The Fundraising Role of Academic Deans: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Abstract:This qualitative study focuses on the fundraising efforts of academic deans at a public, four-year research-extensive university. Its purpose is to gather and analyze deans' perceptions and experiences of their fundraising role. There is sparse empirical research on deans in general and on their fundraising role in particular. This study explores questions related to deans' involvement in the fundraising process, enjoyment of fundraising, and types of motivation for fundraising. Five academic deans from a diverse set of disciplines were interviewed. Study findings show that deans are untrained for development work, that they enjoy aspects of fundraising but that it raises a variety of difficult issues, and that they approach fundraising on a trial and error basis, using experience and intuition as their main guides.