The architect of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised $103 million, is stepping down from his university post.
UALR announced Thursday that Bob Denman, vice chancellor for advancement, plans to retire in March.
The 63-year-old Denman, who joined UALR in 2001, oversaw the university's "It's Time for UALR" drive, which ended in 2012 with 18,605 donors participating. When the university met the original goal of $75 million, officials raised the goal to $100 million.
The seven-year-long campaign was chaired by Haskell Dickinson.
Denman offered two main reasons for his retirement.
"We're going to launch off into a new fundraising campaign or major initiative [soon], and those things are all-consuming," Denman said. "I don't want to be the person who starts it and not finish it. Those things are lengthy. They are usually five to seven years long."
Denman also said he had a desire to spend more time with his family, including two grandchildren, and he hopes to attend more of their baseball, soccer and volleyball games.
Besides "It's Time for UALR," Denman also helped manage the largest gifts in the university's history, such as a $22.4 million donation from Jack Stephens in 2003 that led to construction of the Jack Stephens Center.
In May, officials announced that UALR would open a new visual arts building in 2017 thanks to a $20.3 million grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation.
In 2014-15, Denman and his team raised a record $32.4 million in donations for the university.
"You got to have a great product to get out there and talk about, and certainly UALR is that," Denman said. "I've been real blessed to come to UALR ... I was blessed to have the opportunity, blessed to have a great staff, super volunteers and generous donors. That's pretty much a winning combination."
A 1974 graduate of UALR with a degree in marketing, Denman has served as president of the UALR Alumni Association and chairman of the university's Foundation Fund Board.
In 1993, Denman won the UALR Alumni Association President's Award, an annual award recognizing a graduate who combines career success with dedication to the university.
Chancellor Joel Anderson said in a news release that Denman "signed on as a freshman at UALR, and the rest is history."
"Denman is the supreme example of a UALR student who just kept on staying involved and giving back to his alma mater," Anderson said.
Denman, who is the current president of the Rotary Club of Little Rock, returned to UALR in 2001 after about 25 years in the Little Rock television market. He served as station manager of KARK-TV, Channel 4, before returning to UALR.
Denman also served as UALR's interim athletic director from September to January, when Chasse Conque was selected as the new athletic director.
"As he retires, I know everyone who is a part of UALR joins me in saying a very big thank you to him," Anderson said. "We will miss him greatly, and he has our very best wishes."
Metro on 08/16/2015