EMERSON COLLEGE BACKGROUNDER | 1

Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement

Emerson College Boston, MA

http://www.emerson.edu

Send Nominations or Cover Letter and Resume to:

Zena Lum

Search Director

617-262-1102, extension 214

zlum@LLLSearches.com

The Opportunity:

In the words of its 12th President, Lee Pelton:

“Emerson’s mission is to educate the

people who will solve problems and

change the world through engaged

leadership in communication and the

arts. It is a mission informed by liberal

learning, recognizing that the world is

still in want of clear-headed citizens,

tempered by historical perspective,

disciplined by rational thinking and

moral compass, who speak well and

write plainly.”

Now, more than ever, the world needs ambitious, independent-minded artists and communicators. It needs

a creative force of writers, performers, media-makers, influencers, marketers and advocates from every

EMERSON COLLEGE BACKGROUNDER | 2

background. It needs daring ideas powerfully expressed. It needs people who work hard to inspire others to

care and to act.

Founded in 1880, Emerson is internationally recognized as the nation’s premier institution of higher learning

devoted to communication and the arts. Energized by engagement with the creative life of Boston, Los

Angeles and the Netherlands, Emerson’s students are independent minds from diverse backgrounds who

develop their own personal voice, talent, and skills in professions that profoundly shape society and culture

in the 21st century.

Emerson College’s fields of specialization

include communication studies, marketing

communication, journalism, communication

sciences and disorders, visual and media arts,

the performing arts, writing, literature, and

publishing. Students may choose from more

than two dozen undergraduate and graduate

programs taught by world-renowned faculty.

The College boasts state-of-the-art equipment

and facilities, from a 1,200-seat Broadway-style

theater to one of the largest installations of

film, video, and audio post-production facilities

of any college in the country. There are also numerous radio, television, and film outlets on campus.

Emerson graduates can be found working in virtually every major media, publishing, entertainment, or arts

enterprise across the United States.

Not only has it become a leading institution of higher learning in communication and the arts, Emerson also

has positively impacted the Boston community with development of its “Campus on the Common.” The

College has been widely credited with palpably reviving this section of the city and bringing to it a new

vitality. In 2017, it is a hub of activity for Bostonians and visitors alike.

Emerson is proud of where it has been and excited for where it is headed. It is on the cusp of thinking even

bigger thoughts than it already does – and you can help realize this potential. If you possess the drive and

strategic expertise to transform, inspire action and empower students and alumni to invest of their time,

talent, and treasure in shaping Emerson’s future, you could play a leading role in building an even greater

culture of philanthropy to fuel this creative force in the fields that shape our society, culture, and future.

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Position Overview – Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement

As a member of Emerson College’s institutional advancement leadership team, the associate vice president

for alumni engagement will work with influential figures to promote a positive view of the College and

deepen alumni affinity and philanthropy through traditional and new media channels, events and other

innovative initiatives.

This is a new position and an exciting opportunity for the consummate communicator, storyteller, and

strategic alliance builder, and requires strong strategic marketing, leadership, and diplomacy skills. A priority

for the Associate Vice President will be to increase alumni participation and create a strategy that builds

long-term, sustainable alumni support through the various stages of their Emerson connection as students,

recent graduates, and annual fund supporters, and to help establish the foundation for further major gift

and legacy support. To do so, the Associate Vice President will work in close partnership with all aspects of

the division, including the offices of marketing and communication to promote Emerson’s image and

enhance its reputation among key local, regional, national, and international alumni. The Associate Vice

President will report to the Vice President of Institutional Advancement and will manage two direct reports,

a Director of Annual Giving and a Director of Alumni Relations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive communications, alumni relations, and events program with

measurable actions and outcomes that lead to stronger alumni ties and support of the long-term

philanthropic goals of Emerson College.

• Identify and prioritize key target audience segments, develop audience insights and strategies, and

create and manage messaging by segment. Develop communications objectives, strategies and

plans, and oversee execution utilizing public relations, direct marketing, social media, interactive

strategies, and other emerging media as required.

• Stay abreast of key trends in fundraising/philanthropy and explore new strategies, as appropriate.

Responsible for results measurement, reporting, and formulating strategies for optimization.

• Demonstrate strategic and operational leadership by providing a strategic vision for the role, the

potential, and the expectations of annual giving in the context of broader institutional advancement

initiatives.

• Collaborate with the AVP for Major Gifts and his team to ensure the strategic cultivation, solicitation,

and stewardship of alumni with significant capacity for giving.

• Assume responsibility for developing and building a student and young alumni giving program that

conveys the importance of and lifelong responsibility for private philanthropy.

