Administrative News
Jan. 10, 2017
Dear Faculty and Staff,
I am writing to share news from Institutional Advancement about our colleague Nancy Winship, P’10, P’13.
After 23 years of distinguished, transformative leadership, Nancy has decided to step down as Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, effective June 30, 2017. At that time, she will assume the role of Chief Philanthropic Adviser to the President and will assist me primarily with donor cultivation and solicitation efforts.
During Nancy’s tenure, our Advancement office has raised more than $1.5 billion from alumni, parents, friends, trustees, the Brandeis National Committee, and corporations and foundations. During this time, annual fundraising and alumni gifts grew substantially, and the endowment reached approximately $920 million.
This significant level of fundraising enabled the University to achieve success in many areas critical to our mission: endowed professorships, financial aid and scholarships, cutting-edge research support, research centers and institutes, new facilities, and numerous programs in student life.
Barbara Mandel, P’73, and Jonathan Davis ’75, co-chairs of the Board of Trustee’s Institutional Advancement Committee, have worked closely with Nancy for many years and recognize how she has led fundraising efforts with extraordinary dedication and skill.
“No one believes more deeply in Brandeis’ mission, is a more passionate advocate for the institution, has worked harder on its behalf, or has made more of a difference in strengthening and securing its future,” Jon Davis noted. “The deep bonds Nancy has developed with board members, donors, faculty and friends alike, and the respect and fondness they have for her, are remarkable. I have enormous admiration for Nancy and gratitude for what she has accomplished for our University. It has been a privilege to partner with her.”
“A wonderful quality Nancy has is her ability to connect so well with so many people,” said Barbara Mandel. “Professionally, Nancy is a role model for others. She fully embraces the founding values of Brandeis, including a reverence for educational excellence and the ideal that we must use our talents, intellect and resources to make the world a better place. She cares about the right things, and people respond to that — just as I have. For her extraordinary dedication to the Brandeis mission and values, I say, ‘Thank you, Nancy.’”
When she arrived on campus in 1994, following successful careers at Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston and Northwestern University, Nancy had an immediate impact on Brandeis’ fundraising efforts.
“I met Nancy at a dinner party a few weeks after I became president and offered her the Senior Vice President position the next day,” said President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz, PhD’72, who led Brandeis from 1994 to 2010. “She was my first significant recruit and one of the best moves I made as president. I could not have had a better partner than Nancy at a time when Brandeis was in dire need of new donors. Together, we raised $1.2 billion for the University. Nancy is the ultimate professional: She is tireless, energetic, smart and loyal, and, above all, she loves Brandeis.”
Nancy’s personal style with prospective donors, many of whom originally had no ties to the University, helped establish long-lasting friendships that transcended generations, and catalyzed continuing and important engagement with Brandeis. A great many of all bequests to the University are the direct result of Nancy identifying potential friends of Brandeis and communicating the importance of our mission in a most compelling way. Her development and leadership of Alumni Relations brought great innovation and growth in programs, initiatives and engagement with the University.
It came as no surprise in 2014 when District I of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) honored Nancy with the prestigious Quarter-Century Circle Award for distinguished professional achievement.
In my first six months as president, Nancy’s enduring relationships with many key University supporters have made my introduction to Brandeis fundraising enjoyable and productive. I am pleased that she will remain as my adviser.
I will announce plans to honor Nancy and her enormous contributions to Brandeis in the coming weeks. For now, please join me in thanking Nancy for her remarkable dedication to the University and her great successes on behalf of our students and faculty.
Best,
Ron