Give to the Max Day raises $48,275 for Saint Mary’s

Give to the Max Day 2011, held Wednesday, Nov. 16, was a complete success! Saint Mary's placed 5th in the “Higher Education” rankings — raising an amazing $48,275 from 287 donors. This was nearly triple what was given during last year’s Give to the Max Day.

Nicole Schroeder, director of the Saint Mary’s Fund, would like to give a special thank you to Jennifer Teske (associate director of the Saint Mary’s Fund) for her work supporting volunteers in the Twin Cities; to Big Red for making an appearance at the Mall of America; and to Bob Fisher (young alumni & student relations associate director) for supporting students as they put on a brand new event to engage the undergraduate population in philanthropy.

University Advancement is grateful to everyone who donated, as well as everyone who shared in the excitement of the competition and helped to share the SMU spirit!

University Advancement area strengthened and reorganized

The University Advancement area has undergone a major reorganization. Over the past five months, Dr. Steven Titus, senior vice president, has transformed university advancement operations and performance in order to more successfully identify, develop and secure the resources necessary to advance the Saint Mary’s University mission.

Highlights of the reorganization include new office structures, staffing changes, and advancement strategies. University Advancement is the overarching structure that pulls together and integrates the efforts of four divisions: Development, Alumni Relations, Marketing and Communication, and University Relations – SGPP.

A new senior leadership team directs the work of these divisions:

• Joe Sweeney, senior development director for Chicago and the U.S.
• Dominic Lawrence, assistant vice president for Development
• Meg Richtman, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations
• Bob Conover, vice president for Marketing & Communication
• Don St. Dennis, associate vice president for University Relations – SGPP
• Brother Ed Siderewicz, special assistant to the president for First-Generation & Lasallian Initiatives

In addition to the new office structure, five university-wide teams will be formed this spring (integrated marketing, integrated communications, web and new media, branding and design, and development strategies) that will include members from inside and outside University Advancement.

New strategies for University Advancement include:

• to be more external, to develop a more robust donor pipeline, and to expand the SMU donor base
• to overhaul development operations
• to more broadly engage our combined 33,000-member alumni base
• to reshape and enlarge the visibility and image of the university
• to prepare for a comprehensive campaign
• to develop the Chicago and Minneapolis markets in terms of both alumni and development

The new structure and staff roster for University Advancement can be viewed on the SMU website at: www.smumn.edu/universityadvancement.aspx.

McCoy hired as centennial and special events director

In 2012, Saint Mary’s will mark its centennial with a yearlong celebration and special events. As we approach this landmark occasion, we are pleased to announce that Bridget McCoy has joined Saint Mary’s as the university's Director of Centennial and Special Events.

She is a key member of the Centennial Celebration Committee that began meeting last fall to plan and execute the year's activities.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, McCoy served as event coordinator with the McNamara Alumni Center at the U of M. In this position McCoy and a staff of five managed and executed more than 900 events annually. Previously, McCoy served as marketing coordinator for Gopher athletics.

McCoy feels a special affinity for Saint Mary’s as her father Lou McCoy ’79, brothers Rick ’08 and Mike McCoy ’10, as well as numerous uncles and aunts are alums. Additionally, her mother, Margaret (Stringham ’80) McCoy, is an alum of the College of Saint Teresa.