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• Provide strategic direction and guidance for the Executive Committee of the Emerson Alumni

Association.

• Design and execute a market research plan to explore and reveal barriers and gateways to greater

giving to Emerson.

Required and Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing or a related field is required; Master’s degree

desired.

• Minimum eight years of experience leading marketing/communications initiatives with metrics-

driven results or similar equivalent experience required; awareness of trends in alumni engagement

and annual giving strategies highly desirable.

• Minimum three years of experience directing professional staff.

• Demonstrated strategic success with new and traditional media, direct marketing, publications and

events to drive measurable results.

• Ability to innovate and perform proactively.

• Ability to handle multiple responsibilities to determine priorities and to track details is essential.

• Outstanding written, oral and interpersonal communication skills.

• Availability to work to the demands of the job, which may exceed an eight-hour day.

• Experience in higher education a plus, but not required.

Development and Alumni Relations Overview

As the College looks to its future, significant additional resources will be needed for scholarships, faculty

support, programmatic support, capital support, and endowment. President Pelton’s ambitious vision calls

for aggressive fundraising targets that are critical for mission success. In each of the last three years, the

Emerson community has set new records for the College in philanthropic support. Fiscal Year 2017 closed on

June 30 at $7.7 million – Emerson’s second-best year ever.

Emerson’s alumni participation rate has ranged from a low of 3% to a high of 7%. With more than 32,000

alumni, the College has far more potential to engage and solicit its most important constituency. While

enormously accomplished and proud, most of Emerson’s alumni have yet to be convinced to make their

alma mater a top philanthropic concern. Creating a strategic plan to strengthen alumni bonds to Emerson

and crafting a compelling case for annual support will be priorities for the new Associate Vice President for

Alumni Engagement with the objective of doubling participation in the annual fund over the next few years.

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Emersonians are concentrated in Massachusetts, New York, and California, and can be found working in

virtually every major media, entertainment, or arts enterprise across the country. They support students

through internships, jobs, mentoring, and professional development. They return to Boston for Alumni

Weekend and their class reunions. They attend

the annual Emerson College Showcase of Film in

Los Angeles and participate in the annual New

York Connection, a networking and site visit

event for students.

Emerson alumni are found among the leaders in

their fields. They include, among others, actors

Norman Lear, Henry Winkler and Denis Leary;

producers Kevin Bright (Friends), Vin Di Bona

(America’s Funniest Home Videos), Max Mutchnik

(Will & Grace); and entertainment executive

Doug Herzog, to name a few. To learn more about notable alumni, please click here.

The Alumni Association actively involves alumni in promoting the reputation and influence of Emerson

College as a leader in communication and the arts. The Association encourages alumni to participate in

planning and guiding the College’s future, and to work to increase the resources available to make

Emerson’s programs a reality. The Office of Alumni Relations supports the Alumni Association and its Board

of Directors in its work. Membership in the Emerson College Alumni Association is open to anyone who has

attended the College.

Parents of Emerson students also become instant members of the College family and frequently become

lifelong friends. Many are actively engaged as volunteers, helping Emerson students and alumni find

internships or positions, serving as mentors and advisors, and promoting the mission of the College. Several

parents currently serve on Emerson’s Board of Trustees and many others, including industry leaders, provide

support for the College.

Overview

Emerson College offers educational programs that prepare undergraduate and graduate men and women to

assume positions of responsibility and leadership in communication and the arts and to pursue scholarship

and work that brings innovation to these disciplines.

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Established in 1880 as a small, regional school of oratory, Emerson has evolved into a diverse, coeducational,

and multifaceted degree-granting institution with a liberal arts, rather than conservatory, orientation. But its

mission and focus remain largely the same as it was in 1880: to explore and push the boundaries of

communication, art, and culture and, thereby, to contribute to the advancement of society. Its curriculum

reflects the emergence of interdisciplinary study

as a mode for teaching and learning, and affirms

new directions for the fields of communication

and the arts. Recently, the College launched a

Comedic Arts major, the first of its kind in the

nation. Other innovative curricular highlights

included the creation of an online creative

writing MFA in popular fiction and the

Boston/Los Angeles low-residency MFA in

writing for film and television.

With its continued work toward becoming the world leader in higher education in communication and the

arts, Emerson College once again has been recognized, rising in the rankings of U.S. News & World Report’s

annual Best Regional Universities in the North. Emerson has climbed to #7 from #8 over last year, and

continued a steady upward trajectory that began six years ago, when the College was ranked #14.

