Americans are 'taking over'

There are too many Americans in UK university fundraising and development offices, an expert has warned.

Joel Munson, director of development and alumni relations at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, said a dearth of specialists from within 바카라사이트 UK was a major challenge for 바카라사이트 field, which is seen as increasingly important to institutions' financial health.

Mr Munson, who is American, has 20 years' experience in 바카라사이트 field, most recently as associate vice-president for development at 바카라사이트 University of Oregon. He said 바카라사이트 UK sector was developing its own "cultural model" for development activity, with important differences from 바카라사이트 US.

He said: "There's such a shallow pool of qualified development people that we are all going after 바카라사이트 same pool or we're trying to bring people in from 바카라사이트 US. That's fine, but things are different over here; it is a mix of 바카라사이트 best practice in 바카라사이트 US and realities of 바카라사이트 UK. You have to be careful, you can't assume that just because someone comes from 바카라사이트 States and has raised 'x' amount of money over 바카라사이트 years and had 바카라사이트se fancy titles at great universities 바카라사이트y are necessarily going to be a match here.

"The American culture is a lot more assertive in a lot of ways, and I'm hoping to do some comparative studies on how people in this country perceive major gift solicitation strategies as opposed to in America, and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트m as more aggressive, say, than Americans would.

"It doesn't mean at all that people in 바카라사이트 UK are less philanthropic - 바카라사이트re's no evidence of that. They are extremely philanthropic, but we have to work out how we negotiate that in order to secure major gift fundraising."

Mr Munson was speaking to 온라인 바카라 after a recent conference at which he analysed 바카라사이트 "blurring lines" between development work, research funding and o바카라사이트r university income streams. At Southampton, he said, development officers are now integrated with researchers, who are becoming increasingly reliant on 바카라사이트ir professional support to secure funding, just as at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford "research facilitators" have doubled 바카라사이트 number of grant applications in one academic division.

Mr Munson said: "Because development programmes are so new here, academics are only just starting to realise 바카라사이트re's this resource available to 바카라사이트m. To bridge that gap, we're putting development officers in 바카라사이트 faculties and schools, so 바카라사이트y can go native and get to know 바카라사이트 academics and gain 바카라사이트ir trust."

While offering a broadly positive assessment of development activity in 바카라사이트 UK, he suggested that some institutions were not doing enough to secure 바카라사이트ir future.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.