Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit seeks a seasoned and talented fundraising professional with a proven track record of success to serve as its next Vice President for University Advancement (VPUA). The VPUA is Duquesne’s chief fundraising strategist and advisor to the President regarding donor cultivation and stewardship. The Vice President will have the opportunity to advance Duquesne’s successful advancement portfolio and lead a dedicated team of gift officers and advancement professionals.
Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA) offers nationally recognized academic programs, a strong financial position, a beautiful urban campus, an entrepreneurial approach to new curricular and co-curricular development, a talented and committed community, a close connection to one of the most dynamic cities in the country, and an exceptional record of service to the world. Duquesne was founded in 1878 by the Spiritans as a Catholic college for Pittsburgh’s poor immigrants. In 1911, it became the state’s first Catholic university. Today, Duquesne is recognized on the national stage as a private, comprehensive research institution of excellent quality offering a strong core of the sciences and liberal arts combined with a robust array of professional school offerings, including a new college of osteopathic medicine. Duquesne is among the top institutions of higher education in Pittsburgh and is vital to its knowledge-based regional economy.
Current enrollment at Duquesne includes more than 8,200 students (over 5,200 undergraduate and nearly 3,000 graduate and professional students) and through its ten schools, the University offers degree programs at the baccalaureate, professional, master’s, and doctoral levels while also supporting an ambitious research profile. Duquesne students are taught and mentored by more than 800 talented and award-winning faculty members. Duquesne’s student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1, and the institution prides itself on offering small classes. The Carnegie Foundation has classified Duquesne as one of only seven Catholic universities in the nation with a “research university with high research activity” distinction.
The Duquesne community has benefitted from strong fiscal stewardship. Duquesne’s Fiscal Year 2024 operating revenues stand at $336 million (net of $145 million of financial aid); its endowment, inclusive of other long-term investments, was valued at $655 million as of December 31, 2023; its A2 bond rating with Moody’s Investor Service and A rating with Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services were both reaffirmed in fall 2023. Reflective of Duquesne’s commitment to social justice, the University has established a minimum wage of $16 per hour.
The University has embarked on the most ambitious and comprehensive campaign in Duquesne’s history, IGNITE: Forging the Future, with the goal to raise $333 million to ensure the resources necessary to realize the full promise and potential of Duquesne to serve its students and the world. The IGNITE campaign leads with the imperatives to Invest in the Future, Illuminate the Mind, Inspire the Soul, and Integrate Health Care. To date, the IGNITE campaign has raised over $308 million, from more than 22,000 donors. The campaign funds will support a variety of strategic priorities, including investing in scholarships and financial aid for students, advancing academic initiatives and innovations, invigorating the student experience, and reinvesting in the campus community.
Reporting to the President and serving on the President’s Cabinet, the Vice President for University Advancement (VPUA) serves as the University’s Chief Development Officer and provides overall strategic vision, direction, policy, and leadership for the comprehensive Advancement team. Led by the VPUA, the Office of University Advancement includes Donors Relations, Alumni Engagement, Major Gifts and Planned Giving, Advancement Communications, Conferences and Event Services, Advancement Services, and Advancement Research.
The University seeks a true steward of advancement as VPUA, and a leader who brings a track record of significant gift acquisitions and substantial philanthropic achievements through donor cultivation. The new VPUA will have the opportunity to design and execute a comprehensive institutional advancement program and develop a high-functioning, collaborative advancement team, focused on targeted, sustained increases in constituent engagement and fundraising outcomes to achieve the long-term viability of the University, in alignment the University’s strategic plan.
The VPUA will be expected to be out of the office and engaged with donors and prospective donors more than fifty-percent of their time, as part of their principal role of building and implementing effective strategies that lead to mutually-beneficial long-term relationships with, and significant philanthropic support from, the University’s most generous stakeholders. The new VPUA will be a flexible person, eager to meet donors where they are across the region and nationally. The VPUA will collaborate with academic and non-academic units across campus to understand the needs and desires for resources and to create a system to centralize and prioritize outreach efforts. The VPUA will also be a thoughtful, strategic partner to the President and Board of Directors in providing active leadership and guidance to increase Duquesne’s institutional capacity and effectiveness in its advancement efforts.
The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, with an advanced degree preferred, and will bring extensive experience in constituent engagement fundraising and communication. The successful candidate also will serve as the University’s principal gift officer and is expected to manage the University’s most philanthropically promising relationships, on their own and in close partnership with the President, Provost, and deans, in order to maximize annual philanthropic support for Duquesne. The ideal candidate will be a senior level advancement executive, with a proven track record of accomplishment in the areas of capital campaign, principal, major and planned giving, and alumni engagement and be inspired by the opportunity to promote Duquesne’s mission as a Catholic, Spiritan university.
The full VPUA prospectus is available here: Duquesne Vice President of University Advancement
This is a full-time position that will be based on-site in Pennsylvania. Salary is competitive, commensurate with experience, and includes a generous benefits package.
Nominations and applications should be submitted electronically as soon as possible. President Ken Gormley and Duquesne’s VPUA Search Committee will evaluate applications on a rolling basis. Applications should include a letter of interest that responds to the agenda for leadership and the desired attributes for the new VPUA expressed in the search prospectus and a curriculum vitae/resumé. All materials will be considered in full confidence.
To express interest in this role please submit materials directly through the Talent Profile. If you wish to nominate a prospective candidate or inquire regarding the role, please use DuquesneVPUA@storbecksearch.com
Julie E. Tea, Managing Director
Kate Phillips, Senior Associate
DuquesneVPUA@storbecksearch.com
Duquesne University was founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Duquesne University is Catholic in its mission and ecumenical in spirit. Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.
