| Start Spreading the Word: New VP of University Advancement Seeks to Raise Consciousness
In late July, Janet Levine turned the key and stepped into her new role as vice president of University Advancement. The role is big and involves “selling” the University to the community, to prospective students and faculty, to donors, to legislators, even to other universities and colleges. It is a complicated and multifaceted task.
But, as pilots of immensely complex jet liners have pointed out, in the end it comes down to doing well with the stick-and-rudder work.
“Years ago, I got my first sales job,” Levine says in explaining her approach. “I went to the leading producer and asked him how he became so successful. ‘There is nothing magical about it,’ he told me. ‘First, I learned all I could about our organization and our products. Then, every day, I told a lot of people about the benefits of what we offer, and every day I asked a lot of people to buy what we offer. When they did buy, I made sure they got what they expected and were happy with their experience. Finally, I asked them to recommend other people who would also benefit from our organization and its products; then I made sure I contacted them.’”
“It’s great advice,” the new leader of University Advancement says. “It works. Knowing our value and making sure others know the benefits that CSUDH provides is the first step in achieving our goals.”
Levine will have a running start at the job, and is glad of it: “I’m excited to be coming back to the South Bay,” she says. “I’ll be near the people I got to know when I was at El Camino. El Camino, as one of Dominguez’s biggest feeder colleges, is a similar higher-education institution, working with the same people in the same community. As much as I loved it at Pasadena City College, I am so happy to be back in the South Bay.”
Levine, who before coming to Dominguez Hills worked at El Camino as the executive director of its Foundation and then served as dean of External Relations and executive director of the Foundation at Pasadena City College, took the reins from Justine Bell-Waters, who had finished a three-year commitment as acting vice president of University Advancement. Levine has also held positions as director of Corporate and Technology Development at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, as well as director of Southern California Development Programs, at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
”I bring to the university all that experience, and I bring a lot of energy, commitment, and passion,” Levine says. “And – most important – I also bring a sense of humor.”
Asked what she plans to accomplish with those assets in her first 60 days, she demonstrates the critical component of humor: “I just want to be able to find my way around!” Then, more seriously, she adds, “I’m a big believer in planning, and then working the plan that is developed. So as I’m learning as much as possible about CSUDH and beginning to reach out to our constituencies, I’ll be working with the Advancement team in developing work plans. Notice the word ‘work.’ These are meant to be roadmaps to help us get to where we need to go.
“At this early point, my goals are still broad,” she continues. “Of course, many, myself included, would argue that that is how goals should be. I haven’t yet finished developing concrete objectives that are focused and measurable, but my first goal is to be sure that Advancement is a real asset to the University. Wherever we are strong, we will improve. If there are places we are not, we will become strong. We will be helping to raise awareness about the University with our many constituencies, we will be reaching out to new audiences and sending a strong, clear, positive message about who we are and how we benefit those groups. We will also be raising money from private sources and developing a sustainable program to continue doing so. We will also be ensuring that our voice is heard in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C., as well as in our local areas.
“I applied for this position,” she adds, “because I think Dominguez serves a very special niche and does it well. I know quite a few alumni, and every single one of them has told me that they loved the intimacy of a smaller campus, the flexibility of our programs, and, most importantly, the caring and committed faculty they encountered. We need to stop being the best-kept secret in the CSU system.”
- Russ Hudson
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