Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Spring Hill College
Mobile, AL
http://www.shc.edu
Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:
Maureen Huminik
Vice President
617-262-1102
[email protected]
The Opportunity:
Founded in 1830, Spring Hill College (SHC) has provided a
powerful liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition for
almost two centuries. Spring Hill’s mission is to form
students to become leaders in service to others, fulfilling the
unique potential of each individual.
Students’ studies at Spring Hill College are more than an
education. SHC offers a supportive, encouraging
environment that fosters a transforming experience for
students, one that challenges and inspires them in their intellectual, personal, and spiritual growth. Inside
and outside the classroom, students are introduced to a wide range of perspectives and are encouraged to
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think critically and reflect inwardly about who they are, what they believe, and
what contributions they hope to make to the world.
Spring Hill College is the first Catholic college in the Southeast, the third oldest
Jesuit college in the United States, and the fifth oldest Catholic college in the
United States. It is ranked among the top 25 Southern colleges and universities
in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
Spring Hill College seeks a highly skilled Vice President for Development and
Alumni Relations. The new Vice President for Development and Alumni
Relations will provide leadership, planning, management, and coordination for
all development and alumni relations functions across the College. This is an exciting opportunity to have an
impact at a turning point in the institution’s history. The ideal candidate will be collaborative, innovative, and
highly motivated.
Position Overview – Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Spring Hill College is currently seeking an experienced fundraiser to serve as its Vice President for
Development and Alumni Relations. Reporting to the College President, the Vice President (VP) will serve on
the President’s Cabinet and as the primary staff liaison to the Board of Trustees’ Advancement Committee.
Planning for a comprehensive campaign is one of the President’s strategic priorities. The Vice President will
engage alumni, parents, corporations and foundations, and friends to build support of the College’s
initiatives.
Description of Duties and Responsibilities:
Essential Functions

Provide leadership – in close collaboration with the President, trustees, alumni and other volunteer
leaders, the Provost, other members of the senior management team, and College staff – for
programs that will lead to the philanthropic support required to underwrite priority needs of the
College including endowment, facilities, and support of new and continuing programs.

Serve as the College’s senior development officer and strategist – and as chief development adviser
to the President, the trustees, and other College officials on all matters involving current or potential
philanthropic support.
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
Create, implement, and lead all fundraising programs, including, but not limited to, annual, major
gift, athletic, and planned gift programs.

Develop and implement capital and comprehensive campaigns.

Actively use data to assess the effectiveness of the College’s fundraising programs and to guide the
College’s fundraising strategies.

Establish a vision for and ensure the execution of a comprehensive program of alumni and parent
engagement that leads to mutually productive interaction between Spring Hill and its many external
constituencies.

Build a culture of philanthropy among the Institution’s internal and external constituencies.

Provide strategic management of the President’s pool of prospects.

Assume responsibility for a pool of 25+ major prospects and strategically move them forward to
higher levels of giving.

Coordinate the cultivation of potential donors, in keeping with the Prospect Management Plan.

Ensure that current donors are systematically engaged, solicited, and stewarded and that new donors
are identified.

Develop and expand a program of corporate and foundation support for the College.

Maintain, assess, and update the College’s advancement policies.

Execute, assess, and update the strategic plan for the advancement of the College.

Hire, train, support, and lead the development and alumni relations staff.

Represent the College, as appropriate, to alumni, friends, corporations, foundations, and the business
community.

Serve as primary staff liaison to the Spring Hill College Board of Trustee’s Advancement Committee
and work closely with members of the board.

Undertake such other duties as the President may, from time to time, assign.
Marginal Functions

Manage the evaluation process for direct reports.

Maintain flexibility to respond to other assignments as determined by the President.

Attend meetings and/or special events as a representative of the College as required.

Plan and manage completion of other administrative duties or paperwork as required.

Participate in the strategic planning process.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Support and strengthen the Jesuit, Catholic mission of Spring Hill College; familiarity with the many
issues attendant with Catholic higher education in the modern world will be a distinct advantage.
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
Higher education Capital or Comprehensive Campaign experience is required.

