview of What's Next
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When any member of the Rice community makes a gift of $35 or more to the Rice Annual Fund, or any fund on campus, before June 30, we’ll thank them with a pair of limited-edition Sammy socks! Donors must use the sock-specific giving form at giving.rice.edu/socks.
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The Alumni Networks team is expanding summer programming! We’ll be hosting six New Student Send-Offs in Houston, Austin, DFW, D.C., New York, and the Bay Area mid-July through mid-August. These events welcome new students and their families while encouraging them to connect with alumni and fellow Owls. If anyone in DAR has specific prospects who should be invited, please reach out to Amanda Martindale.
In the fall, we’ll host our Welcome to the NeighborHOOT events which focus on engaging with alums who are new to their regions or looking for ways to get more involved with their local Rice community.
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Reminder: the new summer dress code is in effect
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The summer dress code will be in effect starting after commencement, May 4, through O-Week, August 24. Examples of appropriate attire include: short-sleeved shirts, t-shirts (solid color or Rice branded), tennis shoes, jeans (clean and not torn), tasteful casual dress, and, of course, Rice apparel is welcome! For any questions, please contact Audrey Biddy.
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Save the date: Alumni Weekend, Nov. 1-2
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Mark your calendars for Alumni Weekend, Rice’s Homecoming & Reunion experience, on Nov. 1-2, 2024. Details about the weekend — including class reunions and a variety of campus events for alumni — will be announced in the coming months. In the meantime, reunion giving campaigns for 4’s and 9’s has already kicked off this spring, with several classes participating in the 24-Hour Challenge. More details to come!
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HOOTS AND HOLLERS
Updates & Shout-outs from DAR Teams
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- Amanda Sullivan and Stephanie Ball closed a $1M estate gift towards an endowment for the dean’s priorities/general fund use for the School of Architecture.
- Angelica Zimmerman closed a gift of $100K for a TRI scholarship.
- Jackie Macha closed a gift of $100K towards the Diana McSherry and Patrick Poe Endowed Fellowship.
- Stephanie Dugan and Jackie Macha closed a $100K estate gift for Natural Sciences.
- Kathryn Straw closed a gift of $200K in support of The Sheperd School of Music.
- Kathryn Straw closed a gift of $100K for the Pippa Prize in Violin.
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- A huge shout out to the entire division for helping to support the 2024 Laureates Celebration. In particular, a thank you to Emily Wolfe and Kelsie Smith. — James Hurley
- The AR team hosted its third and final ARA Board meeting of FY24 May 3-4. A big thank you to Shannon Burnett and Emily Wolfe for making the entire board year such a success, partnering with over 15 units and departments across campus.
- A hearty congratulations to Deanna Perez for building on the great work of the Traveling Owls Program as we head into its 55th year. The Traveling Owls program had revenue growth of 81% from FY23 to FY24, which correlates with a 19% increase in travelers (342 total). Destination Debut event attendance increased by 27% from FY23 to FY24, and attendance this year included 7% first-time attendees — many guests were managed prospects.
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- With one month still to go, OCFR has exceeded its FY24 goal for organizational giving by 16%, with a combined total for the year so far of $93 million.
- ConocoPhillips has renewed its annual investment of $1,025,000 for the ConocoPhillips-Rice Elementary Model STEM Lab (RESML) and ConocoPhillips Applied Math Program (AMP!).
- OCFR continues to produce a monthly Funding Bulletin which is distributed across campus to faculty and research staff. The funding bulletin includes information about upcoming calls for proposals from all sources of research funding (private, public, and Rice) as well as helpful tips and highlights. Please contact ocfr@rice.edu if you’d like to be added to the distribution list.
- OCFR’s open house will move starting in June from Brochstein Pavilion to the Dandelion Café in the O’Connor Building. These open houses are held the first Friday of every month from 9-11 a.m. and, in addition to OCFR staff, also include representatives from the Office of Technology Transfer and the Office of Research Development. We encourage faculty to come and discuss their ideas and learn more about opportunities for private and public support. Please encourage attendance among your faculty contacts!
- If you need to schedule a meeting with a member of the OCFR team, we are delighted to have a new point of contact to assist you: please join us in welcoming LaCole Garza Gongora!
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OWL HAVE YOU KNOW
Get to Know Your DAR Colleagues
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Take Note is a podcast all about notebooks, attention, parenting and appreciation for the possibilities of any given moment. Learn more about Ted Walker and the joys of taking time to observe the world around you in this Q&A.
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