Goal Tender

Realizing The University’s Vision Is Top Priority for New Advancement VP Salinda Arthur

Salinda Arthur has been rousing the faithful to action for quite some time. With more than 17

years of fundraising experience and having just completed a $1 billion campaign at Virginia Tech, she is looking forward to the next challenge.

Georgia Southern’s record enrollment, surging school spirit and lofty goals give its new vice president for University Advancement plenty to be excited about, and with state and federal resources dwindling, philanthropy has become even more important to Georgia Southern’s future.

“University Advancement’s mission is to look at what the University has as priorities and then examine which alumni, friends, parents, corporations and foundations can partner with us. We look for their interests to see if we can facilitate a gift through those interests and make the University’s priorities possible.”

Fundraising in today’s economic climate is going back to basics. “Not just Georgia Southern, but many institutions have found themselves with fewer and fewer state and federal funds,” Arthur said. “Philanthropy has become a necessity for some of the basic functions of the University, not to mention being able to move forward with University special initiatives. You want to be able to act upon them in order to grow the institution, and philanthropy becomes the mechanism to do that.”
The ability to attract and keep high quality teacher-scholars is a key to Georgia Southern’s desire to grow as a center of research. “We have a need for philanthropic support of our faculty,” she said. “Those institutions that have large endowments for faculty positions are less likely to lose those professors to other institutions. Faculty can stay and be focused. We want to keep our good teachers, and we want to find great researchers. It is philanthropy that will enable us to do those things.”Additional scholarship support for students is a key ingredient to success, especially in challenging economic times. “Philanthropy can make a difference there,” said Arthur. “When people endow scholarships, their endowment goes on forever, and it enables students who would not otherwise be able to attend to get an education, and with that education and opportunity, the tools to do better in life.”

Facilities to meet a growing enrollment and changing needs are another priority. “Being able to give individuals naming opportunities for buildings or parts of buildings is something that philanthropy contributes,” said Arthur.

The world of higher education philanthropy is challenging — but very rewarding, she said. “I think as fundraisers we can look back and say, ‘Wow, look at what our donors were able to accomplish — what we were able to facilitate made a big difference’,” said Arthur. “We can see it when we look at some of the buildings on campus. We can see it when students are successful and know there was philanthropy behind their ability to go to school. We can see it when there are excellent professors and they are persuaded to stay because philanthropy, in the form of faculty support, helped to keep them at Georgia Southern.”

“As the president is able to cite his vision for the institution, as the leadership team comes forward with what they believe the institutional priorities should be, University Advancement must support that vision to make it happen through philanthropic efforts.”

Arthur previously served as the assistant vice president of development for colleges at Virginia Tech, managing eight colleges. Before that, she held positions at Chadron State College, Iowa State University and Ohio University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Susquehanna University and master’s from E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Upon completion of her dissertation, she will receive her Ph.D. from OU.