Experienced in higher education advancement best practices.

Possess leadership qualities to inspire both professional staff and volunteers, including the following:
out-going personality, integrity, intelligence, strategic vision, optimism, assertiveness, judgment,
creativity, diplomacy and tact, decisiveness, team spirit, and a sense of humor.

Demonstrated success as a major and principal gift fundraiser, both personally and as a strategist for
institutional leadership.

Direct supervisory experience of an advancement staff of at least eight (8).

Experience with advancement software databases is required. Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge software
is highly desirable.

Advanced computer skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.

An external orientation as demonstrated by a willingness to travel extensively on behalf of the
College.

An understanding of the power and necessity of technology and technological applications in an
advancement setting.

Strong oral and written communications skills; ability to read, analyze, and interpret reports and
other documents, ability to respond to common inquiries from internal and external constituents;
ability to effectively present oral and written information to top management.

Able to make management decisions on confidential matters.

Able to use independent judgment to manage and impart confidential information.

Able to research and resolve office management problems and questions.

Able to organize workflow and coordinate activities.

Able to update skills on a continual basis.
Qualification Standards:
Education/Experience: Minimum of a B.A./B.S.; Master’s Degree is preferable. A career pattern that displays
increasing levels of responsibility in higher education advancement and a long-term commitment to
meeting established goals. A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in college or university advancement
is required.
Licenses: Valid driver’s license with acknowledgment from insurance provider.
Other Considerations:
Hiring process includes, e.g., a criminal history background search.
This person is considered a responsible employee in accordance with College Title IX policies.
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THE COLLEGE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, ADD, OR REASSIGN JOB DUTIES OR COMBINE
POSITIONS, OR PORTIONS THEREOF, AT ANY TIME. THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IS NOT AN EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT OR CONTRACT. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Development and Alumni Relations Overview
Over the past five years, Spring Hill College has raised an
average of $2.4M annually in sustaining gifts and gifts to
meet pressing current needs. Larger gifts to the College
are generated by a small number of committed donors.
The College will depend on the Vice President to
implement a best practice program that includes strategic
thinking, long-term planning, and a holistic approach to
donors across the entire spectrum of the donor
experience ranging from prospect identification through
engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and culminating in relevant and meaningful stewardship. The Vice
President will have the opportunity to build upon established policies and procedures in all areas of
development as the College looks to create a robust, traditional fundraising program. A solid advancement
structure and foundation has been carefully constructed over the last year and is ready for the VP to step in
and move the program forward. The staff, which will total 15 when all positions are filled, are committed to
Spring Hill College and enthusiastic about new leadership.
A campaign that will focus on academic programs in business and the sciences is under review. The Vice
President will need strong campaign experience to provide the necessary leadership for the campaign.
There are currently 12,000 solicitable alumni and 13 regional alumni chapters with over 80 events annually.
The current participation rate of alumni giving is at 16.8%. With the addition of a new Director of Annual
Giving position, there will be many opportunities available to increase the percentage of alumni giving over
the next five years. Alumni live the mission of the College in all areas of learning, faith, justice and service.
Alumni are extremely proud of their incredibly rich Jesuit education and of their alma mater.
Client Overview
Spring Hill College, Alabama’s oldest institution of higher learning, was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier,
Mobile’s first Catholic bishop. Spring Hill has 1,496 total enrolled students from 36 states and 11 countries.
Its alumni worldwide total approximately 12,000. The College expresses its mission as follows:
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Rooted in its Catholic heritage and
continuing the centuries-old Jesuit
tradition of educational excellence,
Spring Hill College forms students to
become responsible leaders in service to
others.
We offer all students a thorough
preparation for professional excellence
and we strive to awaken mind and spirit
to the pursuit of truth and to an everdeepening appreciation of the beauty of creation, the dignity of life, the demands of justice, and the
mystery of God’s love.
In our community of living and learning, we are committed to the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis,
that is, a care for the spiritual, social and intellectual growth of each person.
Through informed dialogue with the world’s cultures, religions and peoples, we promote solidarity
with the entire human family.
And true to the Catholic and biblical tradition, we nurture both the
personal and social dimensions of faith, seeking to draw our students
into a deeper and more vital relationship with God.
Spring Hill College and Spring Hill graduates have led the way in
many endeavors, including the following:

In 1932, the College launched an extension program with
Saturday classes aimed at adults. For the first time, women were
admitted as full-time students to the program.