Emerson also has risen to the top of a number of lists, including College Factual’s ranking of the College as

the third-best communications and media studies program in the nation, the fifth-best marketing program,

and, once again, naming Emerson’s journalism program the best in the nation. The Hollywood Reporter’s List

of Top 25 American Film Schools put Emerson’s Visual and Media Arts program at #9, up from its #10 spot

the previous two years. This summer, the Princeton Review cited Emerson as having the #3 Best College

Radio Station and LGBTQ-Friendly Campus. Last year, Emerson ranked seventh on both lists. And the

College debuted at #4 this year on the Best Career Services list and came in at #16 for Best College Theater in

the country.

Demand for an Emerson education continues to grow. For fall 2017, the College received 9,149 applications

and enrolled 881 students. The incoming class is diverse and increasingly international.

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Pioneering Achievements:

Throughout its history, Emerson has shown

the capacity to respond to the changing

educational demands within

communication and the arts. It was the

first college in New England to establish an

educational FM radio station (WERS, 1949).

It was also among the first colleges in the

nation to establish a program in children’s

theater (1919) and one of the first colleges

to offer undergraduate programs in

broadcasting (1937). The College’s other

pioneering achievements include:

• Offered professional-level training in speech pathology and audiology (1935);

• Established a closed-circuit television broadcast facility, WERS-TV (1955);

• Created a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film (1972); and

• In 1980, the College initiated a comprehensive graduate-level program in professional writing and

publishing — the first such program in the nation specifically designed to meet the expressed needs

of the publishing industry.

The College has continued to innovate, adding a Master of Fine Arts in Media Art, a Master of Arts in Health

Communication (in partnership with Tufts University School of Medicine), a Bachelor of Science in Marketing

Communication, and an undergraduate program in Business and Entrepreneurial Studies.

Classified as a comprehensive MAI Institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,

Emerson today supports 3,783 undergraduate and 641 graduate students from 48 U.S. states and 57

countries. Its community contains 457 full- and part-time faculty.

Campuses

Emerson College’s main campus is located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, at the gateway of the city’s

Theatre District and in close proximity to cultural centers, media outlets, and public transportation. The

College also has facilities in Los Angeles and The Netherlands.

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Main Campus – Boston:

Emerson’s epicenter is located at the intersections of Boylston

and Tremont streets at the southeast end of Boston Common.

The gold dome of the Massachusetts State House can be seen

from many vantage points on campus and the subway stops at

the front door. Nearly half of the Boston campus’s facilities are

new or renovated since 2002, including new residence halls,

multiple theaters and stages, galleries, production and rehearsal

studios, as well as fitness and athletic venues. LEARN MORE

about the heart of Emerson College.

Los Angeles:

Emerson College LA opened in March 2014 and provides its

students with an unparalleled hands-on experience that only

living in this great city can provide. The opening of a

magnificent building on Sunset Boulevard made a statement

that Emerson is committed to the city of Los Angeles and to

the entertainment and communication industries for the long

term. The work done here solidifies Emerson College’s

reputation as the world’s leading institution of higher learning

in communication and the arts. LEARN MORE about Emerson’s

LA programs.

The Netherlands – Kasteel Well:

A restored 14th-century medieval castle is home to Emerson’s

semester abroad program. Kasteel Well is a national historical

monument that provides living accommodations, classrooms, a

resource center and related facilities. Located in southeastern

Holland near the German border, Kasteel Well is approximately

two hours from Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, and Brussels, and five

hours from Paris, Milan, and Madrid. Using Europe as a platform

to enhance and enrich learning, Kasteel Well is an unrivaled

program for undergraduates. LEARN MORE about this international undergraduate semester aboard

program.

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Special Programs

ArtsEmerson:

ArtsEmerson is Boston’s leading presenter of contemporary world theatre. It is dedicated to engaging all

communities through stories that reveal and deepen our connection to each other. By cultivating diversity in

the art and in the audience, ArtsEmerson ignites public conversation around the most vexing societal

challenges as a catalyst for overcoming them.

ArtsEmerson is the professional presenting and

producing organization of the Office of the Arts

at Emerson College. Founded by Robert J.

Orchard in 2010, ArtsEmerson identified gaps in

the Boston cultural landscape and created an

arts institution intentionally designed to fill

them. By December of 2013, WBUR critic Ed

Siegel cited ArtsEmerson in his annual “Best of”

roundup, noting: “In four short years, [they]

have established ArtsEmerson as one of the

most important cultural institutions in New

England.” In both 2012 and 2015, Boston

Magazine named ArtsEmerson “Best Theatre in

Boston.” In 2015, a new leadership structure was established, with Orchard moving into the role of Creative

Consultant. ArtsEmerson is now led by a triad leadership of equal authority, Co-Artistic Directors David

Dower and P. Carl, and Executive Director David C. Howse. This shared leadership model reflects the

organization’s values — that diverse perspectives are essential to leading a 21st century arts organization.

