Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008 - (Page 4)

development • commencement • ten minutes with • lecture ON CAMPUS “Joe Kender Jr. is uniquely qualiﬁed to lead Lehigh University’s advancement efforts,” says Daniel E. Smith ’71, chairman of the Lehigh board of trustees. “He is passionate about Lehigh and its mission, and given his long association with the university, he understands what makes this great institution so special. Equally as important, Joe brings a proven track record in leading successful campaigns at prestigious universities. I am conﬁdent that Joe will provide outstanding leadership for Lehigh’s advancement initiatives.” Kender received a bachelor’s degree in international relations in 1987 and earned his master of business administration in 1993, while working in Lehigh’s development ofﬁce. He started his career as an assistant director for corporate and foundation relations in January 1988. In 1990, he was named a major gifts ofﬁcer and regional campaign manager and four years later, became Lehigh’s annual fund director. Kender says that “the lightbulb went on” when he understood the critical role development plays in making college accessible to students who might not otherwise have the money to attend, as well as in attracting and keeping the best and the brightest faculty members. “Development is a noble profession,” Kender says. “But when you marry it with the critical needs of your institution, and the institution is one like Lehigh that I feel so passionately about, it really becomes a magical combination.” Kender sees development as supporting Lehigh’s academic mission. “I look at myself as an educator—not in the direct sense that a faculty member might be, but certainly in an indirect sense,” he says. “Paul Franz (the late vice president emeritus for development and university relations at Lehigh) said this a long time ago: When we’re successful, we’re conduits— building relationships between the donor and the institution.” His Lehigh roots even extend to his family. Kender and his wife, Beth, were married in Packer Church. They have two children: Gordon, 13, and Julia, 9.—Jack Croft development KENDER COMES HOME TO LEHIGH From birth, Joseph P. Kender Jr. ’87 seemed destined for a life in higher education. “Some of my earliest memories were at Taylor Stadium, watching football games, as well as in my father’s office in Warren Square,” Kender recalls. Not only is he the son of former Lehigh education professor Joseph P. Kender, his mother, Margaret, was vice president for student affairs at nearby DeSales University. “So I come from a family that you could say was somewhat steeped in higher education,” he says. “It’s funny how conversations around the dinner table inﬂuence what you do.” Kender, who earned his undergraduate and M.B.A. degrees at Lehigh, and began his career in Lehigh’s development ofﬁce, has come home as the university’s new vice president for advancement. Kender was selected following a search led by Lehigh President Alice P. Gast and started his job on Jan. 14. For the past three years, Kender has been vice president for development and alumni relations at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. 4 lehigh alumni bulletin There, he launched a $150 million capital campaign, which had raised $90 million by October. “Joe brings a deep understanding of the varied and complex aspects of advancement, and he will be an engaging and energetic advocate for Lehigh,” Gast says. “His enthusiasm for Lehigh is contagious, and his love for this great institution is obvious. His experience in the most crucial areas of the advancement ﬁeld— annual giving, campaigns, major gifts, and managing people and programs—makes him the right person to lead Lehigh to the next level.” Kender got his start in the university advancement world at Lehigh in 1988, and over the next eight years, rose to the position of annual fund director. He then worked in highlevel positions in the Georgetown University Ofﬁce of Alumni and University Relations for eight years. Kender managed the university’s $1 billion campaign and helped Georgetown to achieve a nearly 300 percent growth rate in annual cash receipts.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008

Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008 Contents From the President's Desk Mailbox On Campus Research Arts & Culture Sports Ugly is in the Eye of the Beholder Fitch's Law of Motion A Blessing to the Community The Amidonian Acclamation China Trip Bridges Cultures, Generations From the Publisher's Desk Alumni News The Last Word

Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2008

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