For immediate release: September 27, 2002.
F or more information, contact Laura M. Massie at 216-368-4442 or lmm25@po.cwru.edu.

CLEVELAND—Derek C. Bellin, former executive director of Columbia University's successful multi-billion dollar "Campaign for Columbia," has been named vice president for development and alumni affairs at Case Western Reserve University, President Edward M. Hundert announced today. Bellin currently resides in Underhill, Vt. He assumes his new duties October 1.

As vice president for development and alumni affairs, Bellin will lead the University's advancement program in development, alumni relations and fund raising. Partnering with Hundert and serving as a member of his senior staff, Bellin "will guide the advancement program of an institution poised to move forward aggressively in enhancing its contributions in education, research and service, as well as its national and international reputation," Hundert said.

At Columbia, Bellin served as executive director of the office of university development and alumni relations. The $2.2 billion "Campaign for Columbia" actually tallied $2.85 billion in gifts and pledges to the university. Columbia's ranking improved from eighth to third in the annual Voluntary Support of Education survey during his six-year tenure at the university, which he left in 2001.

In addition, he managed philanthropic relationships with donors to the medical center campus at Stanford University during its $1.1 billion "Centennial Campaign" and directed campaign planning and gift solicitations with faculty in basic and clinical research departments for an interdisciplinary developmental medicine initiative. He currently serves with Core Group Inc. of Minneapolis as one of a four-person team that has organized a year-long data collection, performance benchmarking and best practices survey joined by the development and alumni relations organizations of 55 of the country's private and public institutions of higher and secondary education.

Bellin, 40, who holds a bachelor's degree in resource economics from the University of Vermont, also has held financial resource development, communications, alumni relations and brand development positions at Long Island University and the Sierra Club. Bellin's career path encompasses both private and public sector leadership roles, including early career appointments in the banking and investment brokerage sectors as well as a series of progressively responsible roles fund raising for and building development and alumni relations organizations through five multimillion to multi-billion dollar campaigns.

Bellin, a New York City native, credited Hundert's leadership and vision as reasons why he was attracted to CWRU.

"Edward Hundert's leadership is a huge factor, precisely because he has the vision to help reposition the University and the character to respect, cherish and elevate the very dimensions at Case Western Reserve that have contributed to the long historical distinction the University rightfully enjoys," he said. "(Provost and University Vice President) James Wagner represents far more than continuity of executive leadership and his aspirations for CWRU both rival and compliment those of the president. CWRU enjoys the rare mix of raw material and leadership and I am fortunate to be among the group of leaders to help actualize that vision."

–CWRU–

 

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