After a Record-breaking Year in Fundraising at Pitt, Albert J. Novak Jr. Named Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement At the University

PITTSBURGH––University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg today announced that Albert J. Novak Jr. has been named vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement (IA). Novak had been serving as interim vice chancellor for the past year.

In making this appointment, Nordenberg praised the significant contributions that already have been made by Novak to Pitt's recent fundraising successes. "Al Novak came to Pitt as associate vice chancellor for corporate and foundation giving, and his areas accounted for well over half of the first $500 million raised in our current capital campaign," the chancellor stated. "This past year, under his leadership as interim vice chancellor, we had another record-breaking year, despite a very challenging economic environment. With this appointment, we are taking an important step to make certain that we can build on our existing momentum."

"It has been a privilege to serve this outstanding team as the interim vice chancellor, and I am honored that Chancellor Nordenberg has asked me to serve as vice chancellor," Novak said. "With the support of our administration, trustees, volunteers, and campus community, Institutional Advancement has just completed a record-breaking year. Together we will achieve our $1 billion campaign goal."

Novak, who joined Pitt's IA staff in June 1997, was named senior associate vice chancellor in January 2001 and worked closely in that role with the chancellor and vice chancellor to plan and manage the University's overall fundraising efforts; served as the provost's chief development officer; and worked directly with deans, department chairs, faculty members, and directors of development in the University's nonhealth sciences schools.

As IA vice chancellor, Novak will carry on his work of leading a professional fundraising staff on four campuses as well as Pitt's alumni relations program, all of which he has done for the past year as interim vice chancellor.

Among the many fundraising highlights of the past record-setting year were:

• reaching a record $602.5 million in campaign gifts and pledges;

• the University's best "cash-in" fundraising year ever, with $94.5 million

in cash contributions, 25 percent more than the previous year's $75.4

million;

• the University's best annual fund year ever, with a total raised of $11.3

million, almost 5 percent more than the previous year's $10.8 million;

• an increase of $2.9 million in corporate contributions;

• the highest number of donors ever at Pitt, 40,842, almost 8 percent more

than the prior year's total of 37,888; and

• the highest number of Pitt alumni donors ever, 30,430, nearly 5 percent

more than the prior year's 29,117.

Nordenberg emphasized the importance of these private fundraising successes to the continuing progress of the University. "Already in this campaign, we have attracted support for 42 new endowed chairs and professorships and for 187 new endowed scholarships and fellowships," he said. "Those dollars, as well as the support we have attracted for facilities and for programs, are absolutely critical to our efforts to build for the future," he added.

Albert J. Novak Jr. came to the University of Pittsburgh from Carnegie Mellon University, where he served as director of development for the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management from 1991 to 1994, the university's director of foundation relations from 1992 to 1994, and the university's director of corporate and foundation relations from 1994 to 1997.

Novak earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1981 at Saint Vincent College, where he was a development officer from 1987 to 1991, and the Master of Public Management degree at Carnegie Mellon in 1997.

Novak and his wife, Sally Anne, have two sons attending Pitt: Benjamin, a senior majoring in political science in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering, and Adam, a sophomore in CAS.

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9/8/03/mgc