Spring Hill historically viewed racial segregation as an ethical
and moral dilemma. In 1954, the College enrolled nine AfricanAmerican students and for 10 years Spring Hill was the first and only
integrated college in the Deep South.

Spring Hill led the way in desegregation among Southern
colleges and earned the respect of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who
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mentioned the moral significance of Spring Hill’s initiatives in his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham
Jail.”

Spring Hill professor Rev. Louis Eisele, S.J., invented an ink-to-paper system for recording earthquake
data on seismographs. In 1960 he was named director of a worldwide web of seismic stations.

In 2005, the SHC nursing department led the way in its region in developing and implementing a
Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) master’s program in conjunction with the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing. The program prepares generalist clinicians for the new generation of nursing
and was developed to improve the quality of patient care and to better prepare nurses to thrive in
the present and future healthcare system. Clinical Nurse Leaders put evidence-based practice into
action to ensure that patients benefit from the latest innovations in care.

For more than 25 years, the Spring Hill College Division of Philosophy and Theology has set the
standard in offering programs on campus and in other Southern cities. Spring Hill offers its adult
programs in theology not only in Mobile but also in Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; and
Atlanta, Georgia. Graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates can be earned at all
locations, or classes can be taken for personal enrichment. The program provides a study of all major
areas of theology in the Catholic tradition (biblical, moral, historical, pastoral, and systematic). It is
ecumenical in perspective and designed for persons with varying levels of previous theological
background.

