Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce that Dan Peterson, who has served in several senior leadership positions at three leading universities, has been named vice chancellor for institutional advancement at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois. He also will serve as senior vice president of the University of Illinois Foundation.

His chief responsibility will be to bring our campus, the U. of I. Foundation and the Alumni Association onto a team whose primary purpose includes building enduring relationships with our many constituents and generating diverse resources that further our learning, discovery, and engagement excellence through the integration of marketing, communications, alumni relations and development.

This is a critical time for the university as we move away from the traditional tax-supported funding model and explore new avenues to support our core educational missions. That makes the office of institutional advancement, and its leadership, more important than ever in setting us on a continued path of excellence. Dan Peterson is an accomplished and thoughtful leader, who understands the challenges and opportunities we face at Illinois and how we can become more effective at building the support that is critical to reaching an even higher level of accomplishment. As the landscape for higher education changes, the Urbana campus is now positioned to significantly strengthen philanthropic support for our mission.

Dr. Sid Micek, the outgoing president and CEO of the U. of I. Foundation, describes Mr. Peterson as rising above other candidates vying for the position.

"I am very impressed with the vast experience and credentials of Dan Peterson," Micek said. "He has a track record of success and will be a terrific asset to the Urbana-Champaign campus and the U. of I. Foundation. I think he is the perfect person, at the right time, to lead the campus development and advancement efforts."

Mr. Peterson most recently has worked for the Oregon State University Foundation, for four years, currently serving as vice president for principal gifts and as gift planning and associate campaign director.

Before that he was the assistant vice president for development at the University of Washington School of Medicine from 2006-2008 and was campaign director and director of gift planning for the Washington State University Foundation (1997-2006).

Mr. Peterson is a 1982 graduate of WSU and earned his law degree at Seattle University in 1985. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, have three grown children.

I want to thank the search committee, led by Liberal Arts and Sciences dean Ruth Watkins, and Ed Ewald, who has led the Institutional Advancement office since Jim Schroeder retired earlier this year.

Mr. Peterson will play a vital role in leading our efforts to continue building private and corporate support for the campus. Please give him a warm Illinois welcome when he arrives Dec. 1.

Sincerely,

Phyllis M. Wise
Vice President, University of Illinois
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign