NJIT Appoints Fund-Raising Giant To Steer University To Greater Heights
Charles R. Dees, Jr., Ph.D., has been named vice president for university advancement at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), effective March 17, 2003. In this position, Dees will serve as the chief administrative officer and leader of the advancement program. Under his purview fall the university’s offices of development, communications, alumni relations and special events.
“Chuck has a very strong background in fund raising and administration and experience managing multiple constituencies with highly developed political and diplomatic skills,” says Robert A. Altenkirch, Ph. D., president of NJIT. “He has had a long history of working with alumni relations and understands communications and marketing, particularly in a higher education environment. He clearly has had a significant input in developing and implementing successful marketing plans and strategies. We look forward to having him on board.”
“I’m excited about joining NJIT, a growing public, technological research university,” says Dees. “It is especially thrilling to step into this position during this dynamic and creative period for higher education in New Jersey.”
Dees brings to NJIT a track record of success. Most recently, as vice president for development and public relations for the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Dees increased gift income by 24 percent within six months of his arrival. At Fairleigh Dickinson University, in a similar capacity, he increased gift income over three years from 36-60 percent of total reported revenue.
Under Dees’ watch at Seton Hall University from 1982-1993, the university raised its annual fund revenues from $600,000-$3 million and jump-started faculty grants and contracts from $3-$8 million annually. Dees developed a marketing campaign that enhanced Seton Hall’s academic image. The effort resulted in a 20 percent increase in out-of-state enrollments and a significant 75 point increase in SAT scores of entering freshmen. Dees also solicited a $10 million gift, the largest private gift in the school’s history.
As an administrator in higher education, Dees holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from University of Pittsburgh, a M.Ed. from Duquesne University and a B.A. from LaSalle University. His background includes a stint with the United States Department of Education during the administrations of former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. With the White House Domestic Policy Staff, he developed the initial draft of the President’s Executive Order for Historically Black Colleges.
His honors and affiliations include the National Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Institutional Eligibility of the United States Department of Education, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, National Society of Fund- Raising Executives, a Government Fellow of the American Council of Education and Omicron Delta Kappa Men’s Leadership Fraternity.