BATESVILLE — Sometimes interim positions are filled with someone who can simply get the job done and go home, but occasionally the interim person can lend more insight than would ever be expected of a part-time, in-between staff member.
Dan C. West, former president of Lyon College, who served from 1972-1988, has returned to campus to act as vice president for institutional advancement until the school can find a permanent person to fill that position. In this role, West will assist in fundraising, evaluating the school’s advancement programs and advising President Donald Weatherman and the advancement staff.
Gina Garrett, executive director of institutional advancement, said she has enjoyed working with West since he started earlier this semester.
“We are very excited to have him here,” she said. “He has a long history of being a successful fundraiser in higher education, and he is a fabulous mentor.”
Garrett said she has been an employee of Lyon College for 20 years, and having West in the office has helped bring the history of the college alive for her.
“I am learning so much about the names that have been a part of the history of this place,” she said. “To hear his stories and hear him reconnect with the longtime supporters of this college has been fun. It brings the history to life.”
Asking for money can be difficult, Garrett said, but West has already shown why he is recognized nationally for his expertise in fundraising for private liberal arts colleges.
“He makes a challenging task like asking for money seem so easy,” Garrett said. “It’s not that difficult when you’re passionate about the cause. He understands Lyon and the mission here.”
When West was president at Lyon College, he helped increase student enrollment to 750 and endowment by almost $40 million. After a tornado in 1973 damaged three campus buildings, West facilitated the construction of eight new buildings and the renovation of four others. He started several successful fund campaigns, secured several large grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation, secured endowments for faculty positions and recruited additional faculty.
After leaving Lyon, West went on to be president of Carroll College; vice president for college relations at Union College; vice president for alumni, development and public relations at Swarthmore College; and interim vice president for development
at Agnes Scott College.
He also served Lyon as executive in residence, and his contributions to the Dan C. West Endowed Scholarship have helped many students fund their education.
“It is wonderful to be back in Batesville and at work, even for a short time, on this beautiful campus,” West said in a press release.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.