Ohio State names vice president for development

COLUMBUS – James C. Schroeder, chair of the Department of Development for the Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minn., has been named vice president for development at Ohio State and president of The Ohio State University Foundation, President Karen A. Holbrook announced today. The appointment of Schroeder, effective Nov. 3, is subject to approval by the university’s Board of Trustees at its Oct. 3 meeting.

“James Schroeder brings both breadth and depth of fund-raising experience to The Ohio State University,” Holbrook said. “He has played key roles in major capital campaigns and has led a major organization. All of the institutions for which he has worked are world-class.

“We look forward to welcoming Jim and Kathy to the Ohio State family,” she said.

A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Schroeder earned his master’s degree in political science and his Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Toledo. He began his career in 1972 as assistant dean for administration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later became the college’s associate dean for planning and budget. In 1982, he was named associate dean for the college’s development office, where total private gifts were $15 million in the 1996 fiscal year. From 1982-1998, he led the college’s $90 million campaign within the University of Illinois’ $1 billion capital campaign, initiated college-wide and department-based annual giving programs that grew to more than $1.5 million annually, and planned and implemented the college’s first capital campaign of $1.25 million in 1987 to support an endowment for the Named Professorship Program.

In 1998, Schroeder became executive director of external relations for Harvard University’s Business School, where he managed and directed all fund-raising activities, alumni programs, and publications. Harvard Business School’s external relations program generates more than $40 million annually and, with 75 staff members, operates on an annual budget of more than $10 million. In addition, he worked closely with the business school’s committees, the Board of the Alumni Association, the University Development Office, and several Harvard University Graduate Schools. In 2001, he left Harvard to serve as chair of the Department of Development for the Mayo Foundation.

Schroeder said he is excited to join Ohio State and to lead its Office of Development.

“I am thrilled to be joining President Holbrook’s leadership team and The Ohio State University,” Schroeder said. “Ohio State is one of the world’s great public universities and President Holbrook has a compelling vision for its future.

“This University has enjoyed a history of incredibly strong philanthropic support. This support has provided the margin of excellence to make a great university even better. I am grateful for the opportunity to help shape the philanthropic initiatives that will contribute to Ohio State’s bright future,” he said.