Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the nation’s oldest technological university. Its mission “to apply science to the common purposes of life,” has never been more opportune. Rensselaer alumni have originated technologies and products and generated results that have changed the world – from railroad systems, manufacturing, and newly emerging scientific and engineering disciplines in the nineteenth century to space exploration, email and electronics devised in the twentieth. Today, Rensselaer ranks among the nation’s top 50 research universities and is known for educating students to be leaders who will address critical societal and global problems from a technological perspective.
The 2010 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools” singled out Rensselaer’s School of Engineering, ranking it in the Top 50 nationwide; the master of fine arts in electronic arts ranks 6th in the nation in multimedia/visual communications; and the Lally School of Management & Technology’s MBA program ranks 27th in entrepreneurship in the nation. The Institute is especially well-known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.
The Advancement team is excitedly working toward the goals outlined in the Rensselaer Plan 2024, an ambitious strategic plan aimed at transforming the Institute though major investments in its people, programs, platforms, and partnerships. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was recently named as a 2015 winner for overall fundraising performance and overall fundraising improvement, for fiscal years 2012 – 2014, among private research/doctoral institutions with endowments under $1 billion, by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). To learn more, click here.
The Opportunity
With direct access to the Vice President, Institute Advancement, the Senior Advancement Officer, Major Gifts is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of high-level prospects capable of making six- and seven-figure gifts to Rensselaer. As the Institute prepares for its bicentennial in 2024, the Senior Advancement Officer will secure transformative gifts in support of institutional priorities. Five to seven years of major gift fundraising experience is required; a demonstrated record of cultivation and closing significant major gifts of $1M+ in higher education is preferred.