ProArts Consortium:

Since 1981, Emerson College has been one of the six members of the ProArts Consortium in Boston. The

Consortium includes the Berklee College of Music, the Boston Architectural Center, The Boston

Conservatory, Massachusetts College of Art, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Emerson students

can enroll in courses offered by consortium members and participate in projects, events, lectures,

performances, and exhibit openings at the other colleges subject to the availability of space in classes.

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ProArts Connect is a new, dynamic, online community that serves the Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts)

schools.

The Washington, D.C. Program:

The Washington, D.C. Program offers students of any major the opportunity to spend a fall semester in the

nation’s capital, focusing on the issues, processes, and decisions surrounding government, social advocacy

groups, nonprofit organizations, business, economics and trade firms, law and criminal justice agencies,

environmental organizations, arts and humanities institutions, education, and media and communication

organizations. D.C. holds thousands of opportunities for the creative and ambitious Emerson student.

Qualified juniors and seniors may enroll for one semester of study (fall term only) at Emerson’s Washington,

D.C. Program. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Additional International Opportunities:

Emerson College students also participate in a variety of additional international programs. Emerson College

offers an eight-credit summer program with the Academy of Performing Arts for Film and Television (FAMU)

located in Prague. In addition to gaining experience in production, cinematography, scripting, and editing,

students take a class in Czech film history, have an opportunity to attend the Karlovy Vary International Film

Festival and also meet with Czech film professionals. The program is open to juniors and seniors who have a

minimum grade point average of 3.0.

Emerson College also has an exchange program with the Communication University of China (CUC), located

in Beijing. Through student exchanges and specialized programs, students can take courses on the main

campus and participate in special projects. Classes are offered in English, but students are required to take

an introductory course in Mandarin. The China Exchange program is open to sophomores, juniors, and first

semester seniors. While CUC is larger than Emerson College, the overall curricula is parallel to Emerson’s.

In addition to its signature programs in China, Prague and the Netherlands, the College has established

global partnerships in Spain, Colombia, and Mexico as well as a Global Pathways program through which

students can take short-term, faculty led study trips abroad in France, Greece, England, Ireland, and Japan.

Emerson students are also able to take advantage of international programs offered by other colleges and

universities.

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Leadership

Lee Pelton

President

Lee Pelton is the 12th president of Emerson College in Boston. He is a

nationally and internationally known speaker and writer on the value of a

liberal education and the importance of leadership development, civic

engagement, and diversity in higher education. He came to Emerson on July

1, 2011, after serving for 13 years as the president of Willamette University in

Salem, Oregon.

He is a well-respected thought and innovation leader, recognized in Boston Magazine’s May 2017 Power

Issue: The 21 Most Powerful People in Boston Business and in its May 2014 Power Issue: The Power of Ideas:

75 Bold Thinkers Who Are Shaping Our City and the World. Other awards include Boston’s 100 Most

Influential People of Color (Get Konnected!, 2016); the Rosoff Award 20/20 (The Ad Club, April 2016);

the Diversity Leadership Award (The National Diversity Council, October 2015); the Sabra Award (Israeli

Stage, November 2014); Boston 50 on Fire, recognizing 50 leading innovators in Boston (BostInno, November

2014); Speak the Truth Award (Student Immigrant Movement, December 2014); and the Champion of

Freedom Award (Freedom House, March 2012).

Since arriving at Emerson, Pelton has outlined a bold vision for the College as the global hub for arts,

communication, and liberal arts. He has created new incentives and resources for faculty development,

interdisciplinarity, global engagement, and innovation; promoted and renewed the College’s civic leadership

in the City of Boston; and strengthened financial planning and operations.

He has overseen the creation of several new initiatives, including Emerson Launch, a program that provides

opportunities for students to launch new businesses before graduation; the creation of a business of

creative enterprises major; the first-of-its-kind comedic arts major in higher education; the Office of

Research and Creative Scholarship, which has set successive annual records for the number of grants and

grant funds awarded to the College for innovative scholarly pursuits; the Office of Internationalization and

Global Engagement, which supports faculty and research exchanges and strategic partnerships with

universities abroad; HowlRound, an international center of online communication and collaboration tools for

researching processes, opportunities, and best practices for developing new theatrical work; the Elma Lewis

Center for Civic Engagement, Learning, and Research, further establishing the College’s commitment to

neighboring communities and addressing a variety of issues of societal importance; the opening of Emerson

College Los Angeles (2014), an architecturally stunning 107,000-square-foot living-learning facility in the

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heart of Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, which dramatically advances Emerson’s rapid growth as the

world’s hub for the arts, communication, and liberal arts disciplines in higher education; and an

unprecedented partnership between the College and the world’s leading producer of live

theater, Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), to operate the Emerson Colonial Theatre, while providing

fellowships and internship opportunities for Emerson students, underwriting theater arts programs for local

youth, and supporting Boston’s arts community.

