>newground
Alongside President Curt Simic, Susan Bair, new vice president for development, directs fundraising at IUF
The Indiana University Foundation searched nationwide for the best possible candidate to lead its fundraising operations—and found her in its own backyard.
Susanne P. Bair took up her post as vice president for development at the Foundation in July of 2002. Previously she had been with the IU School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation in Bloomington as assistant dean and director of development and external affairs. In her new position, Bair will oversee the development initiatives and major fundraising campaigns for all eight IU campuses.
From Coaching and Teaching to Administration . . .
A native of Rochester, Indiana, Bair earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana State University. ISU initially enticed her with a volleyball scholarship. “I wanted to be a teacher and a coach,” Bair recalls, “and ISU was an excellent teacher’s college.” She was the first college graduate in her family, but she wasn’t about to stop there. She decided to earn her PED in athletic administration. She succeeded, but the graduate school experience shifted her career plans.
“I came to Indiana University, and like so many people, I fell in love with it. Then I had the great fortune to be named as the student representative on the board of trustees. What a privilege that was. I got to see firsthand the difference IU makes in people’s lives. I visited all the campuses and developed an appreciation for all their contributions.”
After she earned her doctorate, she took a position as assistant athletic director at Northeast Missouri State, “but the whole time I wanted to be back here at IU. When an opening came up for a development officer for the School of Health, Education and Recreation, I jumped at it. They hired me for several reasons: I was an alumna, I had a good understanding of the university, a lot of contacts from my time as student trustee, and I could also teach.”
. . . To Fundraising
Bair proved to be a born fundraiser. During the Bloomington Endowment Campaign, she was HPER’s only development professional. She rose to the challenge, guiding HPER to a whopping nine million dollars raised—from an original goal of four million. In her spare time, she also worked with Kent Dove, her predecessor at the Foundation, to develop a successful undergraduate program in fundraising.
“I love being a fundraiser,” says Bair. “We have such a chance to make a difference. I can never directly pay back the people who helped me achieve my goals, but every time I raise money for scholarships or professorships or whatever, I feel like I’m paying something back for the education I received.”
Bair also is a talented administrator, a skill she honed in her previous positions. Her approach owes something to her background as a coach: “The management part of my job is not only strategic but motivational. I help set the goals, but then I rely on the Foundation’s talented staff to help me reach them. I want to inspire our staff and challenge them to do the best job they are capable of.”
This ‘total package’ is what makes Bair the ideal person to oversee the IU development effort. "Bair brings with her a unique perspective on fundraising," observes Curt Simic, IU Foundation president. "She's seen the fundraising process from all sides, as an IU student trustee, an athletic director, a teacher, and an administrator. She has excelled in all of these roles and her wisdom and experience will be extremely beneficial as we chart our strategy for the next five to ten years."
>Bill Holladay
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