Dr. Mary Catherine Phelan, alumna and founder of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory (TN),
conducted research that led to the identification of a chromosome deficiency. The disorder, known
as Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, is named partially for her in recognition of her discovery.
Spring Hill has participated in intercollegiate athletics
since 1889 when the baseball team first took to the
diamond. The Badgers currently have 16 teams that
compete within NCAA Division II and the Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) or the Gulf
South Conference (GSC). Since 1979, SHC has produced
61 NAIA All-Americans and 180 Daktronics Scholar
Athletes.
In January 2009, Spring Hill broke ground for the Mary
Lou and John Barter Student Center, the first “green” building of its size in Mobile and one of the first of its
kind in Alabama. It will qualify for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building
Rating System, “the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of highperformance green buildings” and will maintain the infrastructure with respect for the environment.
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During spring break or Mardi Gras break each year, Spring Hill College students immerse themselves in
another culture while helping others through international service immersion trips. Students also contribute
more than 18,000 hours of community service every year in the Greater Mobile metro area. The Spring Hill
experience means a total transformation of each student. They leave Spring Hill with a strong sense of selfawareness and with the confidence to take on the next challenge.
The College has survived some lean years and thrived in
recent years with strong enrollments and support from
alumni, friends, and the Greater Mobile community. Today’s
students live and learn on a beautifully transformed
residential campus and are part of a close-knit living and
learning community. Creating enriching opportunities,
inspiring ideas and creativity, and transforming students are
all part of the Spring Hill College experience.
In the summer of 2015, Spring Hill College’s President, Dr. Christopher Puto, launched an institution-wide
strategic planning process. Using situational and data analysis to guide them, more than 40 planning units
worked together to identify and understand the college’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for
growth and improvement. To read more: http://www.shc.edu/about/president/strategic-plan/
Location
Mobile, AL – The Gulf Coast:
With a suburban campus size of 381 acres, the
College is located in one of Mobile’s most
picturesque neighborhoods. The site is naturally
landscaped and features huge oaks, azalea-lined
walkways, and an 18-hole golf course. Several
buildings are listed in the National Register of
Historic Places.
Located on the Gulf Coast, Mobile, Alabama is
situated at the mouth of the Mobile River and the
edge of Mobile Bay. About 540,000 residents live in the Mobile Bay area, which encompasses approximately
2,800 square miles. Mobile combines Southern beauty and charm with the advantages of a fast-growing
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metropolitan area. The region offers an abundance of cultural and recreational opportunities for people of
all ages.
The Gulf Coast is famous for its beautiful white-sand
beaches, celebrations, endless outdoor activities, and
relaxing, friendly atmosphere. With more than 300 years of
history and tradition, Mobile also offers excellent
restaurants and great shopping near campus.
The following links will provide more details about Mobile
and the Gulf Coast:
View the Mobile Bay Visitor Guide, Restaurant Guide, and Lodging Guide
Azalea Trail Run
Battleship USS ALABAMA
Bragg-Mitchell Mansion
Christmas at Bellingrath Gardens and Home
Dauphin Island
Dollar General Bowl
Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival
Festival of Flowers
Gulf Coast Exploreum & IMAX Theater
Mardi Gras
Mobile BayBears Baseball
Mobile Bay Visitor Guide, Restaurant Guide, and Lodging Guide
Mobile Carnival (Mardi Gras) Museum
Mobile Museum of Art
Museum of Mobile
Oakleigh Historical Complex
Orange Beach
Pensacola Beach
Senior Bowl
Shrimp Festival
World-Class Deep-Sea Fishing/Boating
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Background Checks:
Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. LLLS does verify academic
credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an
offer.
To learn more, call
Maureen Huminik, Vice President at
617-262-1102
or send nominations or cover letter and resume to
[email protected].
All inquiries will be held in confidence.
Setting the Standard in Development Search
420 Boylston Street, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02116
617.262.1102
www.LLLSearches.com
SPRING HILL COLLEGE BACKGROUNDER | 10
Appendix
Leadership:
Dr. Christopher Puto
President
Dr. Christopher Puto, the 37th President of Spring Hill College, began his post
on campus June 1, 2015. Dr. Puto graduated from Spring Hill College in 1964
with a degree in economics. He earned an MBA in marketing from the
University of Miami and a Ph.D. in business administration with a
concentration in marketing from Duke University. Dr. Puto was a member of
the Spring Hill College Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2012.
From 2002 to 2014, Dr. Puto served as the dean and the Opus Distinguished
Chair in the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic liberal arts university in St.
Paul, Minn. Among his accomplishments at St. Thomas, Dr. Puto designed and introduced the university’s
first full-time MBA program and first full-time M.S. in Accountancy program, as well as redesigned the
flagship evening MBA program. Under Dr. Puto’s leadership, the University of St. Thomas received
accreditation from AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).
Prior to his work at St. Thomas, Dr. Puto served as professor of marketing and dean of the McDonough
School of Business at Georgetown University, the country’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university located in
Washington, D.C. During his tenure at Georgetown, the McDonough School rose to #22 in the U.S. News &
World Report national rankings.
Dr. Puto’s accomplishments at Georgetown’s McDonough School include introducing a new MBA program
curriculum and initiating a curriculum redesign for the undergraduate business program. He later created a
comprehensive strategic planning process for the school and raised $80M in the first three years of a $150M
capital campaign.
Dr. Puto has also served as associate dean and director of the MBA program, director of doctoral studies in
marketing, and professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Arizona, a public research
university in Tucson. His teaching experience includes serving on the faculty at the University of Michigan
and Appalachian State University.
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In addition to his accomplishments in academia, Dr. Puto has a wide range of industry and consulting
experience. Clients have included Bank of America, Eastman Kodak Company, and General Electric Company.
Dr. Puto started his career as allied sales manager at Burger King Corporation, where he contributed to
developing the strategic foundations for the “Have It Your Way” advertising campaign.
He has also written numerous academic journal articles and book chapters and presented at peer-reviewed
professional conferences. He received the 2002 Sheth Foundation Award for co-authoring the Journal of
Consumer Research article having the most long-term impact on the discipline. This inaugural award covered
the first 29 years of the Journal’s history. Dr. Puto succeeded the Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., who continues
to serve the College as Chancellor and Mission & Identity Officer.
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