Pelton began his academic career at Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in English literature with an

academic focus on 19th-century British prose and poetry. He taught English and American literature at

Harvard and served as senior tutor at Winthrop House. He later served on the Harvard Board of Overseers

and as a vice-chair of its executive committee. After Harvard, Pelton served as dean of the college at Colgate

University and Dartmouth College.

He has been featured in The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Presidency Magazine, the Chronicle of

Higher Education, Color Magazine, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Diversity Journal, and countless

newspapers in America and abroad. He has been a guest on National Public Radio (NPR), as well as on an

NPR Boston affiliate radio station, WBUR, and PBS affiliate television station, WGBH. He has received

honorary degrees from the Urban College of Boston and Tokyo International University.

Over the years, Pelton has been active in several higher education associations and cultural organizations

including the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (past chair), the National Association

of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of American Colleges & Universities. In

addition to his service as a Harvard overseer, he has served as a member of the Harvard University Graduate

School Alumni Council, the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility, Harvard Magazine Board of

Incorporators, and several Harvard Visiting Committees.

He also serves on the Board of Trustees at WGBH and the Board of Directors for the Boston Chamber of

Commerce; Museum of African American History (Boston); Boston Arts Academy (chair); the Association of

Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts; the Boston Municipal Research Bureau; and Facing

History and Ourselves; and the Barr Foundation, one of the nation’s leading philanthropic organizations.

Ron Korvas

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

On June 1, 2016, Dr. Ronald Korvas assumed his role as Emerson’s Vice

President for Institutional Advancement. In this role, Korvas leads a team that

is engaged in all aspects of fundraising, including major gifts, planned giving,

corporate and foundation giving, parent leadership giving, annual giving,

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stewardship, development communications, and events. In addition, he oversees alumni relations.

Korvas brings to Emerson more than three decades of experience in higher education advancement,

including orchestrating the largest fundraising effort in Willamette University’s history, raising $131 million:

the most money raised by a private university or college in the Pacific Northwest at that time.

Prior to joining Emerson, Korvas served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Rollins

College in Winter Park, Florida, a position he held for five years. Over his tenure at Rollins, he helped plan,

organize, and launch The Campaign for Rollins, a $150 million fundraising effort for scholarships, academic

excellence, student success and co-curricular activities, facilities, and annual giving. Thanks to the best

practices, leadership, and vision that Korvas brought to the College, Rollins won the 2015 Council for the

Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Fundraising Award. Rollins also received CASE’s Overall

Performance Award based on three years of fundraising data.

Previously, Korvas was Vice President for University Advancement at Minnesota State University-Mankato

from 1994 to 2000, and, before then, was Vice President of the Washington State University Foundation,

where he helped plan and implement a $250 million campaign.

Korvas holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from University of Missouri-Kansas City; an M.Ed. in

Guidance and Counseling and a B.S. in Human Relations from the University of Toledo. He also attended the

Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

Location

Boston, MA:

Emerson College is in the one of the oldest, most

picturesque cities in the U.S. – and one of its best college

towns. Small in scale yet large in scope, the city is an

internationally renowned center of excellence in higher

education, healthcare, and technological innovation that

attracts a diverse mix of students and professionals from

around the world.

Emerson’s epicenter is located at the intersections of

Boylston and Tremont streets at the southeast end of

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Boston Common. The gold dome of the Massachusetts State House can be seen from many vantage points

on campus and the subway stops at its front door (Boylston Station on the Green Line).

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

Zena Lum, Search Director at

617-262-1102, extension 214

or send nominations or cover letter and resume to

zlum@LLLSearches.com.

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

Ron KorvasVice President of

Institutional Advancement

Director of Advancement Services

AVP of Major GiftsAssociate Vice President for Alumni Engagement

Director of Alumni Relations

Director of Annual Giving

EMERSON COLLEGE, ADVANCEMENT OFFICE Prepared by: LOIS L. LINDAUER SEARCHES | November 8, 2017

Associate Director

2 Assistant Directors

Associate Director

2 Annual Giving/Fund Officers

Administrative Assistant

Director of Donor Relations

AVP of Communications

AVP of Marketing