Calvert Named Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement for TTU System
Lisa Calvert
Calvert has nearly 30 years of fundraising experience, leading efforts at three universities.
Jan. 8, 2015 | Written by Doug Hensley
Texas Tech University System Chancellor Robert Duncan announced today that Lisa Calvert has been named vice chancellor for institutional advancement.
Calvert, who has led fundraising efforts at three universities, will begin her new duties Feb. 23.
“I look forward to Lisa joining our team,” Duncan said. “She brings nearly three decades of fundraising experience to the Texas Tech University System. She has the vision and the skills to create a culture of sustained philanthropic excellence across the Texas Tech University System.”
Most recently, Calvert served as vice president of development at Purdue University. During her tenure there, she reorganized the university’s development efforts to double the annual dollars raised from $200 million to $400 million, simultaneously shifting the traditional mix of gifts toward more cash.
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to lead the institutional advancement team and to work toward achieving the system’s strategic goals,” Calvert said. “The Texas Tech University System has enjoyed unprecedented fundraising success, and the system is positioned for even greater accomplishments in the future under Chancellor Duncan’s leadership.”
At Purdue, Calvert oversaw fundraising efforts that quickly resulted in the second and fourth most successful years in school history, $298.8 million and $227.3 million, respectively, exceeding annual goals. Her leadership also secured two of the largest donations in the institution’s history: a $65 million gift in 2013 and a $61.2 million gift in 2012.
Her track record of success led to her being as one of only 10 advancement officers from across the country featured in a national study that became the basis for the book, “Making the Case for Leadership: Profiles of Chief Advancement Officers in Higher Education.”
"Out of the thousands of chief advancement officers in higher education across the United States, Lisa's reputation for effectiveness as a fundraiser and as an advancement leader generated an overwhelming number of nominations to be one of the 10 chief advancement officers profiled,” said Jon Derek Crouteau, who co-authored the book with Zachary A. Smith. “She continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for future advancement leaders and has had a measurable impact on philanthropy across higher education."
Prior to her time at Purdue, Calvert served as vice president of university relations at Creighton University from 2003-2010. During her tenure there, her vision and leadership for Creighton’s fundraising campaign led the school to achieve its largest campaign goal more than a year ahead of schedule. In addition, Lisa and her team received the prestigious 2007 and 2008 Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education Award for Overall Fundraising Performance for superior programming over a three-year period.
[Calvert] has the vision and the skills to create a culture of sustained philanthropic excellence across the Texas Tech University System.
Chancellor Robert Duncan, Texas Tech University System
“Lisa is a consummate development professional,” said Eric A. Chiappinelli, a Texas Tech University School of Law Professor who worked with Calvert while serving as dean of the law school at Creighton. “Her experience and success at other major universities make her a perfect fit for the Texas Tech University System. I have no doubt that she and Chancellor Duncan will make a terrific and successful fundraising team. I know she will enjoy Lubbock and quickly become a key person in the community.”
Calvert served as vice president for institutional advancement at William Jewell College from 2000-2003. The school exceeded its campaign goal one year ahead of schedule and enjoyed two of the three largest giving years in school history during her tenure. During this time, William Jewell was selected as the Liberal Arts College of the Year by TIME magazine for 2001-2002. Calvert also has held fundraising positions with Wichita State University and Kansas State University.
Calvert holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State University and has completed graduate work at Oklahoma State University and Wichita State University. Calvert also holds leadership certifications from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Harvard University.
Calvert has ties to the region as a fifth-generation rancher-farmer who managed her family farm and ranching operation and also oversees the family’s oil and gas enterprise in Oklahoma. She is a native of Morrison, Oklahoma.
Calvert’s hire follows an extensive national search that yielded a number of highly qualified candidates. Throughout the search process, Scott Cooksey served as interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement.
“Scott did a tremendous job leading our fundraising efforts during this search and maintaining strong philanthropy for the Texas Tech University System. I appreciate his professional and dedicated service,” Duncan said.
About the Texas Tech University System
The Texas Tech University System is one of the top public university systems in the
nation, consisting of four component institutions —Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso—and operating at 12 academic sites and centers. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas,
the Texas Tech University System has an annual operating budget of $1.7 billion and approximately 17,000 employees
focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach.
In 2014, the Texas Tech University System’s endowment exceeds $1 billion, total research expenditures were approximately $200 million and total enrollment approached 47,000 students. Whether it’s contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in Texas to house an academic institution, law school, and medical school at the same location, the Texas Tech University System continues to prove that anything is possible.